With pride I deliver my last 2009 YAMBUKA blog post.

There is an old Shona saying, “ Kusatenda uroyi”, translated, it means; not giving credit, where credit is due... is tantamount to murder.



Please believe…without you I COULDN'T...!

My YMBK Family: Braden, Gerard, Thu Cao, Dannon, Lisa, The Dzikiti’s, Brent & The LOOM family, Shelton, Pata, Ralph, The WebSolution family, Dayo, Leslie, Courage, Chapi, Charlie, Keith, Stacey, Kim, Dawn, DeAnna, Rosa, Dj Maestro, Dj Ketro, Barbra, Addy, Mike, DeAunna, Chris, WatChip + Sigogo & Mai Calvin in CA.



Please understand…without you I COULDN'T’...!

My Family: Home- Heather, Mom’s , Ju, Divah & DJ Taps Taps tha Lovely; UK - Lib Gwits , G-funk & Dofo; Canada- Dzuki Nzo, Tsitsi; AU- Tindo.

I dearly salute you.

I hope they know…without them' I wouldn’t... !

Rungano, Ruva, Donald Tavona & Mr.T.



I always thought it self-congratulatory whenever artists thanked 'people for support, but from the bottom of my heart, I NEED for it to be understood, that I humbly want each and everyone who has taken a moment to add value to the YMBK brand {whether it was by modeling, designing, attending functions, promoting, feedback, emailing, texting, calling... whether it was by criticizing, supporting, cheering, praying, buying, listening, suggesting or ...simply smiling} that I 'm ETERNALLY grateful & in your debt.

"Its" a beautyful thing when things are beautyful.



Our Future

Things will always be how they should be.

Things will be how they are meant to be. We will OVERCOME, in this lifetime or the next.




YAMBUKA Year 1 Achievements: Brand Building

Over six hundred thousand website views (3 mins +) just under four million website hits.

Over 60% of inventory sold.

Site accessed from over 65 countries.

Reached a ranking of under 8 million (Sept 2009) out of over 40 million websites in the world in ranking, on Alexa.com.

Over 200 t-shirt design & color combinations.

A 15 member international YAMBUKA team.

5 International distribution hubs for 2010.



MY Take On OUR First Year

Tickled. Honestly tickled, YAMBUKA has made a believer (of purpose) out of me: We can OVERCOME any & all obstacles.

Six years ago a good friend of mine, Keith, said to me, " ...aim for the sky, worst case, you'll land on top of a tree." Wise words.


why? WE try

Have you ever broken your own heart?

The YAMBUKA platform, is for everybody. Every creative being, every expressive being. Anyone who has something to say back to the world. Its art, but its marketing, its the movement , but its the responsibility, its the hope, but its the risk management, its the voice, but its also the humility.





Germinating Ideas




I want to wish everyone the best of luck in 2010.

Please take a moment to listen to this song (my favorite universal song of all time)in its entirety, and ...sing long too - Become LOVE.

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Aim high, real high... you never know...you could OVERCOME: YAMBUKA.
Onwards.Upwards. Always!

fa

“Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.” Tupac Shakur

I'm feeling a flirtatious tango of ecstatic euphoria and deep solitude as I come to terms with the truth that binds us all: adversity introduces us to ourselves.

I feel the lifting of an emotional veil, from my previous state of discourse as the year draws to an interesting end.

When we take leaps of faith, each and every one of us, I hope we never fear regrets. Regrets steal future essence and pleasure. Emotion should always rule over pragmatisim.

As we weave this beautyful future, I hope we can all BECOME LOVE.

"Never, never, never give up." Winston Churchill

YAMBUKA is so ALIVE!

Onwards. Upwards. Always!

fa

Be careful of your thoughts, because your thoughts inevitably become your words.

Be careful of your words, because your words inevitably become your actions.

Be careful of your actions, because your actions inevitably become your habits.

Be careful of your habits, because your habits inevitably become your character.

Be most careful of your character, YOUR character is YOUR destiny.

Onwards. Upwards. Always!

fa

2010: The Year of the Phoenix

The myth of the Phoenix rising from the ashes is applicable to YAMBUKA & I.

In this ancient story of rebirth and renewal, a great and colorful bird, one of its kind, is destroyed in a blazing nest. From the flames, a new egg forms and the magnificent creature rises again from the ashes.

2008: Heart-Aching Grief

Interestingly defined by the dictionary as “..keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret.”

What the dictionary does not understand, what the dictionary fails to factor in is how mercilessly crushing the right hook, packed by grief, is; there is nothing as heavy as grief. Grief is the deepest pit in the bottomless ocean. The bottomless ravine, it suffocates, it paralyzes… as no severed nerve could.


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2009: Acceptance

The 2009 plot is thick with intrigue. I welcome December as an eve to 2010, 2009 the watershed year: ...rooted out weeds, turned 30, understood commitment - started a BRAND, met twice as many people in 2 months as I had the previous 5 years, killed the YMBK PROMO party, realized I was in love, got robbed, re-lived blood stained memories, saluted my dad’s passing, opted for the rope-a-dope on the drama, home-boy rolled through, check mate’d an international YMBK deal, scaled 240 lbs, web site got hacked, got robbed again, the blueprint 3 dropped, winter fashion show, blogs turned a little dark, October 15th hit- Farai & the Phoenix become one, November the RE-UP…dumbed down…stealth, December- streamlining, weeding out, on my bench-press.

Today, I’m bumping nothing but that ‘02 Fitty that "BACKDOWN."

Yep, I feel strong, ...yes... “that’ strong ..."I've been patiently waiting to blow...

This I Believe

I believe I’m desperately simple: those who do not understand this will never appreciate the full YMBK experience.
I believe I’ve obvious avenues for approach, that anyone with true motives can get a message across. I believe in motivation.
I believe in truth. I believe things will always be how they should be and that; poetic justice is not only a true philosophy but a pathway to wealth and happiness.


The Next Episode: Bravura

Define YAMBUKA: a display of daring; brilliant performance.
It always fascinates me when people think they are “catching me out” with bland 101 questions like, “ what’s your mission/vision statement”, “ or “which competencies do you think…”.

Perception

I believe Mothers are truth. My mother turned 61 last weekend, but its amazing how, within seconds, she can still break me down with the simplest questions, “… so.... HOW are you going to ..”.

For this I’ll always turn up Pac’s gem, lean back in my seat, breath deep and smile.

Perception vs. Reality

There will be some MAJOR changes (CHANGE is the only constant, ask Michele's husband) in my life (because of my commitment to YMBK) in the next 3-6 months.

I hope those who read this and those who care enough to have an opinion have an easy way to communicate with me (nigel@yambuka.com).


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YAMBUKA is simplicity. It’s a generation arriving. Limited resources, feverish effort. YMBK is TIME. It’s about inevitability. The dexterity,the timing, the acceptance coupled with the willingness to resist mediocrity, to fight... to OVERCOME. It’s about truth seeded in growth. It’s about a global family, a global BRAND, a global understanding.

YAMBUKA is about LOVE: not the easy sitcom love, fuck Rachel & Ross, it’s about the deep wrenching intrusive reality that we have to wake up to every so often.

YAMBUKA is about acceptance. We will grow. We will interact. It’s HOW (thanks Moms) we grow and HOW (there she is again) we interact, that will define us.

I think the path is simple. I think the path is clear.

I believe the path has always been simple and has always been clear: THE YAMBUKA MOVEMENT

Lets laugh often and much; lets win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of the old and the young; lets earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; lets appreciate beauty; let’s find the best in others; lets leave the world a bit better; lets aim to improve even one life, lets ensure that someone has breathed easier because we have lived.

My life is simple (and for this i give praise).


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Loyalty . Choice. Truth.

Value. Wisdom. Wealth.

Onwards. Upwards. Always!

fa