Shaka

Shaka kaSenzangakhona (circa 1787 – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu (Zulu pronunciation: [ˈʃaːɠa]), was one of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu Kingdom.

He was born near present-day Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal Province. According to tradition, Shaka was conceived during an act of what began as ukuhlobonga, a form of sexual foreplay without penetration allowed to unmarried couples, also known as "the fun of the roads" (ama hlay endlela), during which the lovers were "carried away".

Due to persecution as a result of his illegitimacy, Shaka spent his childhood in his mother's settlements. He is recorded as having been initiated there and inducted into an ibutho lempi (fighting unit). In his early days, Shaka served as a warrior under the sway of Dingiswayo, chieftain of the Mthethwa, to whom the Zulu were then paying tribute.

Dingiswayo called up the emDlatsheni iNtanga (age-group), of which Shaka was part, and incorporated it into the Izichwe regiment. Shaka served as a Mthethwa warrior for perhaps as long as ten years, and distinguished himself with his courage and his adept skill as a close combat warrior. This skill gained the attention of Dingiswayo, who became even more interested in Shaka when he discovered Shaka's royal bloodline. He honoured Shaka by making him commander of a regiment or ibutho.

Florin Salam

Florin Stoian (born 1 October 1979, Bucharest), better known under the stage name of Florin Salam and previously Florin Fermecătorul, is a popular Roma singer of manele from Romania.

Early life and first contact with music

Florin Salam was born into a family of lăutari. His parents, Maria and Robert Stoian, observed since his early childhood that Florin is talented and bought him an accordion and so Florin began to practice every day.

During the adolescence, Florin joined his father and uncle at parties to sing together and win some money. Age did not allow his father to sing and so Florin took his place, singing with his uncle under the name of Florin Fermecătorul. Thus, he became a singer highly appreciated by connoisseurs of the genre. In the meantime, Florin befriended with bandleader Dan Bursuc. He helped Florin to record his first single called "Ce gagică șmecherită" (English: Such a picky chick), in 2002. He played an important part when the smash hit "Of, viața mea" (English: Oh, my life) was released in 2000, sung by Adrian Minune and Costi Ioniță. At the end of 2002, Florin changed his stage name from Fermecătorul (English: charming) to the Arabic Salam (English: peace, cf. Hebrew shalom). His first song was a great success, and for this reason he continued to record songs and market them with the help of Dan Bursuc. In this way he released his first album of manele which was surprisingly well received by fans of the genre, the album sold more than 40,000 copies. Likewise, Costi Ioniță recorded one of his albums which enjoyed a high success, album entitled "Doar cu tine" (English: Only with you). The album was recorded in Constanța where Costi Ioniță has his own recording studio.