This is one of my most favorite Fela tunes.
yes I have his catalog and much of what he performed I got to see live, close up. like right from the side of the stage. we were friends, from the first time we met. our friendship spanned more than fifteen years.
we ran into eachother in many places and always it was the same, hey what are you doing here miss ? he was a charmer. his 30+ wives were very attached to him; as were most women who met and spent anytime with him at all. me included.
when he died of AIDS related complications it broke my heart into small tiny pieces. I was crushed in the most personal way. I had known others who had fallen to the virus; but Fela was someone who meant the world to me. in many ways in my mind, he was imortal. he wore the chains of Ogun and Elegua. he danced and carried the body of his mother back to the army barracks, from where the generals came forth and carried her to the funeral. he was just that powerful. Fela was the voice and consciousness of Nigerias' politically oppressed. he spoke through his music globally, so that we all knew the reality of what was happening at home.
today we are remembering his message of HIV Prevention and Awareness - "Be Safe"; because you never know anothers' history or destiny. he was a very profound man and spoke to the depth of your heart, and soul. his legacy to the world is immense and many of us will forever remain touched by his love and kindness.
Today I am Remembering My Friend FELA; Tomorrow who will remember you ?
FYI - Entrecard Visitors this is for those who are wondering why we are not returning drops for the past few days. the servers are wacking us whenever we get near a widget, regardless. it's just become a deathjoke, so we thought you deserved answers today. apparently Entrecard doesn't think we deserve any answers, to the notes we've written to them from our dashboard. we are somehow in the EntreDEADZONE. If we should get an answer from them finally, we'll be sure to post it for everyones' perusal and opinionating.
Enjoy,
~Reality
Dear Entrecard
HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
obviously something is STILL Wrong with your servers. I clicked on a widget once - it comes back, 1 Per Day.
Why is this suddenly becoming a non proposition ?
today I get to make three drops before the servers start crap with my account ?
I think you guys need to look into this and post some explanation for the rest of us who are consistently being fed the penalties for doing nothing. not even dropping.
maybe you really should blog about the behind the scenes issues so we really understand what is happening, since there is obviously a big problem. and yes this will be on the front of my blog - just so everyone else knows I am asking - but still getting no response, even though you say you will respond within 24 hours.
I'm at the 72 hour mark still waiting on any response,
HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ???????? Any Body There ?
Somehow it seems Entrecard Does Not Want OUR Drops - so with that said, we're going to begin the exit process. we hope that you understand why we'll be pulling TWO of Our Blogs OUT Of Entrecard Before Christmas.
The Consistent Loss of drops and credits does not add up. neither does the lost time. the problem happens over and over. randomly during the week we get these penalties and loose the drop day as well.
is this a new power move within the Entrecard Enforcement Strategy when you decide to monitor your paid ads ?
Ahhhhh YES ! Now We Know why this happened - we went into our dashboard and managed the invisible load of ads there were blocking the EC Paid Ads from showing on our widget. Think Back EC Bloggers, Did You Get an Announcement of Any Additional Ads Being Put onto Your Widget, or that you could Preview Them ?
When We Opened the Dashboard to look at the ads, There were 8 paid ads. you are only allowed to block 4 of them. that means if you are paying for ads with EC's; you will be paying for very minimal visibility. At most you'll get 1/5 of your ec paid impressions; because they are merged with the CASH ADS, NOW.
go test it for yourself and then you can see that this is not a game, nor is this a hoax. Entrecard has put up to 8 additional cards on your widget without your knowledge or the consideration of those who pay for EC Ads with EC's Instead of Cash.
That's What Made the Decision for Us Today - 9 ads on our widgets when we should have only been splitting the widget with two others
at first we missed it, but when we went back and noticed that we had such a glut of paid ads, blocking the EC Drop Paid Ad; we made the change and blocked out all except the required Four Ads.
In Case You Haven't Noticed, some of the same ads were already preventing your EC Paid ads from being shown on widgets that were queued. to test it we refreshed the page up to 6 times to finally see Our EC Paid Ad, Last.
This Flag Does Not Appear Anywhere, in this list - but it cost us Again,
11/26 22:51
Entrepod
Scripted drop penalty
-
495
11/27 0:08
Recycled Frockery
Scripted drop penalty
-
60
This is the First of these Penalties - from Two Weeks Ago -
11/19 18:12
A Bad Gal Says
Scripted drop penalty
-
585
we have alot of credits to spend on ads; and within the next month we're going to be spending them and advertising even more than before - if we're not removed before we can.
It seems like such a sorry strategy to block your biggest droppers from dropping, because they are technologically faster than you. simply put, we use a drop list and we have always used the same list.
the entrecard servers hate drop lists because they can't track you when you skip their toolbar. that means you are a wild card to the system until you reach your dashboard, and reach 300 drops. the system will ignore your drops in the toolbar, and that pisses the servers and apparently the security server scripts off.
Being a Good Blogger means more than dropping, which is why you find our comments all over the place; our notes on peoples dashboards, and lots of interaction within our circle. we dont' feel very confident with the rules in the present entrecard rulebook; since it seems to grow weekly, without notice or need. sort of like the new penalty flag's.
Maybe it's really time to look at what your time is worth, since apparently Entrecard doesn't think it's worth the time you spend clicking to Advertise.
Next Week we'll be exploring Blogging Circles and Advertising Effectiveness; across our Three Blogs. some posts will help to clarify the situation, since it seems to become muddier all the time. Entrecard needs to mature and accept that Rules are Rules. Basically, if we have to live by them, then they shouldn't change them daily, to support their point without consideration of their community.
That's Just Too Much like Voodoo Jello to be good for anybody,
These messages are equivalent to Thanks!, they are shown at various numbers of drops per day.
Invalid
This message is shown when you have failed a security check, this can happen by accident once in a while, however if this happens to you regularly you should contact support.
300 per day
This message is what you get when you hit the 300 drops per day limit
600 per IP
This message is what you get when the IP address you are accessing from has dropped 600 cards in a day
Own card!
This is what you get when you try and drop on your own card :)
No Widget
This message indicates the Entrecard widget scanner does not believe this site has a widget. If you get this error while browsing, please send the URL of the site to phirate via PM.
No such user / Deleted
This message indicates the Entrecard account for this widget has been deleted
Cooldown X hrs
This message indicates that you have triggered security countermeasures. You will not be allowed to drop a card again until the cooldown period has finished (the counter will continue to update). If you have not done anything that should have gained the attention of the security system, please use the feedback form on your Dashboard and we will arrange a security reset. It is likely that you also received a Scripted Drop Penalty which removed credit from your account, this can be resolved as well.
WE Don't Do Thanksgiving - because until the situation is equalized across the board, in our humble opinion; There Ain't Nothin to Celebrate.Today We Honor and Join with our Native Peoples in their statement for the Truth and Rights about the North American Peoples' Holocaust.
Every year since 1970, United American Indians of New England have organized the National Day of Mourning observance in Plymouth at noon on Thanksgiving Day. Every year, hundreds of Native people and our supporters from all four directions join us. Every year, including this year, Native people from throughout the Americas will speak the truth about our history and about current issues and struggles we are involved in.
Why do hundreds of people stand out in the cold rather than sit home eating turkey and watching football? Do we have something against a harvest festival?
Of course not. But Thanksgiving in this country -- and in particular in Plymouth --is much more than a harvest home festival. It is a celebration of the pilgrim mythology.
Native Americans - The Genocide of the Genuine Americans
According to this mythology, the pilgrims arrived, the Native people fed them and welcomed them, the Indians promptly faded into the background, and everyone lived happily ever after.
The truth is a sharp contrast to that mythology.
The pilgrims are glorified and mythologized because the circumstances of the first English-speaking colony in Jamestown were frankly too ugly (for example, they turned to cannibalism to survive) to hold up as an effective national myth. The pilgrims did not find an empty land any more than Columbus "discovered" anything. Every inch of this land is Indian land.
The pilgrims (who did not even call themselves pilgrims) did not come here seeking religious freedom; they already had that in Holland. They came here as part of a commercial venture. They introduced sexism, racism, anti-lesbian and gay bigotry, jails, and the class system to these shores.
One of the very first things they did when they arrived on Cape Cod -- before they even made it to Plymouth -- was to rob Wampanoag graves at Corn Hill and steal as much of the Indians' winter provisions of corn and beans as they were able to carry. They were no better than any other group of Europeans when it came to their treatment of the Indigenous peoples here. And no, they did not even land at that sacred shrine called Plymouth Rock, a monument to racism and oppression which we are proud to say we buried in 1995.
The first official "Day of Thanksgiving" was proclaimed in 1637 by Governor Winthrop. He did so to celebrate the safe return of men from the Massachusetts Bay Colonywho had gone to Mystic, Connecticut to participate in the massacre of over 700 Pequot women, children, and men.
About the only true thing in the whole mythology is that these pitiful European strangers would not have survived their first several years in "New England" were it not for the aid of Wampanoag people. What Native people got in return for this help was genocide, theft of our lands, and never-ending repression. We are treated either as quaint relics from the past, or are, to most people, virtually invisible.
When we dare to stand up for our rights, we are considered unreasonable. When we speak the truth about the history of the European invasion, we are often told to "go back where we came from." Our roots are right here. They do not extend across any ocean.
National Day of Mourning began in 1970 when a Wampanoag man, Wamsutta Frank James, was asked to speak at a state dinner celebrating the 350th anniversary of the pilgrim landing. He refused to speak false words in praise of the white man for bringing civilization to us poor heathens. Native people from throughout the Americas came to Plymouth, where they mourned their forebears who had been sold into slavery, burned alive, massacred, cheated, and mistreated since the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620.
But the commemoration of National Day of Mourning goes far beyond the circumstances of 1970.
Can we give thanks as we remember Native political prisoner Leonard Peltier, who was framed up by the FBI and has been falsely imprisoned since 1976? Despite mountains of evidence exonerating Peltier and the proven misconduct of federal prosecutors and the FBI, Peltier has been denied a new trial. Bill Clinton apparently does not feel that particular pain and has refused to grant clemency to this innocent man.
To Native people, the case of Peltier is one more ordeal in a litany of wrongdoings committed by the U.S. government against us. While the media in New England present images of the "Pequot miracle" in Connecticut, the vast majority of Native people continue to live in the most abysmal poverty.
Can we give thanks for the fact that, on many reservations, unemployment rates surpass fifty percent? Our life expectancies are much lower, our infant mortality and teen suicide rates much higher, than those of white Americans. Racist stereotypes of Native people, such as those perpetuated by the Cleveland Indians, the Atlanta Braves, and countless local and national sports teams, persist. Every single one of the more than 350 treaties that Native nations signed has been broken by the U.S. government. The bipartisan budget cuts have severely reduced educational opportunities for Native youth and the development of new housing on reservations, and have caused cause deadly cutbacks in health-care and other necessary services.
Are we to give thanks for being treated as unwelcome in our own country?
Or perhaps we are expected to give thanks for the war that is being waged by the Mexican government against Indigenous peoples there, with the military aid of the U.S. in the form of helicopters and other equipment? When the descendants of the Aztec, Maya, and Inca flee to the U.S., the descendants of the wash-ashore pilgrims term them 'illegal aliens" and hunt them down.
We object to the "Pilgrim Progress" parade and to what goes on in Plymouth because they are making millions of tourist dollars every year from the false pilgrim mythology. That money is being made off the backs of our slaughtered indigenous ancestors.
Increasing numbers of people are seeking alternatives to such holidays as Columbus Day and Thanksgiving. They are coming to the conclusion that, if we are ever to achieve some sense of community, we must first face the truth about the history of this country and the toll that history has taken on the lives of millions of Indigenous, Black, Latino, Asian, and poor and working class white people.
The myth of Thanksgiving, served up with dollops of European superiority and manifest destiny, just does not work for many people in this country. As Malcolm X once said about the African-American experience in America, "We did not land on Plymouth Rock. Plymouth Rock landed on us." Exactly.
[Mahtowin Munro (Lakota) and Moonanum James (Wampanoag)
are co-leaders of United American Indians of New England.]
Nina Simone is one of our most favorite singers. she is usually included in the playlist on BadGalsRadio weekly. this is a beautiful Live video of Nina performing at the Montreaux Jazz Festival; after she had begun her first tour of France.
Knowing that she had a long career ahead of her, Nina decided to leave the racial prejudice of the US entertainment industry behind in the 70's. this was just as she was reaching the height of her musical career. instantly she became an international sensation, as soon as she began her tour of the european music scene. she would spend time in Barbados, Africa and eventually she settled in France. she recorded sporadically, but it was always superb.
the fact that she's sampled by todays artists as much as James Brown; attests to her legendary status. clearly everyone from Kanye West to Lil Wayne has used samples from Nina Simone; without ever acknowledging her contributions. her music is undeniably timeless which is why it will remain a part of our catalogs, always.
I'm sure that everyone remembers that timeless Chanel Number Five Commercial using "My Baby Just Cares For Me". it shows you just how classy and timeless her music really is.
My skin is black
My arms are long
My hair is wooly
My back is strong
Strong enough to take the pain
It’s been inflicted again and again
What do they call me
My name is aunt sarah
My name is aunt sarah
My skin is yellow
My hair is long
Between two worlds
I do belong
My father was rich and white
He forced my mother late one night
What do they call me
My name is saffronia
My name is saffronia
My skin is tan
My hair’s alright, it’s fine
My hips invite you
And my lips are like wine
Whose little girl am i?
Well yours if you have some money to buy
What do they call me
My name is sweet thing
My name is sweet thing
My skin is brown
And my manner is tough
I’ll kill the first mother I see
Cos my life has been too rough
I’m awfully bitter these days
Because my parents were slaves
What do they call me
My
Name
Is
Peaches
February 21, 1933 - April 21, 2003
Singer - Pianist - Arranger - Composer
Honorary Doctor in Music and Humanities
High Priestess of Soul
Queen of African Rooted Classical Music
(Parts are Clipped from the Bio by Roger Nupie) Eunice Waymon was born in Tryon, North Carolina as the sixth of seven children in a poor family. The child prodigy played piano at the age of four. With the help of her music teacher, who set up the "Eunice Waymon Fund", she could continue her general and musical education. She studied at the Julliard School of Music in New York.
To support her family financially, she started working as an accompanist. In the summer of 1954 she took a job in an Irish bar in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The bar owner told her she had to sing as well. Without having time to realize what was happening, Eunice Waymon, who was trained to become a classical pianist, stepped into show business. She changed her name into Nina ("little one") Simone ("from the French actress Simone Signoret").
Nina married and had a beautiful daughter who continues the family legacy, as a fabulous jazz singer.
Nina was the highlight of the Nice Jazz Festival in France in 1997, the Thessalonica Jazz Festival in Greece in 1998. At the Guinness Blues Festival in Dublin, Ireland in 1999 her daughter, Lisa Celeste, performing as "Simone", sang a few duets with her mother. Simone has toured the world, sung with Latin superstar Rafael, participated in two Disney theatre workshops, playing the title role in Aida and Nala in The Lion King. She is currently working on her upcoming debut album, "Simone Superstar".
On July 24, 1998 Nina Simone was a special guest at Nelson Mandela's 80th Birthday Party. On October 7, 1999 she received a Lifetime Achievement in Music Award in Dublin.
In 2000 she received Honorary Citizenship to Atlanta (May 26), the Diamond Award for Excellence in Music from the Association of African American Music in Philadelphia (June 9) and the Honorable Musketeer Award from the Compagnie des Mousquetaires d'Armagnac in France (August 7).
Dr. Simone passed away after a long illness at her home in her villa in Carry-le-Rouet (South of France) on April 21, 2003. As she had wished, her ashes were spread in different African countries.
The Diva, who was as well an Honorary Doctor in Music and Humanities, has an unrivalled legendary status as one of the very last 'griots". She is and will forever be the ultimate songstress and storyteller of our times.
The documentary Nina Simone: La Legende (The Legend) was made in the '90s by French filmmakers.It was based on her autobiography I Put A Spell On You and features live footage from different periods of her career, interviews with friends and family, various interviews with Simone herself while she was living in the Netherlands, and on a trip to her birthplace. A significant amount of footage from The Legend was taken from an earlier 26-minute biographical documentary by Peter Rodis, released in 1969 and titled simply Nina.
Plans for a Nina Simone biographical film were released at the end of 2005. The movie will be based on Simone's autobiography I Put A Spell On You (1992) and will also focus on her relationship in later life with her assistant, Clifton Henderson, who died in 2006. TV writer Cynthia Mort (Will & Grace, Roseanne) is working on the script, and singer Mary J. Blige will play the lead role. The movie is scheduled for 2012.
Wow talk about Over the Moon - Michael Jacksons' Glove set an auction record yesterday. it seems that Michael keeps setting and breaking his own records; even in death. Take a look at him here celebrating one of his own records, and setting one with the introduction of The Moonwalk, Yes This is The First time the Moonwalk was seen in public.
This is Michael Wearing The Exact Glove - during the Motown 25th anniversary show
This is great news for the memorabilia market, and also those who collect Michael Jackson memorabilia. this glove will hang in a hotel in Macau China. that's probably just where Michael would have wanted it to go. when collectors feel this confident, it shows us that the economy is stabilizing. can you imagine the visitors that this glove will receive; now that it has a permanent home. Hopefully they will give it the honor it receives.
More of Michaels memorabilia will surely surface in short order. hopefully it will be shown in public installations and be open for the public to enjoy. Rumors are wild that Michael Jackson memorabilia and more of his personal gear and props; are rumored to be going up for auction next year.
The Jackson family owns more of his personal papers and music properties; than anyone else.word has it that his papers will go with an endowment to a major university to allow them to be studied. maybe in the future we'll see students taking classes in Michael Jackson Dancing Theory; or his Songwriting and or Production Theories. Undeniably Michael was quite a genius; and as such has earned his place in world history.
In honor of Michael's Achievement we give you Moonwalker by The King of Pop - Michael Jackson - this includes the scene with his patented leaning shoes
The glove sold for nine times the pre-auction estimate
A rhinestone-encrusted glove worn by Michael Jackson the first time he performed the Moonwalk has been sold at auction for $350,000 (£212,000).
The glove, among 70 items belonging to the late singer which went on sale in New York, was sold for nine times the expected price.
A jacket worn by Jackson on his 1989 "Bad" tour was sold for $225,000 while a fedora hat went for $22,000.
The auction in New York attracted thousands of bidders around the world. Auctioneer Darren Julien said the 1983 television appearance when Jackson first displayed the Moonwalk - wearing the glove - had been his "most historical performance".
Mr Julien said he had had no idea the sale would be so big.
Prices for Michael Jackson memorabilia now outstrip those for items belonging to Elvis or Marilyn Monroe, he added.
"It's a tribute to his life and career - he's truly an amazing artist," said Mr Julien.
The glove was bought by Hong Kong businessman Hoffman Ma on behalf of a hotel in Macau China, where it will now go on display.
Including taxes and fees, the final amount paid was $420,000.
Michael Jackson died at his home in Los Angeles in June at the age of 50 after a drugs overdose.
I received an Entrecard penalty tonight WITHOUT WARNING; that is apparently so new they haven't had time to create any documentation on it, in the tos, or users manual. now that's what I call brand stankin new.
Whooo Hoooooo !!!!!!!!! UPDATE - 15:22PM
hello, your drop credits are back in your accout now.
On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 3:16 PM, wrote: Feedback received from user 22484 ( http://entrecard.com/user_details/22484 ausetkmt@gmail.com ):
hello
what does it mean when you are dropping and you get
24 hr cool off, on a button ?
then none of your drops are counted ?
are we now limited to less than 300 drops per account per day ?
I'll be looking forward to your response email.
It's Amazing what happens when You Guys Comment and Pay Attention to a Situation on Entrecard. We've found out that the biggest way to get their attention; is TO GET YOUR ATTENTION.
So Today is The Day I SAY THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PAID ATTENTION.
They have restored this account to full use and replaced my missing credits. Thanks Guys, because Your Visits and Our Blog made them realize that
WE ARE FAMILY, and I got all my Bloggers With Me !
tonite when dropping, I got a penalty for who knows what reason. not a normal penalty mind you - but something totally new, a Cool Off time peroid flag. yes that's what it looks like above. it's the response you see on a widget after you drop on it, and the penalty is imposed.
I don't want to think that they Invented This Penalty For ME, but it's not in the Entrecard Book - Anywhere, and It's Not Google-able
I was actually dropping on the sites where my ad is displayed. Suddenly the widgets stopped changing, and Wham; it appeared when I reached approximately 145 drops. amazingly it only happened on This One; out of of my three accounts. that is also part of the mystery. I'm waiting for them to write me back and explain this new penalty and clarify what reason they think I need a time out; not to mention a fine of 585 credits.
makes me wonder if my wrist doc has been talking to them, about my carpel tunnel issues
maybe my dropping 900 cards a day is finally getting their attention. or maybe I've reached that threshold that they set for members who consistently drop high numbers daily. eitherway it came with no explanation. no clarifying email has followed yet, and believe it or not, they even allowed me to drop an additional 300 cards on another account after the penalty was given.
I've checked the entrebook for any info on the penalty and there's none.
I think this is a NEW Penalty, and if you're not careful they may impose it on you.
I received a penalty tonight WITHOUT WARNING; that is apparently so new they haven't had time to create any documentation on it, in the tos, or users manual.
Honestly, can you imagine hosting a social network and issuing mystery penalties to members, who do what your network calls for them to do; Visit Other Members Blogs. yes it's true, Entrecard is "possibly" going to penalize you if you drop more than 140 cards in a day; even though their rules say you may drop up to 300 cards per day; per account. remember they let me drop 300 cards on Two other accounts, but the one which asked the question was hit with the penalty - amazing.
it seems so much more sinister that they created the penalty, but no explanation. their delayed response also adds a lil flavor to their special punishment. I guess I'm such a bad dropper they want me to ponder it all. Apparently this is just another one of those things that makes ya go Hmmmmm,,,
I can almost smell Dick Cheney lurking around. Heheheee,
actually I think it's because I asked a question the other day about a missing ad credit reimbursement which was rejected. the ad never played because the site was removed from entrecard. I wrote them asking them to reimburse me for the non display of the ad - they told me to write to the owner of the site; who by this time was no longer a member of entrecard. apparently it pissed them off, so you shouldn't do that. - take note,
Can someone tell me what does this video have to do with a Phone ?
in fact I watched the video twice and I've yet to see a videophone in the video. do you see a phone and what does this have to do with the phone ?
Somehow I think this has more to do with A Blackberry;
and I'm not talking about the textin or pie baking kind either.
Have Mercy Beyaki, now you got Gaga sellin invisible stuff too.
strangely enough this video is not rated R; for anything.
I can imagine you need a drink after that. I know I sure do,
There are days I wish I didn't read the international section of the news. today was one of those days. The Numbers Gang; Check This Lil Tidbit Out,
somehow I just don't get it, in terms of why criminal activity seems to have some mystic allure. there is nothing glamourous about being in jail, or doing something that will probably result in you loosing your freedom.
This story is from South Africa, so you probably missed it. the irony of it is that before the show debuted, they had to lockdown the prison; "because the contestants got a lil too excited". (sideeye) Okay now forgive my ignorance, what would make anybody in jail excited ? you are locked down, away from your stuff and have no basic say-so over anything that happens to you. that's pretty grim. so how could they even feel excited enough to get locked down before they got to give their performances ?
I guess it's just one of those things I'll never know. All I know is that imagining folks like Dick Cheney and Condi Rice; locked down in Chino; Whooo Hoooo ! that makes me kinda giddy. I could see them making Dubya bend over and spread em, before they let him out to the exercise pens. they'd probably find a pretzel up there in the man cave. could you imagine Rumsfeld locked down beside somebody like Wesley Snipes. ooooo that could make for an interesting talent show.
Wesley could do his impression of Noxeema Jackson. I would have to buy the dvd so I could run it back and forth. I'd especially enjoying seeing it when Condi and Da Brat meet-up in the Ladies Room. Whew, that would be totally like finding the weapons of mass destruction. we'd all finally know if Condi was rockin a lacefront or just some clip ins. either way, we put our ducats on Da Brat, since we already know she's got experience whoopin ass.
Check out this madness, and hope that it doesn't make it to the US Market anytime soon. could you imagine Pookey and Manuel nem workin out they steps, Lawd Please, Jesus would really have to take the wheel, cause this Would be a hit.
South African inmates at Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town in 2004. Dressed in identical orange uniforms, inmates at the maximum-security Pollsmoor prison sing and act for the cameras in a new reality series where they vie to be crowned "Jail Star."
Dressed in identical orange uniforms, inmates at South Africa's maximum-security Pollsmoor prison sing and act for the cameras in a new reality series where they vie to be crowned "Jail Star".
The Cape Town prison, best known for gang violence in one of the world's most violent countries, has launched a TV talent search for offenders as part of its rehabilitation programme.
The show will be broadcast throughout South Africa's prison system on an in-house television channel.
"One of the reasons for the show was to take away the reality that prison was a university of crime. Jail Star gave the prisoners a chance to be themselves and away from their unreal environment," said the founder of Prison Broadcasting Network,Marius Boaden.
"We completed the production. About 35 prisoners were auditioned. The idea comes from reality shows such 'Pop Idol' and 'South Africa's Got Talent'. The prisoners could act or recite a poem," he said.
The judges were two warders and a prisoner.
"The competition was tough. The judges were honest and encouraging but there were some pretty harsh comments. The general concept was to be positive and encourage them even if they were bad," he said.
But the programme's launch was postponed after a stabbing incident that prompted Pollsmoor to impose a general lock-down.
"It seems now things have settled down. We will try again maybe next week and the winner will be announced then. The winner won't be receiving any prize but the recognition," he said.
The broadcast is part of a rehabilitation and skills development programme.
"After they finish their training, they get certificates. We have two cameras, no lights, one mic and one tripod. We work with bare bones but we manage."
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For Those of You who enjoy EntrePOD - this is the latest episode,
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