Exodus
The first time I watched the GXP programme promo ad on NTV, I could not hold back the laughter when it got to that part where Ugandan gospel artiste, Exodus says, “I am the biggest gospel artiste in East Africa”!
I thought it was a joke but I quietly concluded later, that perhaps it made sense for one to believe in themselves, then go ahead and proclaim it with the tongue and create it further with hard work and good music. Right?
Sing about how you were once a Ganja man, then Igwe, your creator delivered you, blah blah blah. Perhaps that is why the first time that I saw Exodus happening while at one of my favourite night spots, I did not mind it. I mean we all know that sometimes, these old habits sure die hard but again, if “Igwe the defender” delivered him from all this trash called happening in the name of sin, what was he doing there anyway?
Did he for once stop to care about the people that look at him as a role model? The people that listen to his music, and it speaks to them, and so they look forward to his next release?
But like they say, when the 40 days are over, whatever has been done in the dark comes to light. So it happened, when the self-acclaimed “best gospel artiste in East Africa” aka the “once ganja man”, had to spend a night in the coolers thanks to driving under the influence.
Eeeish! So that thing that I had seen him take then in the glass was not tea after all, as he shook his head to the likes of Diamonds by Rihanna, and Gyal a Bubble by Konshens and others. Ahem … Indeed I am at a loss of words as I put this down.
I am human too and acknowledge the fact that we are bound to make mistakes at one point or the other, but again in some cases, it would not hurt to take precaution depending on the position we hold in society.
If I am a gospel artiste and realise that I stand for something in society, what would make me step out, countless times to a nightspot, drink openly and even shake hands with the fans yet I portray and stand for something else? Is it so hard to practice what we preach and when the temptation comes, we face it with reality as opposed to hiding beneath the bracket of “reaching out to the lost souls” at all costs?
I sure doubt Exodus was preaching in the nightspot, but if he was, what can I say? Well done! I am not hating by the way but I am disappointed at how some people continuously take their fans for granted. It is not right, it is not fair. Lead by example especially if you can even take the time to even attach a title as “best gospel artiste in East Africa”.
The church has been poked from one end to another because of this and the other, so it wouldn’t hurt if we took some things seriously and matched up the respect given to us.