Semi Anthony is a Ugandan American film and TV actor, producer living in Hollywood California.
He was the leader actor in the 2014 selling film “Death factory”. His career as an actor started at TVI studios in Sherman Oaks California and currently training with Ivana Chubbuck in Los Angeles, with theatre stage credits including the famous Shakespeare play, a mid summer nights dream, and shadows of Boot Hill.
In the interview below, Anthony shares his childhood, journey to United States, movie career, personal interests and future plans about Uganda
‘’I’m originally from Kampala, Uganda. I am the third child out of six brothers and one sister.
My hometown is Namasuba Para Zone; I went to Kabowa Katayi Primary School, Najja High and Kampala High School.
Growing up in a poverty stricken country, I lacked the resources around me to fulfill an acting career. I dreamed of living here in the United States and when an opportunity came to do so, I jumped on it without hesitation.
I sold all my belongings with no idea what I was about to get into and next thing you know; I had a plane ticket to New York. With only fifty dollars that a friend helped me out with in my pocket, I somehow managed to last fourteen days in one of the most expensive cities in the United States.
I really maximized my resources and found myself in Boston a short time later. I had made friends, who put a roof over my head and allowed me to earn money to make my way out to Los Angeles.
When I got here I immediately enrolled myself into acting classes, I began doing background work, which was a great way to make connections.
I began going on auditions where I started booking parts, including a role on Modern Family where my confidence was growing. The ball really began to roll when I met Stephen Durham, he and I put together a team of creative minded people. Together we would make our own feature films.
Our first feature ‘’The Butchers’’ has distribution both in the United States and the U.K. Recently wrapping a new thriller/suspense feature, releasing in 2015 and more projects in development, pre-production, production and post-production.
We shall continue to grow as a production company looking at a bright year ahead.
My biggest dream was to be a movie star and have a fully functional company which I already accomplished.
My five – ten year plan goal is to form the Semi Anthony Foundation to help Women with breast cancer and under privileged kids so that they get good education.’’
My personal interests are making movies, reading, outdoors, fitness modeling, boxing, travelling, fast cars and I fancy Indian food.
A team of American Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) officers are set to jet into the country later this week to help with investigations in relation to the trial of ex-LRA Commander Dominic Ongwen.
According to sources, the group will carry out investigations in Northern Uganda, after the International Criminal Court (ICC) recommended that Ongwen’s ‘confirmation of charges’ hearing be held in Gulu.
Ongwen, who is currently being held at the ICC Detention Facility in The Hague, Netherlands, is accused of committing atrocities during the twenty-four year Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion in Northern Uganda, in which many were killed and hundreds of thousands others injured or displaced.
Ongwen, who is charged with seven counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes, was indicted in June 2005 together with four other senior LRA officers including their leader Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, Vincent Otti and Raska Lukwiya. The LRA is an outlawed rebel outfit which has wreaked havoc in the East and Central African region, prompting the intervention of the US, which has sent several dozen military experts to try and capture the LRA leader Kony.
In May 2010 US President Barack Obama signed the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) Act and Northern Uganda Recovery Act to support armies in the East and Central Africa region to end the atrocities of the LRA.
Following the ensuing and sustained pressure Ongwen decided to surrender but before he could get to the Americans he was captured early in 2015 by the Seleka rebels in the Central Africa Republic (CAR), and handed over to the American military that also handed him over to the CAR government, which then handed him over to the ICC to face trial.
And recently, the Pre-trial Chamber of the ICC recommended to the ICC Presidency that the confirmation of charges hearings against Ongwen be held in Uganda in January 2016, in a bid ‘to bring the Court’s process closer to the communities affected by the alleged crimes’.
It is this development, sources said, that has led the Americans to send the FBI to help with the LRA investigations.
Meanwhile, of the five indicted LRA commanders only two, Kony and Ongwen are still alive, with the former eluding arrest even after the US deployed Special Forces to track him.
PSV Eindhoven Vs Manchester United, 9:45pm. Philips Stadion
Manchester United striker and captain Wayne Rooney has been ruled out of tonight’sChampion’s League match against Dutch side PSV due to hamstring injury he sustained in training before the Liverpool game on Saturday.
Rooney was left out of the squad that travelled to Netherlands on Monday by the Red Devils coach Luis Van Gaal who also sidelined the striker in last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Liverpool.
“He doesn’t know if his side can be champion’s league contenders”. United did not play in the competition after failing to qualify last season but have bounced back this season after finishing fourth behind Arsenal, rivals Manchester City and champions Chelsea.
Last month Manchester United beat Club Brugge by 7-1 in the Champions League qualification round where they emerged victorious to be grouped in group B against CSKA, Vfl Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven.
“We qualified ourselves this year and that was our aim so now, we have to show if we are able to play at that level and that I don’t know, either. I have to wait and see. I think champion’s league is a higher podium than premier league,” said Van Gaal.
Van Gaal has spent more than 200m dollars since he joined the club in acquiring players likes of Memphis Depay, Daley Blind, Anthony Martial, Marcos Rojo, Romero and Andy Herreira but he still does know whether his squad is capable of being a major force in Europe.
Memphis Depay scored in the Champion’s League against Brugge but has not scored in the Barclays Premier League and he is likely to face his former club and coach Phillip Cocu who backs Depay will be a success at old Trafford.
However, van Gaal also hinted that the new boy Martial may not start the game despite the French goal scoring debut from the bench against Liverpool over the weekend citing that he needs time to rest.
“A draw away is always good in my opinion but i want to win and the first match, it’s very important,” said the 64 year old Dutchman.
The Inter Agency Working Group (IAWG) for Disaster Preparedness in East and Central Africa is holding the 3rd Annual Humanitarian Partnership Conference (HPC) at the Boma Inn Hotel.
Under the them: Exploring Humanitarian Partnerships with Academia, Private Sector and Microenterprise the conference is bringing together top actors involved in humanitarian work to discuss emerging issues in humanitarian assistance and formulate best strategies for building partnerships in humanitarian response.
The HPC 2015 will run from 15-17 September and will, among others feature the Director, Strategy & Innovation, Safaricom and Chairman, Safaricom Foundation Joseph Ogutu; Citizenship & Public Affairs Manager, Microsoft East & Southern Africa Alex Nyingi; Project Director, Kenya Youth Empowerment Project, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Ehud Gachugu and the Secretary General of the Kenya Red Cross Society Dr. Abbas Gullet.
Others are Regional Director, Save the Children East Africa Regional Office David Wright; the Deputy Regional Director of Cooperation, Horn of Africa, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Veronique Bourquin; the Chief Executive Officer, National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) James Oduor; the Director of the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) Col. Nathan Kigotho and the Disaster Risk Programme Manager, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Dr Keflemariam Sebhatu.
Local Governments for Sustainability and the City of Johannesburg will host an online press conference on September, 17, on the occasion of the EcoMobility World Festival 2015, the first on the African continent.
Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Parks Tau will be joined by ICLEI General Secretary Gino Van Begin, at the conference.
‘The CBD of Sandton, often referred to as Africa’s richest square mile, is one of the most congested precincts in Johannesburg. 80,000 cars and over 100,000 people move in and out of Sandton every day. The festival also includes an EcoMobility World Exhibition and a week of high-level dialogues on sustainable transport for the city of the future,’ a release by Africa Press Association, states. The second EcoMobility World Festival will showcase the future of sustainable urban living in Sandton, CBD of Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city and financial capital, on October 1-31. During the month-long event residents and visitors can enjoy a safe, healthy, low-emission and resource-efficient lifestyle.
A team of seven who embarked on an epic journey from Cape Town through Africa to London in October 2014 as part of DHL’s Africa as One campaign, have arrived at their final destination after traveling through 45 countries.
During their 11-month journey, the team crossed 102 border posts, travelled 70,854 kilometers, spent over 856 hours on the road, all while introducing the game of Rugby and what it represents to 3,370 children in Africa. The ambitious DHL Africa as One journey formed part of the build-up to Rugby World Cup 2015 in England, and involved the team passing a single rugby ball from hand to hand across Africa.
This first-of-its-kind campaign saw the team face many challenges, including terrain, security, health and safety issues. DHL Africa As One Team leader, Louise Otter, says that Africa is not for the faint-hearted.
“However, the incredible experiences along the way, from the local music and great ruins of Zimbabwe, snorkeling in Lake Malawi, learning about coffee and the Black Pharaohs in Ethiopia and Sudan, to name a few, kept the team going, and provided much encouragement and enthusiasm.
“Moments spent with locals across the continent have also been a highlight. When visiting Guinea Bissau last month, we discovered that rugby is an entirely new concept to the locals, and that many had never seen a rugby ball before.”
In order to make a lasting impact in the various countries visited, the journey also included rugby fairs as well as various CSR activities including free eye tests for over 4,000 people through DHL’s partnership with Mercy Ships and the distribution of over half a million units of stationery to young children across Africa.
Every step of the journey, every person, every place and every pass was captured on film, in photographs and words, and shared with Africa and the rest of the world.
According to Megan Collinicos, Head of Advertising & Public Relations for DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa, the tour was not only about rugby, but about showcasing Africa to the rest of the world in all her beauty. “We wanted to make a difference in each country, as well as capture Africa in her everyday routine, highs and lows in order to share this beautiful continent with the rest of the world.”
“We decided to leverage the partnership in Africa, where rugby is relatively unknown in a number of markets. With this campaign, we wanted to marry our experience, knowledge and capabilities across the African continent with the concept of this ambitious journey – one that requires careful co-ordination and intricate logistics as well as significant investment.”
Collinicos added: “Our dream of sharing Africa’s beauty and culture with the rest of the world is now a reality. We have received a fantastic response to our campaign with over 26 million YouTube views on our Africa As One country episodes to date.”
DHL will be concluding their journey with a three-day activation in London, raising money for the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) Tackle Hunger campaign. All donations will help WFP to provide nutritious school meals to children in Africa.
DHL is the leading global logistics company that employs more than 325,000 employees in over 220 countries, and it generated 56 billion euros in 2014.
Reigning Azam Uganda Premier League champions Vipers FC today face SC Victoria at the Mandela National Stadium, Nambole.
Currently, Vipers is in third place with seven points from three games, while SC Victoria is in 11th place with three points.
Last week Vipers was forced to a draw with Bul FC in a game in Jinja.
Soccer pundits have zeroed on prolific striker Farouk Miya, who missed the Bul game while away on national engagements in the Comoros, as one expected to give the SC Victoria side a run for its money.
Today’s fixtures
KCCA FC Vs Simba, Nakivubo @4:30pm.
Lweza FC Vs SC Villa, Muteesa Royal Stadium, Wankulukuku @4:30pm.
Bright Stars Vs Express, Matugga @4:30pm.
Police FC Vs Sadolin Paints, Kavumba Recreational grounds @4:30pm
Jinja Muni Vs Saints FC, Kakindu stadium @4:30pm
Maroons Vs Soana FC, Luzira Prison Grounds @ 4:00pm live on Azam TV.
Mohsen Taha of Uganda is the overall winner of the 2015 Africa photo competition, bagging US$4,000 for his efforts.
As the overall competition winner Taha received a cash prize of US$2,000 for his photo of a boy holding a mobile phone, and also received another US$2,000 in the technology categor.
Other awardees for the competition sponsored by Agility were Carlos Aguiar from Angola (cities) and Ahmed A Osman from Kenya (industry).
The winning images of the city of Luanda in Angola, wheat fields in Kenya, and a child holding a cell phone were selected from more than 700 photographs submitted by photographers from 33 countries in the categories of industry, technology and cities.
The winning photographs will be shown on CNBC Africa broadcasts and published in Forbes Africa and Forbes Africa Woman magazines.
Mohsen Taha
“I’m proud to be a part of a competition that helps to promote the economic development happening right now in Africa,” said Taha, the grand prize winner. “This competition has allowed photographers to show the various aspects of Africa and how we have grown and developed into something different, and better. Six years ago, I couldn’t afford a mobile phone. Today in Uganda, everyone from rural to urban areas can afford one. These advancements are significant.”
Agility is one of the world’s leading providers of integrated logistics solutions, and the organisers were seeking competitors who would come up with a collection of images that illustrate the breath-taking pace of change across a youthful, tech-savvy, urbanizing Africa.
The contest, the first-ever pan-Africa photo competition to focus on modern Africa, invited amateur and professional photographers to submit images that show the growth and development of Africa taking shape amid record investment, rising incomes and improving living standards.
“Agility launched this competition to help showcase some of the very positive advancements in infrastructure and technology happening across Africa,” said Geoffrey White, CEO of Agility Africa. “As a company investing heavily in Africa’s future, we’re delighted to see how well these photographs have captured the region’s fast-paced evolution and modern spirit.”
The competition was judged by an independent panel that consisted of Sneha Shah, Managing Director, Thomson Reuters Africa; Bronwyn Nielsen, Editor-in-Chief, CNBC Africa; and renowned Ghanaian artist, Professor Ablade Glover.
In describing the winning photo, Nielsen spoke about how “the joy on the young boy’s face just radiates from the picture. It clearly demonstrates how investing in energy, technology and youth can positively shape Africa’s future. In short, this picture is Africa’s hope.”
Professor Glover compared the winning image in the industry category to an artwork: “To my eyes as an artist, the winning photograph of the green field goes beyond just a photograph, it is almost a painting.”
According to Shah, “Africa’s time is now, and the opportunities for those who can see past the traditional views of this market are immense. We need the world to see how vibrant cities like Lagos, Luanda and Nairobi are; how innovation in technology is improving the lives of millions, and how manufacturing and new industries are helping transform economies from aid-based to service and knowledge economies. The real story of Africa, the youngest continent, is just starting to be told, and those who are here now are helping to shape and share in the growth.”
When President Museveni visited the late Gen. Aronda Nyakairima’s home to commiserate with his family over his death, he told mourners who had gathered to keep wake that government is investigating the cause of the 56-year-old senior government official.
What the President forgot to tell the mourners, however, is that the investigations will never be made public, even when the late was a public servant, and hence speculation will be allowed to fill the vacuum.
If the investigation report gets to be made public, then good; but if it never gets to see the light of day, it will not be the first time.
Uganda has been rocked with many unexplained deaths of high profile people. As usual, government promises to leave no stone unturned and to go to the bottom of the matter. Investigation teams are formed and as the matter goes off the media front pages, the matter also goes under and any attempt to extract a report from government becomes an infringement on national security.
As the country mourns the passing of Gen. Aronda, with the hindsight that it will never know what really killed him, Eagle Online reminds of the prominent Ugandans who died in mysterious circumstances. Some have been dismissed, by the president, as having been irresponsible in life— as a way of explaining their deaths while others, government simply chose to threaten those who were seeking the truth.
From death at the hand of a mistress to a late night accident and drug abuse, here are the eight Ugandans we should never forget.
Brig. Noble Mayombo
Brig.Noble Mayombo
By the time of his death Noble Mayombo had raised through army ranks to become a Brigadier. He was the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence and Board Chairman for Vision Group. In April 2007, Brigadier Noble Mayombo felt unwell and was admitted to Kololo hospital where he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis a sudden inflammation of the pancreas, which causes the organ to leak its enzymes into the surrounding tissues and organs, leading the pancreas and surrounding organs to start digesting themselves (autodigestion).
The next day, his condition having worsened, he was transferred to the intensive care unit at International Hospital Kampala. His condition deteriorated further and on Sunday April 29,2007, comatose, on life-support systems, he was flown to Agha khan Hospital in Nairobi Kenya. He was airlifted to Nairobi in the Presidential Gulfstream on the orders of President Yoweri Museveni his , mentor and trusted comrade, However, Noble Mayombo died at Agha Khan Hospital in Nairobi, due to complications of acute pancreatitis. At the time of his death, he was only forty two years old.
The sudden illness and death of Brigadier Mayombo shocked most who learned of the news.
Speculation that there might have been foul play involved in his death prompted government to launch an investigation into his sudden death.
The three-person team that carried out the investigation included: Dr. Peter Mugenyi, Director of the Joint Clinical Research Center, as the chairman, Colonel James Mugira, Commander UPDF Tank Unit and (c) Lieutenant Tagaswire Rusoke, a biochemist in the UPDF.
The team concluded their investigation and handed their report to President Museveni in November 2007. As of February 2015, the detailed findings of that probe have never been released to the public.
Maj. Gen. James Kazini
Maj.Gen.James Kazin
Maj. Gen. James Kazini served as the Army commander between 2001 to 2003. On the morning of November 10, 2009, Major General James Kazini died at the home of his girlfriend, in Namuwongo, a Kampala suburb, after allegedly being struck on the head with a metal pipe during a domestic fracas. At the time of his death James Kazini was 52 years old. The 28-year-old Lydia Draru, the killer who, was arrested, presented before court and charged with murder. She was convicted of man slaughter in 2011 and sentenced two fourteen years in prison where she is serving her sentence in Luzira Maximum Prison.
Gen. Aronda Nyakairima
Gen. Aronda Nyakairima
By the time of his death, Gen. Aronda was the Minister for Internal Affairs and Member of Parliament representing the Army. Previously he served as the Chief of Defense Forces from 2003 to 2013. According to the Pamela Ankunda the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Aronda WHO was 56 died on the morning of Saturday September 12, 2015. He was transiting through Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. His death occurred mysteriously and the cause of his death has not yet been known to the public.
According to the President, government is busy investigating the cause of his death.
Francis Ayume.
Former Speaker of Parliament Francis Ayume.
Ayume died in a motor accident in 2005 while returning to Kampala from his Arua home. At the time of his death he was the Attorney General but he had previously served as speaker of Parliament as well. Ayume died in a mysterious motor vehicle accident along Masindi- Kampala road with many people calling upon government to carry out an investigation suspecting there might be foul play especially given the type of car he was using and the driver who drove the car at the time of the accident. However after burial no investigation was carried out and that is how the man from West Nile went.
Cerinah Nebanda
Former Butaleja Woman legislature Nebanda.
Nebanda was Woman Member of Parliament Butaleja district. She was a young but out spoken legislator. On many occasions, she tackled government on issues like corruption, youth unemployment, increasing poverty levels among others. She was the youngest woman to elected to Parliament and she died aged 24.
Some Members of Parliament suspected e that Nebanda was poisoned, as she was a vocal critic of the government, and that the state was “arresting anyone suspected to be propagating that line among those arrested were two MPs, one of whom was Mohamed Nsereko
A government chemist’s post mortem report stated that cocaine, heroin, alcohol, and several other chemicals were found in Nebanda’s blood, intestinal tract, and tissue samples. At Nebanda’s funeral, however, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga rejected this report. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni denied that the National Resistance Movement, the political party to which he and the late Nebanda belonged to, had killed her.
On January 2,2013, police announced that they had opened an investigation into Nebanda’s death and linked it to what they called “a narcotic drug syndicate operating in a number of countries including Uganda, Pakistan, and South Sudan” On January 4, Nebanda’s boyfriend, Adam Suleiman Kalungi, was arrested in Kenya and extradited to Uganda for questioning by police. In July 2014, he was acquitted of the criminal charges surrounding her death
Eria Sebunya Bugembe aka Kasiwukira
Eria Sebunya Bugembe aka Kasiwukira
The Kampala businessman of the Kwagalana group was gunned down by unknown gunmen in outside his palace in Muyenga while he was doing his morning jogging. His death was linked one of his wives Sarah Nabikolo her sister Sandra Nakungu and a police constable Ashiraf Jardin. The case is still ongoing and the trio is still on remand in prison.
Bryan Bukenya
Bryan Bukenya
Bryan Bukenya was son to the former Vice President Gilbert Balibasseka Bukenya. Bukenya, a UPDF cadet died in a motor vehicle accident in on November 7, 2009 at Bbira, about 15kilometers along Mityana road. However, there was a lot of speculation surrounding his death with even his father claiming that government may have had a hand in his death. Prof. Bukenya even denied having received the post mortem from Mulango Hospital. While speaking at the funeral of Bryan Bukenya, President Yoweri Museveni said he would probe the circumstances under which the accident occurred, wondering why they travelled so early in the morning. However, the probe was never carried out.
Joan Kagezi
She was shot dead On the evening of Monday, March 30, 2015, at about 7.30 pm local time, Joan Kagezi, who was driving an official Ford double-cabin pick up with government number plates, but without security, stopped at a road-side stand to buy fresh vegetables, in the Kampala suburb of Kiwaatule.
When Kagezi opened the window, the man pulled out a gun and shot her twice in the neck at close range, jumped on the back of a waiting motor cycle (boda boda) and sped off. She was rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where she was pronounced on arrival at about 8.00 pm, Kampala time. She was 47 years old
On April 8, 2015, a heavily armed force of Ugandan and US security officials apprehended Jamal Abdullah Kiyemba an individual formerly held in Guantanamo.[7Three other men apprehended with Kiyemba were: Ismael Ssendawula, Siraje Serugo and Bashir Nyangisu. At the time of her death, she was prosecuting the 2011 Lugogo bomb suspects.
President Yoweri Museveni has said that his government is busy trying to establish the death of his Interior Minister.
Speaking to the family of departed former Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Aronda Nyakairima at Buziga, Museveni said what came to mind—as the cause— on hearing of Nyakairima’s death was an accident “because he (Aronda) had been a well-disciplined officer.”
“I received news of Gen. Aronda’s death the other day when I arrived in India; my immediate thinking was maybe it was an accident. I didn’t know he had any medical problem.
“Because when we came from the bush, many died of AIDS but Aronda was disciplined, he survived. He died on plane coming from South Korea. We are busy finding cause of his death, but that will not bring him back, it is very sad”.
President Museveni who is also the commander in chief of armed forces said Aronda together with few others helped him start afresh and rebuild the country.
He noted that his demise is a big loss.
“It was an untimely death at 56yrs. He helped with the ID Project, it was stuck but he moved it”.
Gen. Museveni observed that by a mere fact that Gen. Aronda travelled with a delegation to South Korea, it was easy to establish what really happened along the way and this would help trace what could have killed his Minister.
“From the people here, it shows who Aronda was. At first, I thought he had travelled alone. I was relieved to learn he was with four or five people. It makes it easier to ask what went on,” he said, adding that he will say more during the funeral.
The President was accompanied by the First Lady Hon. Janet Museveni and First daughter Natasha Karugire.
Gen. Aronda died on Saturday night while on the airplane from South Korea where he had led a delegation. It is said that while trying to serve him snacks on the plane, the airhostess discovered him dead.
After being confirmed dead, government dispatched a delegation of pathologists to United Arab Emirates to join other team of pathologists to carry out tests on the remains of the minister in order to establish the cause of his sudden death.
