Coordinates	10°14′49″N67°35′46″N
Name	Dendera
Native name
Motto
Pushpin map	Egypt
Pushpin label position	bottom
Pushpin mapsize	300
Pushpin map caption	Location in Egypt
Coordinates region	EG
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name
Subdivision type1	Governorate
Subdivision name1	Qena
Leader title1
Established title
Established date
Unit pref	Imperial
Area total km2
Area land km2
Population blank1 title	Ethnicities
Population density blank1 sq mi
Timezone	EST
Utc offset	+2
Elevation footnotes
Elevation ft
Postal code type
Footnotes	}}

Dendera ( ''Dandarah''; also spelled ''Denderah'', ''Tentyra'') is a small town in Egypt situated on the west bank of the Nile, about 5 km south of Qena, on the opposite side of the river.

History

At a rather isolated place at the edge of the desert edge, about 2.5 km south-west of the modern town, lies what ''Dendera'' is famous for, a mostly Greco-Roman temple complex known in ancient Egyptian as ''Iunet'' or ''Tantere''. The modern Arab town is built on the ancient site of Ta-ynt-netert, which means 'She of the Divine Pillar', or Tentyra, which is Greek for Dendera. It was once the capital of the 6th Nome (Pharaonic province) of Upper Egypt, and was also named Nikentori or Nitentori, which signifies willow wood or willow earth. Others derive the name from the sky and fertility goddess Hathor, also associated with the Greek Aphrodite, who was especially worshiped there. The crocodile, recognized as the deity of the city, was also venerated as such in other Egyptian cities, which gave rise to many quarrels, notably with Ombos. It is still the seat of a titular see, the suffragan of Ptolemais, in the former Roman province of Thebaid Secunda. Little is known of Christianity there, as only the names of two ancient bishops are given: Pachymius, companion of Melece at the beginning of the fourth century, and Serapion or Aprion, contemporary and friend of the monk St. Pachomius, who had in his diocese his celebrated convent of Tabennisi. The town became the Arab Denderah during the late Ottoman Empire and ruled 6000 inhabitants in Qena.

The temple

The ''Dendera Temple complex'', which contains the Temple of Hathor, is one of the best preserved temples, if not the best, in all Egypt. The whole complex covers some 40,000 square meters and is surrounded by a hefty mud brick wall. The present building dates back to the times of the Ptolemaic dynasty and was completed by the Roman emperor Tiberius, but it rests on the foundations of earlier buildings dating back at least as far as Khufu (known as the pyramid builder Cheops, the second king of the 4th dynasty [c. 2613–c. 2494 BC]), in which was found the celebrated zodiac now in Paris There are also Roman and pharaonic Mammisi (birth houses), ruins of a Coptic church and a small chapel dedicated to Isis, dating to the Roman or the Ptolemaic epoch. The area around the temple has been extensively landscaped and now has a modern visitor centre, bazaar and small cafeteria.

Notes

References

External links

Category:Populated places in Egypt Category:Titular sees in Africa

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Coordinates	10°14′49″N67°35′46″N
Name	Simon Chimbetu
Landscape	yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Simon Chopper Chimbetu
Alias	ChopperMr. Viscose
Born	September 23, 1955Harare, Zimbabwe
Origin	Manicaland
Died	August 14, 2005Harare, Zimbabwe
Instrument	Singing, Rhythm guitar,
Genre	Sungura
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, bandleader
Years active	1975–2005
Label	Grammar
Associated acts	Oliver Mtukudzi, Allan Chimbetu, Orchestra Dendera Kings
Website	}}

Simon Chopper Chimbetu (23 September 1955 – 14 August 2005) was a Zimbabwean guitarist, vocalist and composer. He was the founding member his band Orchestra Dendera Kings.

Early life

Chimbetu was born in the Musengezi area of Mbire District in Mashonaland Province of Zimbabwe on 23 September 1955. But his ancestral tribal origins of the Samanyika tribe is in Manicaland,the eastern region of Zimbabwe, bordering with the neighbouring country of Mozambique. His father was a bricklayer and Simon regularly accompanied his father on his business errands. He attended the local Musengezi High School before trekking to Harare(then Salisbury) to look for employment.

Liberation War

Chimbetu got involved in the fledgling liberation struggle and at one point went as far as Tanzania after joining the ZANU PF movement forces training there. Although he did not go to the front, Simon provided morale through his music. He returned to Zimbabwe before 1980. Chimbetu's musical orientation is strongly influenced by his experiences as a black person in racially-polarised Rhodesia and a liberation fighter with Marxist ideals at first.

Return to Harare

Chimbetu worked for a tobacco processing company for many years after the attainment of political freedom in 1980. His passion for music did not wane. Rather, he regularly played at Mushandirapamwe Hotel in Highfield, a high-density suburb in Harare. At this point he was backed by John Chibadura's Sungura Boys as he did not have his own instruments. His younger brother, Naison backed him and together they performed as Marxist Brothers because of the then prevailing political ideology which had also shaped Simon's war experiences. Together, the siblings penned songs like Dr Nero(Naison) and Nherera(Simon) which gave them visibility on the Zimbabwean musical front.

Rise to fame

Chimbetu realised greater success when he went solo, recording all-time classics like Kuipa Chete, Ngoma Yanditora Moyo, Mwana Wedangwe, Southern Africa and many others. He called his brand of sungura dendera, a reference to a common tropical bird with a booming bass sound. Chimbetu's songs are distinguished by this deep, booming bass guitar that can be heard from way off.

What also distinguished Simon from many other sungura/museve artists at this time and throughout his career was that his music was always politically conscious, for better or for worse. The song Kuipa Chete for example bemoans a situation whereby "free" Zimbabweans continued to be exploited by largely unrepentant white farmers who virtually continued to live in Rhodesia, spurning the hand of reconciliation. Towards the end of the 80s, Cimbetu recorded many hits and grew to be force to reckon with on the scene. He is famous for penning and singing such songs as Samatenga, One Way, Dzandipedza Mafuta and many others. The man had great charm, a cheeky smile and a very warm personality. The Rhythm guitar work on his songs is most extraordinary. Simon also had a great facility with languages, being fluent in several and having in sung in Shona, Chewa, Ndebele and Swahili, among others. Having at one time joined the liberation war, Chimbetu is also noted for his critical lyrics such as in the songs Southern Africa, Kuipa Chete and Simba Nederere, among many others.

Upon returning to Zimbabwe from Tanzania in the late 1970s, Chimbetu worked for a tobacco processing firm while learning the musical ropes. During these days he sang at clubs and hotels with the Sungura Boys, fronted by John Chibadura. The Sungura Boys however just provided the instrumental backing, with Simon and Naison, his brother doing their own vocals. Together, the two rose to fame as Marxist Brothers, a name that sums up Chimbetu's ideological orientation at the time. After recording several albums together, the two split in 1988 with Simon forming his own band, The Orchestra Dendera Kings while Naison formed his Gee(Great) 7 Commandos. It was after splitting with Naison that Simon recorded the all-time hit, Nguva Yakaoma(Hard Times).

The album carried hits such as Spare Wheel, the soulful Samatenga, Pasi Rapinduka, among others. Samatenga stayed at the number one spot for a long time. The song Samatenga was somewhat prophetic in that the suffering it describes was mirrored in Simon's own life soon after when he was arrested for theft/receiving stolen property. Although he pleaded his innocence, he was found guilty and incarcerated at Khami Prison in Bulawayo. Leonard Dembo,a rival musician took the opportunity to release a diss song towards Simon, called "Madhiri",referring towards his misfortune. Simon, however got an opportunity in 1999 to respond to the late Leonard Dembo with a diss song called Haina Window. System Tazvida a neutral local "sungura" singer also sang the song " ndiwe wakazvikanyira wega" referring to Dembo's promiscious life.

Out Of the two brothers, Chimbetu evidently had the greater talent and share of the market and enjoyed success upon success. This was interrupted by his 4-year imprisonment from 1989 after being convicted of receiving stolen property (a car). He was released in 1994 and immediately shot to the top with Pachipamwe (Welcome Back). The song Saina, off Pachipamwe, was favourite of many at weddings and social gatherings. Many say his best ever albums are 1997's Survival and 1998's Lullaby which are highly critical of the Mugabe regime. One of Chimbetu's distinct success was being able to reclaim his top spot even after being jailed for such a long time. While in prison, another musician, Leonard Zhakata had wooed many fans with his similarly styled beat and well thought out lyrics. There is little doubt that Chimbetu outshone Zhakata when he re-entered the Zimbabwean musical jungle. After this purple patch, Simon's career plummeted after he became more directly linked to the misruling ZANU-PF party.

Controversy and Decline

Chimbetu wasn't far from controversy during his career. At the peak of his popularity, he spent four years in jail and thereafter, rumours hit in 2002 that he hadn't paid his farm workers for months. Additionally, his pro-government stance contributed to the his somewhat rising unpopularity. As the economic situation in Zimbabwe worsened with the controversial land reform, musicians who were seen to side with the land reform and general ZANU-PF policies became unpopular.

His political rhetoric,with songs like Pane Asipo, especially on the highly political album, Hoko, was obviously out of tune with the masses. Some fans deserted him but many still liked his music. It is important to understand that although the land reform program was chaotic, many Zimbabweans acknowledged the need to repossess this valued resources of livelihood. Many Zimbabweans recognized the unfair balance of ownership of land that favoured white people. This majority group of adult Zimbabweans therefore partly appreciated the content of Chimbetu's political songs. In fact even before the controversial land reform programmer Chimbetu is known to have represented the people in highly political songs like "Zuva Raenda" from the extremely successful album "Survival". In "Zuva Raenda", (the sun is setting) Chimbetu laments the delay in redistributing the land to the black masses. Many Zimbabweans positively identified with these songs.

Chimbetu died on 14 August 2005, following injuries sustained in a car accident. Curiously, at the time of his death, his career appeared to be on the mend with the release of 10 Million Pounds Reward. On this album, he sings about many issues, one of which is the unequal resource distribution in Zimbabwe on the Chewa song, Governor Cornwell. The album as a whole is, in fact, a sterling effort that could have catapulted Chimbetu to his former dizzy heights in a different socio-political and economic environment. Chimbetu himself was of Chewa origin although he was born and raised in Zimbabwe. When he was declared a provincial hero, his actual burial was kept a secret in line with his religious burial traditions. Soon after, his father Benson and Naison himself, also passed on.

A younger brother who was already part of the Orchestra Dendera Kings, Allan, fronts the band today. He has recorded a well-received album entitled Sonny. He has toured his brother's old haunt of London at least once and seems to be headed for greater things.

Many Zimbabweans remember Simon as a polite,well spoken guy who always freely discussed simple issues of life with common people. Though somewhat unlucky in his personal life(his wife ditched him while in jail), Simon was well liked by those who knew him, and they were many. Many called him by his many stage names, among them "Mr Viscose"(before imprisonment), "Cellular", "Simomo" or simply "Mukoma Sam" Most called him "Chopper", the nom de guere he took when he joined the liberation war.

Music Rivalries

Leonard Dembo

Leonard Zhakata

Discography

The Marxist Brothers

''Mwana Wedangwe'' (1983)

''Kunjere Kunjere'' (1985)

''Dendera Resango'' (1985)

''Sarura Yako'' (1987)

''Kuipa Chete'' (1988)

''Marxist Brothers'' (1989)

''Boterekwa'' (1989)

''Greatest Hits of Early Music''

Simon Chimbetu & Orchestra Dendera Kings

''Ngouva Yakaoma'' (1990)

''Ndouraiwa'' (1992)

''Karikoga'' (1993)

''Pachipamwe'' (1994)

''Survival'' (1997)

''Zuva Raenda'' (1997)

''Lullaby'' (1998)

''African Panorama - Chapter One'' (1999)

''2000 Blend'' (2000)

''African Panorama - Chapter Two'' (2001)

''Takabatana'' (2001)

''Hoko'' (2002)

''10 Million Pounds Reward'' (2005)

References

simply the best

Category:1955 births Category:2005 deaths Category:Zimbabwean musicians

Coordinates	10°14′49″N67°35′46″N
Name	The Orchestra
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Birmingham, England
Genre	Rock music, Pop music
Years active	2000–present
Associated acts	Electric Light OrchestraELO Part IIStyx
Website
Current members	Louis ClarkEric TroyerMik KaminskiGordon TownsendPhil BatesGlen Burtnik
Past members	Kelly GroucuttParthenon Huxley }}

The Orchestra is a rock band formed by former members of the Electric Light Orchestra and ELO Part II. It is the continuation of ELO Part II following Bev Bevan's departure and selling of the rights to Jeff Lynne.

History

By 2000 Bev Bevan had sold his fifty per cent share of the Electric Light Orchestra name as well as the rights to the ELO Part II name to Jeff Lynne. Lynne, now the full owner of the ELO name, took legal action to prevent the band from continuing to call themselves “ELO Part II”. They initially tried to alter their name to “ELO2”, but they eventually submitted and changed their name to The Orchestra.

In 2001 The Orchestra released a limited number of their CD ''No Rewind'' which was produced and released without involvement from a major record label (but was subsequently released in Argentina by Art Music in 2005 and reissued worldwide in 2006). The album contains The Orchestra's best known non-ELO song, ''Over London Skies'', a loving homage to the classic ELO sound in ''Jewel & Johnny'' and a cover of ''Twist and Shout'' which begins in a slow, plaintive minor key with arpeggiated chords before building to the familiar, rocking major progression. With the release of ''No Rewind'', The Orchestra worked more original material into their set, with ''Jewel & Johnny'' and the album's title song becoming staples. The band continues to tour and regularly sells out shows in Chile, Argentina, the UK, Eastern Europe and elsewhere around the world.

In late 2004, a legal dispute almost erupted between The Orchestra and a Florida-based rock band called theOrchestra, but the issue was settled out-of-court.

The Orchestra toured the UK extensively in 2006 following the re-issue of ''No Rewind''. The band were promoted using the descriptive phrase "Electric Light Orchestra Part II Former Members". Lynne sued The Orchestra, claiming copyright infringement. The matter went to litigation and in August 2006, a Los Angeles judge ruled in favour of the members of The Orchestra.

During The Orchestra's 2006 UK tour, Phil Bates, formerly a member of Trickster, ELO Part II and Bev Bevan's Move, stood in for Parthenon Huxley at a couple of gigs when Huxley had to return unexpectedly to the States. Huxley then left altogether in July 2007 and was replaced permanently by Bates.

In 2008 The Orchestra participated in the Sweden Rock Festival.

On February 18, 2009 the group returned from a sell out concert in Berlin. But a few hours after returning home, Kelly Groucutt collapsed of a massive heart attack and died the following day. The band decided to carry on and brought in former Styx man Glen Burtnik on bass (Glen had filled in for Kelly previously during a 1998 ELO Part II tour when the latter had taken ill). On July 17, 2009 they opened for the Alan Parsons Live Project at DTE Theater in Clarkston, Michigan. Also in 2009 German bassist Ralf Vornberger played with the band in Israel when Glen was unavailable due to other work commitments booked before he joined the band.

Members

Current members

Louis Clark - keyboards, orchestral arranger and conductor (2000–present) (from ELO and ELO Part II)

Eric Troyer - keyboards, vocals, guitar (2000–present) (from ELO Part II)

Mik Kaminski - violin (2000–present) (from ELO and ELO Part II)

Gordon Townsend - drums (2000–present)

Phil Bates - guitar, vocals (2007–present) (from ELO Part II)

Glen Burtnik - bass guitar, vocals (2009–present)

Former Members

Kelly Groucutt - bass guitar, vocals (2000–2009) (from ELO and ELO Part II)

Parthenon Huxley - guitar, vocals (2000–2007) (from ELO Part II)

Discography

''No Rewind'' (2001)

Live albums

''The Orchestra Live'' (2008)

Videos

''Live in Reno'' (DVD), (2006)

Live Lineup History

References

External links

The Orchestra on Facebook

Category:Musical septets Category:Electric Light Orchestra