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Jun
13
2025
By BONGEPHIWE DLAMINI-MYENI
Shaka iLembe: finally, a TV series on the Zulu king that’s true to language and culture

Shaka iLembe: finally, a TV series on the Zulu king that’s true to language and culture

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
SHAKA Zulu is one of the most storied figures in South African history. Believed to have been born around 1787, the man also known as uShaka kaSenzangakhona is regarded as the founder of the country’s Zulu nation. Shaka has been the subject of numerous novels, poems, films and TV series. Many have offered distorted versions of Zulu culture. But the award-winning 2023 drama series Shaka iLembe seemed different. It was lauded by both critics and viewers for its epic storytelling and cultural authenticity. A second season of the series is now set to air. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ald8QvDEgmE As scholars of isiZulu (the…
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May
31
2025
By The African Mirror
Cinema’s revolutionary voice falls silent: Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina, Africa’s only Palme d’Or Winner, dies at 91

Cinema’s revolutionary voice falls silent: Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina, Africa’s only Palme d’Or Winner, dies at 91

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
THE lights have dimmed forever on one of Africa's greatest cinematic voices as Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina, the legendary Algerian filmmaker who shattered barriers and rewrote the rules of global cinema, died at his home in Algiers at age 91. In a moment of poetic symmetry that would have suited one of his own films, Lakhdar-Hamina's death on May 23 coincided with a special Cannes Classics screening of his masterpiece Chronicles of the Years of Fire—the film that made him the first and only African director to claim the festival's coveted Palme d'Or nearly five decades ago. From Desert Warrior to Cinema's…
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May
31
2025
By TINASHE MUSHAKAVANHU
Mbare Art Space: a colonial beer hall in Zimbabwe has become a vibrant arts centre

Mbare Art Space: a colonial beer hall in Zimbabwe has become a vibrant arts centre

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
IN southern Africa, townships were built as segregated urban zones for black people. They were created under colonial and white minority rule policies that controlled movement, confined opportunity, and kept people apart. I grew up in a different historic black township in Zimbabwe, but Mbare was the first of its kind. It holds a unique place in the nation’s imagination. Mbare was originally named Harare. But in 1982, that name was reassigned to the capital city that houses it. In its storied past, it was once the heartbeat of black urban life. At its centre is Rufaro Stadium, where Bob…
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May
31
2025
By RICK DE VILLIERS
Waiting for Godot has been translated into Afrikaans: what took so long

Waiting for Godot has been translated into Afrikaans: what took so long

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
AT last, the most infamous latecomer in all of literature has arrived – not in the flesh, but in South Africa’s Afrikaans language. Irish playwright Samuel Beckett’s best-known drama, Waiting for Godot, now also lives as Ons Wag vir Godot. Published and staged in 2024, the translation was inspired by the official centenary of Afrikaans in 2025. As a Beckett scholar, I think it’s worth asking why Afrikaans is so late on the scene – and why it matters. Godot in many tongues First written in French, En attendant Godot was published in 1952 and debuted on stage the next…
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May
30
2025
By JOVIAL RANTAO
A Tribute to Chicago Mike: The Voice That Moved a Continent

A Tribute to Chicago Mike: The Voice That Moved a Continent

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
THE rhythm has quieted. The stage lights have dimmed. And somewhere across the vast continent of Africa, from the townships of South Africa to the bustling streets of Lagos, from the highlands of Kenya to the markets of Morocco, hearts are heavy with the loss of a voice that brought pure joy to millions. Michael "Chicago Mike" Sumler wasn't just a hype man - he was a bridge between cultures, a conductor of celebration, and the embodiment of music's power to unite people across oceans and continents. For forty years, his voice carried the infectious energy of Kool & the…
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May
28
2025
By ADEDIRAN KAYODE ADEMIJU-BEPO
Seven Doors: sweeping Nigerian Netflix series masters the art of storytelling

Seven Doors: sweeping Nigerian Netflix series masters the art of storytelling

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
FROM the opening credits of the new Netflix six-part series Seven Doors, the viewer is poised for a captivating cinematic experience. An array of sculptures dot the landscape as a montage of scenes unfolds, establishing the back story of the historical epic that is about to be played out. Femi Adebayo, the actor turned director and producer, had a huge hit in 2023 with the film Jagun Jagun (The Warrior), a historical epic love story that he produced. Now he’s back on Netflix acting in, producing and co-directing Seven Doors. As a theatre professor, author, playwright and film scholar, I…
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May
27
2025
By Mpho Rantao
FINAL CALL: Award-winning ‘Tsotsi’ star Presley Chweneyagae has died at aged 40

FINAL CALL: Award-winning ‘Tsotsi’ star Presley Chweneyagae has died at aged 40

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
AWARD-winning South African actor Presley Chweneyagae died on Tuesday morning, according to a statement released by the actor's talent agency, MLA. Chweneyagae rose to stardom in his breakout role as 'Tsotsi' in the titular film, where he played the lead, David/Tsotsi (meaning "criminal" in South African Tsotsitaal slang), a young street thug who steals a car only to discover a baby in the back seat. He starred alongside actress Terry Pheto, and the pair was praised for their roles in the film along with the director, Gavin Hood. The film won the Best International Feature Film at the 2006 Academy…
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May
27
2025
By TSHEPO KOKA
“Miles Ahead: The Legacy of Miles Davis at 99”

“Miles Ahead: The Legacy of Miles Davis at 99”

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
ON May 26, 2025, the world would have marked the 99th birthday of Miles Dewey Davis III - a man who redefined the very structure and soul of modern music. Born in Alton, Illinois, in 1926 and raised in East St. Louis, Davis was far more than a jazz trumpeter. He was a cultural icon, sonic philosopher, and the shapeshifter of the 20th century's musical identity. His story is not only that of an African American master but also of a global force - a voice that continues to echo in the hearts of generations from New York to Lagos,…
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May
22
2025
By NEELIKA JAYAWARDANE
Lindokuhle Sobekwa’s powerful personal journey as a photographer in South Africa

Lindokuhle Sobekwa’s powerful personal journey as a photographer in South Africa

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
SOUTH African photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa has won the prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation prize for 2025. Born in Katlehong in 1995, Sobekwa began learning photography skills in 2012, through the Of Soul and Joy photography education programme in Thokoza township, where his family had moved. He knew, as a young boy, that he thought in images, visualising what he experienced. Encountering cameras, he realised there was equipment – a small machine, a perforated roll of clear plastic, and a chemical reaction – able to externalise his thought processes. Lindokuhle. Sobekwa. Photo source: X Thokoza, like many settlements on the outskirts…
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May
15
2025
By BARNABAS TICHA MUVHUT
Koyo Kouoh – tribute to a curator who fiercely promoted African art

Koyo Kouoh – tribute to a curator who fiercely promoted African art

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
THE sudden death of the Cameroon-born curator Koyo Kouoh, at the age of 57 and at the height of her career, has shaken the art world. Her passing has left a void in the African arts scene, one which extends far beyond the continent. Born in 1967 in Douala, she spent her teenage and early adult years in Zurich, Switzerland before returning to the continent and settling in Senegal. She lived in Cape Town, South Africa from 2019. There she was executive director and chief curator of the Zeitz MOCAA museum. It holds the continent’s largest collection of contemporary art.…
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