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May
25
2020
By The African Mirror
Review: herri is a rare new arts and culture journal from South Africa

Review: herri is a rare new arts and culture journal from South Africa

LITERATURE
By Stephanie Vos How does one rethink the arts journal – a publication of cultural reviews and essays – in the age of the internet and decolonisation? herri is a provocative new e-journal from South Africa that responds with vigour to both challenges. It’s named after Autshumao, also known as Herrie die Strandloper, the Khoi leader and interpreter for colonial administrator Jan van Riebeeck. It doesn’t set out to create a template of how an e-journal emerging from the south should look. Rather, it’s an exercise in principled plurality. “herri is merely one option among many,” its “about” page reads,…
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May
25
2020
By JOVIAL RANTAO
BOOK REVIEW: The ANC Spy Bible: Surviving across enemy lines

BOOK REVIEW: The ANC Spy Bible: Surviving across enemy lines

LITERATURE
It’s very rare that an intelligence operative - past or present - unmasks themselves and unveils the going-on in the dark, cloak-and-dagger lives of spies. Veteran intelligence operative and political activist Mo Shaik has done this and did it with insight and grace. Shaik’s memoir - The ANC Spy Bible - reads like a true spy thriller, full of intrigue, espionage, and the dangers associated with underground life in intelligence. It is rich in detail about his individual involvement in the ANC intelligence structures and their role in the struggle against apartheid.  The book traces the making of Shaik who…
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May
25
2020
By The African Mirror
Jazz has returned to Joburg.

Jazz has returned to Joburg.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
The sounds that were very much part of the creation of the real Johannesburg, South Africa, much of it in celebration of humanity and in opposition to apartheid, are again echoing through the inner city. The legendary Kippie Moeketsi’s saxophone and Jack Lerole’s pennywhistle sounds and the angelic voices of Sophie Mgcina, Mirriam Makeba, and Dolly Rathebe vocals provided solace and dignity to the thousands who were deemed but resisted being labeled non-citizens. The Jazz Pioneers provided the dance tunes, both at special venues and at occasions such as weddings. For black South Africans, jazz provided a blanket of dignity.…
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May
20
2020
By The African Mirror
The Tony Yeboah thunderbolt – Elland Road 1995

The Tony Yeboah thunderbolt – Elland Road 1995

NEWS
OWN CORRESPONDENT THE second half was just five minutes old and midfielder Gerry McAllister lobbed a long pass to Leeds striker Rod Wallace.  Wallace headed the ball down to an advancing Tony Yeboah, the Ghanaian striker loved by the Elland Road faithful. As Wallace header got closer to Yeboah, his body seemed to slow down and then his right foot exploded with such ferocity, volleying the ball that thundered off the crossbar into the Liverpool goal.  Yeboah’s strike was hit with such power and accuracy and left Liverpool goalkeeper David James defeated. Yeboah punched the air, starting a celebration that…
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May
20
2020
By The African Mirror
City demolitions expose Ethiopian families to coronavirus

City demolitions expose Ethiopian families to coronavirus

HUMAN RIGHTS
Human rights groups want a moratorium on demolitions and forced evictions of informal settlements under COVID-19 By Nita Bhalla and Emeline Wuilbercq NAIROBI/ADDIS ABABA - Scores of Ethiopian families are at risk of contracting the new coronavirus after authorities demolished their makeshift houses and left them homeless, according to human rights groups. Authorities in the capital began destroying the informal settlements near Bole International Airport in February. They say the settlement in Addis Ababa, home to more than 1,000 people, is illegal. Residents - mostly casual labourers who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 restrictions - say they bought…
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May
20
2020
By The African Mirror
African dance hit ‘Pata Pata’ gets reboot for coronavirus

African dance hit ‘Pata Pata’ gets reboot for coronavirus

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Miriam Makeba’s famous song is being re-released with new lyrics about disease prevention By Nellie Peyton WASHINGTON, April 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The world-famous song "Pata Pata", a South African dance hit from 1967, is being re-released with new lyrics to spread information about coronavirus to vulnerable communities. Coronavirus: our latest stories Meaning "touch touch" in the Xhosa language, "Pata Pata" was written by Grammy-winning singer Miriam Makeba who named it after a dance move popular in Johannesburg at the time. The new version sung by Beninese artist Angelique Kidjo includes lyrics such as, "We need to keep our…
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May
20
2020
By The African Mirror
In coronavirus, Senegal rappers find a new enemy to fight

In coronavirus, Senegal rappers find a new enemy to fight

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
DRESSED in hooded medical suits and protective goggles, Senegal's activist hip-hop group Y'en a Marre rap about washing hands, disposing of used tissues and avoiding crowds in their latest release: 'Shield against Coronavirus.' The new video marks a sudden change for the collective, named 'Enough is Enough' in French slang, which has a history of challenging authority, fighting social injustice - and urging Senegal's youth to hit the streets to protest the government. But when African countries confirmed their first coronavirus cases this month, the group offered to help the government persuade people to take the disease seriously, in an…
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May
20
2020
By The African Mirror
Mandela’s granddaughter Ndileka uses social media during lockdown to help abused women

Mandela’s granddaughter Ndileka uses social media during lockdown to help abused women

HUMAN RIGHTS
KIM HARRISBERG NDILEKA Mandela was at her home in Johannesburg, South Africa, just before the start of a national lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus, when she got the call. A container filled with 10,000 sanitary pads for rural South African girls would not be able to leave Geneva due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a donor told her. "My heart was so sore. These girls are stuck at home, there is no income to buy food let alone sanitary pads. Their dignity and their health are at stake," she said in a phone interview. Ndileka, 55, Nelson Mandela's…
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May
20
2020
By The African Mirror
In Burkina Faso, arming civilians to fight jihadists. What could go wrong?

In Burkina Faso, arming civilians to fight jihadists. What could go wrong?

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
ON THE GROUND: Members of the Koglweogo self-defence group travel in convoy in Burkina Faso’s Center-East region. Photo: Sam Mednick/TNH SAM MEDNICK TIROQ Seydou wants his government to do a better job at fighting the extremist groups that are plaguing his country and encroaching on his town. But the 42-year-old trader from Burkina Faso worries that a new scheme to provide civilians with weapons is no answer to the well-armed militants. “It’s better to invest in the army than militia,” said Seydou, seated at a restaurant in Koupela, a town in the country’s Center-East region. Passed by parliament in January,…
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May
20
2020
By The African Mirror
Violence and obstruction: Cameroon’s deepening aid crisis

Violence and obstruction: Cameroon’s deepening aid crisis

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
AFTERMATH: Cameroon security forces torched over 100 homes and businesses in Bali, Northwest region, in February. Community members said no reason was given. Photo: Jess Craig/TNH) JESS CRAIG HUMANITARIAN organisations are struggling to keep pace with the increasing needs of civilians as conflict between the government and pro-independence groups escalates in Cameroon’s anglophone regions. Limited access to those driven from their homes, low levels of donor funding, and what aid workers have described as government “obstruction” means the majority of the 1.3 million people affected by the violence cannot be reached. Since November 2019, there has been a surge in…
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