ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

Mar

26

2025

Recorded music revenue in Africa swells more than 22% on strong digital demand

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MUSIC revenue across Africa surged over 22% in 2024, surpassing the $100 million threshold, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Earnings were fuelled by subscription streaming, making Africa one of the fastest-growing music markets globally. The report's Africa figures exclude North Africa, the addition of which would have boosted the continent’s reported total revenues well beyond the US$110 million highlighted in the IFPI's Global Music Report 2025. Global Music Report 2025 numbers show Africa’s revenue growth considerably outpaced the global average of 4.8%. Streaming accounted for most of the continent's revenue growth as mobile internet penetration…

Mar

24

2025

By TINASHE MUSHAKAVANHU

African safaris and colonial nightmares: a visit to artist Roger Ballen’s latest show

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

BORN in the US, Roger Ballen, the internationally renowned photographer, has lived in South Africa since the 1970s. He gained a cult following for his grotesque, surreal images of white poverty, captured on the rural fringes during apartheid. His work exposed not only the exploitation and marginalisation of his subjects but also the reality of apartheid’s failure to uplift even its privileged white minority. Over time, Ballen’s practice has expanded beyond photography into a hybrid realm of exhibition, installation and performance. His new Johannesburg space, the Inside Out Centre for the Arts, serves as a theatre for this experimentation. The…

Mar

22

2025

By The African Mirror

MultiChoice integrates podcast content into TV programming, reversing viewership decline

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MULTICHOICESA has launched a strategic initiative to incorporate popular South African podcasts into its television programming, successfully attracting younger viewers and reversing subscription cancellations. The media company identified an 18% decline in viewership among the under-35 demographic, prompting an innovation to bring established digital voices to traditional television platforms. The initiative features prominent South African podcast creators including MacG's "Podcast and Chill" and several others who have built substantial digital followings without traditional media infrastructure. Industry reaction was initially mixed. Some veterans dismissed it as desperate, while digital content creators debated whether joining television would compromise their independence.." MultiChoice adapted…

Mar

04

2025

By HARRIETTE RICHARDS; ARI MATTES; GREGORY CAMP; STUART RICHARDS and TOM CLARK

From the fashion to the speeches to the music, this was an Oscars of few surprises. 5 experts break it down

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN a year with few surprises in the awards categories, there was also a dearth of surprises on the red carpet. The sartorial themes included sparkling metallics, coloured menswear and bows, bows and more bows. Metallic gowns that resemble the Oscar statue are a familiar sight at the Academy Awards and this year was no different. Some of the standouts included best actress nominee Demi Moore in a magnificently glittering silver Armani Privé gown, Selena Gomez in a custom Ralph Lauren encrusted with 16,000 individual blush-toned jewel teardrops, and Emma Stone in a minimalist Louis Vuitton sheath covered in iridescent…

Feb

28

2025

By DAVID MURPHY

Mati Diop is a new star of African cinema – what her award-winning movies are about

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MATI Diop has cinema in her blood. The 42-year-old Senegalese-French actress launched her feature film directing career in spectacular fashion with Atlantics, which took the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 and won a string of awards. Her documentary Dahomey has made similar waves and was longlisted for the 2025 Oscars. We asked Senegalese film scholar David Murphy to tell us more. Who is Mati Diop? Mati Diop is a hugely talented and innovative film director. She is also an accomplished actor who has starred in a number of French films, in particular Claire Denis’s 35 Shots…

Feb

25

2025

By The African Mirror

A SOULFUL LEGACY LIVES ON: Remembering Roberta Flack, the Timeless Voice of a Generation

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ROBERTA Flack, the legendary singer-songwriter whose soulful voice and timeless classics have inspired generations across Africa, the United States, and the world, left this earth on February 24, 2025, at the age of 88. Her passing marks the end of an era, but her music will forever remain a testament to her enduring legacy. Roberta Flack in 1971. By CMS-Creative Management Associates/John Levy (management) - eBay front back, Public Domain, Wikimedia Born on February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, Roberta grew up in a musical family in Arlington, Virginia. Her mother, a church organist, instilled in her a…

Feb

21

2025

By DAVID MURPHY

Souleymane Cissé, father of African cinema has passed on

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SOULEYMANE Cissé, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest African filmmakers of all time, has passed away at the age of 84 in Bamako, Mali. The Mali-born director was commonly described as the father of African cinema. His feature Yeleen became the first African film to win the jury prize at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. In 2023 Cannes honoured him again with the Carrosse d'Or (the Golden Coach) award. David Murphy, a critic and scholar of African cinema and Cissé’s work, told us more about why his films were so important – and particularly his classic Yeelen. Who was…

Feb

11

2025

By Manfred Zwecker

Joburg Film Festival 2025 to open with powerful Ernest Cole documentary

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN a groundbreaking moment for African cinema, the 7th Joburg Film Festival is set to illuminate the city's screens this March with the world premiere of "Ernest Cole: Lost and Found," a compelling documentary about one of South Africa's most influential photographers. The film, which captivated audiences and claimed the Best Documentary award at Cannes, will kick off six days of cinematic excellence from March 11-16, 2025. Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck, known for "Lumumba" and "I Am Not Your Negro," the documentary unravels the extraordinary tale of Ernest Cole's life and his powerful documentation of the apartheid era.…

Feb

04

2025

By The African Mirror

Rhythms of triumph: An African musical odyssey as Nigeria, South Africa win Grammys

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE Los Angeles night crackled with electric anticipation as two extraordinary African artists transformed the Grammy stage into a canvas of musical magic. Wouter Kellerman's journey began with a flute, a dream, and an impossible vision. On this glittering night, the South African virtuoso claimed his third Grammy, this time alongside a Japanese cellist and an Indian vocalist. Their album *Triveni* wasn't just music—it was a bridge across continents, a testament to art's power to connect souls. "Music unites and heals," Kellerman declared, his voice trembling with emotion, his words cutting through the glamorous arena like a gentle yet powerful…

Jan

31

2025

By TINASHE MUSHAKAVANHU

South African poetry has a new digital archive – what’s behind the project

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SOUTH AFRICAN poetry, rich with history, has long been an underappreciated cornerstone of the country’s cultural landscape. But a new free-to-access digital archive is helping change that. Focused on the poets published by a small but important press in a town called Makhanda in the Eastern Cape province, the Deep South Books and Archive initiative seeks to elevate their voices by offering an archive of background information about their work and lives as well as extensive excerpts from their books. It’s a rare window into a vital but overlooked tradition of South African literature. Robert Berold, after spending a decade…