ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

Oct

15

2023

By BRIGHT EMWANTA IGBINOMWANHIA, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Why traditional carving will never die in Benin

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ON the bustling 25\ 27 Igbesanmwan Street in Benin City, Southern Nigeria, a small white shop with rusty corrugated metal roofing stands between similar rundown buildings. Despite its dilapidated appearance, the Emma O Carving Depot, owned by Emanuel Osifo, holds a remarkable collection of historical artefacts. The store showcases various bronze and wood pieces, such as masks, medals, tools, plaques and sculptures of varying sizes and colours. While some are new, other older pieces are evidence of an ancient tradition. A common belief in Benin City is that certain families have a genetic inclination for sculptural art. The case of…

Oct

12

2023

By The African Mirror

The Black Book is a gritty new thriller that raises the bar for Nollywood

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NIGERIAN thriller The Black Book has been in the headlines for reportedly topping global figures at streaming service Netflix, with 5.6 million viewers in its first two days. Does it live up to the hype? In my view, as a critic, scholar and teacher of Nigerian film and storytelling, the short answer is yes. Directed and co-written by newcomer Editi Effiong, The Black Book emerges as a significant film that establishes a new milestone for Nollywood, the ever-evolving Nigerian film industry. EZINNE EZEPUE, Lecturer, University of Nigeria It achieves this by combining several key factors: high production values, a desire…

Oct

11

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigerian music legend and Angolan fashion icon bring class & glamour to global celebration of African and Afro-inspired music and talent

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT, WHAT'S HAPPENING

NIGERIAN music legend, entrepreneur and philanthropist D’Banj, and Angolan supermodel and fashion icon Maria Borges have been revealed as the hosts of the first Trace Awards in Rwanda. Presented by Visit Rwanda and Martell, the Trace Awards will take place at the BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda on 21 October 2023. D'Banj and Maria Borges will preside over a star-studded lineup of 60+ performers and nominees at the Trace Awards including Davido (Nigeria), Nomcebo (South Africa), Yemi Alade (Nigeria), Mr Eazi (Nigeria), Blxckie (South Africa), Bruce Melodie (Rwanda), Bwiza (Rwanda), Chriss Eazy (Rwanda), Didi B (Ivory Coast), Dystinct (Morocco), Janet Otieno…

Oct

10

2023

By The African Mirror

Sho Madjozi: the pop star using traditional culture to shape a fresh identity for young South Africans

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SOUTH African rapper Sho Madjozi is a bold and colourful presence in pop culture, as famous for her catchy lyrics as for using traditional clothing and dance in a fresh way. The musician, actress and poet is also one of very few young South African artists working in a minority language, Xitsonga. With 12 official languages in South Africa, Xitsonga is the first language of only about 4.5% of the population, mostly in the rural northern province of the country called Limpopo. The Tsonga people also live in neighbouring Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Eswatini. OWEN SEDA, Associate Professor in Performing Arts,…

Oct

05

2023

By PHENDU KUTA, BIRD STORY AGENCY

2023 African Folklore Festival engages next-gen

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE second Pan-African Folklore Festival wowed audiences and brought Johannesburg alive for almost a week during South Africa Heritage Month as multi-faceted storyteller Pilani Bubu brought the rich tapestry of African culture and heritage alive through music, dance, literature, food, and crafts across venues throughout the inner city. The festival featured a diverse line-up of artists from South Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe Bubu's 2022 album, "Folklore Chapter One," which planted the seed for the first festival, delved into the concept of folklore – the oral traditions, beliefs, and stories - passed down through generations. The 2023 edition of the event…

Oct

05

2023

By SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

“The Black Book”: Nigeria’s tech elite fund Nollywood’s first Netflix chart-topper

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

A bet by members of Nigeria's fintech elite on a feature film, "The Black Book" is paying blockbuster dividends, as the film strikes a chord with viewers around the world. The film has trended at number one on Netflix in countries as diverse as Greece, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Luxembourg, South Korea, Sweden and Nigeria, since its debut on September 26. This is the first time that leaders in the country's meteoric fintech startup space have "crowded in" to fund a film in Nollywood, Nigeria's famous film sector. The move would appear to be a blowout success. "It’s Nigeria Day across…

Sep

29

2023

By The African Mirror

Queer film in Africa is rising – even in countries with the harshest anti-LGBTIQ+ laws

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT, LGBTQIA+

A recent book, Queer Bodies in African Films, studies the growing LGBTIQ+ output from filmmakers around the continent, from Morocco to South Africa. In the process, it analyses what queerness is and means within the context of African countries. Its author, Gibson Ncube, is a lecturer and scholar who focuses his research on queerness in African cultural production – from literature to films. We asked him four questions. GIBSON NCUBE, Lecturer, Stellenbosch University Is there a growing queer representation in films from African countries? Yes, the last decade has seen a proliferation of these films. Nigeria’s Nollywood has produced a…

Sep

28

2023

By TATENDA KANENGONI, BIRD STORY AGENCY

This classical musician is using music as a force for life

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IT'S 48 hours before Thembani Mhambi is due to perform at the Securities Exchange Commission in Harare and the 39-year-old violinist has muted her social media as she mentally prepares for the event. “Every person we communicate with is giving us a part of themselves and taking a part of ours. If I want to give a good performance, where I leave the audience feeling like ‘she made us feel good’ then I have to do that. I cannot have negative energy.” said Mhambi who goes by the name ‘Adora Lee’ on stage. At the age of 13, while in…

Sep

28

2023

By EL TAYEB SIDDIG

Forced to flee war, Sudanese band spreads musical message

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ON a dusty plot in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, General Kidi and Ganja Farmer perform tracks and rap with hand-held mics as people in the audience clap, dance and ululate. The founders of the "Nuba Mountain Sound" band come from South Kordofan, a southern state long in rebellion against the government, and moved to the capital, Khartoum when former president Omar al-Bashir was overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019. Four years later the musicians, part of a cultural scene that opened up after Bashir was ousted, found themselves on the move again after war erupted in…

Sep

27

2023

By The African Mirror

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

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

LINDOKUHLE Sobekwa has been awarded South Africa’s 2023 FNB Art Prize. He becomes the first artist using documentary photography as his primary medium to win the prestigious competition. 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.…