ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

May

14

2026

The song of Maria McCloy

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IF there is a name associated with a city, it's Maria McCloy. Maria didn't just love Johannesburg, she breathed it; she was part of the heartbeat of the city. A child of Africa, growing up in Maseru, Lesotho, and Maputo, Mozambique, she wanted to create and curate a space of stories told from an African perspective. She did just that. If you needed information for a cultural event, wanted details on an artist, or a story about the city's latest cultural growth, Maria was the answer. As someone just over half her age, I saw McCloy as a gatekeeper of sorts…

May

14

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The last curtain call: A nation weeps for Alexx Ekubo

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE news did not creep in; it crashed. Like a furious harmattan wind sweeping through the market stalls of Lagos, the whisper turned into a wail on Tuesday, May 13, 2026. Alexx Ekubo, the dazzling light of Nollywood, had taken his final bow at just 40 years old. For a man who had been silent - his last Instagram post a ghost from December 2024, a relic from a time before his world quietly unravelled - the silence was now deafening. He had slipped away after an undisclosed illness, a battle fought in the shadows that the gossip pages never…

May

07

2026

By NIKITA HEAVEN, BIRD STORY AGENCY

A new rhythm for Kigali as rap takes the stage

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ANGELL Mutoni, known by her stage name as Angell, stands before a wall-length mirror in a rehearsal studio in Nyamirambo, running through the final lines of her performance. She looks confident and professional. Chin lifted, shoulders squared, eyes locked straight ahead. The verses spoken out loud land flawlessly. "I've been told that I look like I'm not nervous," she says. "But deep inside I am," she said, taking a break from the intense delivery. Nyamirambo is where Kigali generates its creative energy. The neighbourhood has produced some of Rwanda's sharpest rap talent, and Mutoni knows every corner of it. This…

May

06

2026

By MEL HERVE, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Lens Queen Breaking Barriers

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE roar inside the stadium rises and collapses in waves. On the sidelines, photographers adjust their positions as the ball moves fast across the pitch, their shutters clicking in bursts to keep up with the speed of the game. In the stands, young men are singing, blowing whistles, and dancing, their energy levels rising and falling with every attack and counterattack, turning the match into a dynamic wall of sound and colour. Among the photographers tracking the action from the edge of the pitch is Béatrice-Nicole Kouadio. Camera raised, body angled slightly forward, eyes moving before the play fully unfolds,…

Apr

27

2026

By The African Mirror

The king never left the stage

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

LET us begin with a confession. When Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba - the man the world knew simply as Papa Wemba - collapsed on the stage of the Festival des Musiques Urbaines d'Anoumabo in Abidjan on the evening of 24 April 2016, many in the crowd initially assumed it was part of the show. Because with Papa Wemba, you never quite knew. He was that good. He was that theatrical. He was, in the fullest and most literal sense of the word, extra. Ten years later, the Head of State of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, made…

Apr

25

2026

By ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT

Ferre Gola brings the soul of Kinshasa to the City of Gold – and the continent holds its breath

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THERE is a sound that rises from the banks of the Congo River at dusk - a sound as wide and ancient as the river itself. It is the sound of rumba, of soukous, of guitars that seem to speak in tongues, of voices that carry grief and celebration in the same breath. For generations, that sound has defined the heartbeat of Central Africa. This May, it arrives in Johannesburg. Ferre Gola - Le Padre, the patriarch of a new Congolese golden age - will step onto a Joburg stage for the first time in his storied career. The date…

Apr

17

2026

By The African Mirror

Grammy-nominated R&B queen Tamia headlines Epic Women’s Month tour in South Africa

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SMOOTH as Cape velvet and fierce as a Joburg sunrise, Grammy-nominated R&B superstar Tamia is set to set South African stages ablaze this August, headlining The Biggest Women’s Month Celebration Tour Experience - a glittering ode to sisterhood, soul, and unapologetic power. The tour’s itinerary is locked and loaded: 6 August at Grand Arena, GrandWest in Cape Town; 7 August at Durban ICC in KwaZulu-Natal; and 10 August at SunBet Arena, Time Square in Pretoria. Tamia, whose honeyed hits like "Officially Missing You" and "Imagination" have amassed billions of streams, promises a sensory explosion of live vocals, high-energy choreography, and…

Apr

17

2026

By TOOCHI GABRIEL, BIRD STORY AGENCY

The Nigerian nomad growing Africa’s digital future

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ENUGU, known locally as Coal City after its early source of wealth, today presents a serene contrast to the frantic pace of Nigeria’s larger coastal metropolises. Nestled beneath the rolling greenery of the Udi Hills, the city is defined by its wide, tree-lined avenues and a slower, more intentional rhythm of life. This is where Sophia Ahuoyiza has chosen to build. The software and content developer began her career in Lagos, where she learned to code and started working in software development. Today her work includes a far more diverse portfolio; she moves across software development, mentoring students, and participating…

Apr

09

2026

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Zimbabwe backs homegrown content with new funding drive

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ZIMBABWE is backing its creative sector with targeted public funding, setting aside US$10 million for local content production as part of an effort to strengthen national broadcasting and expand homegrown storytelling. The country is targeting both the cost of filming and the economics of building studios, signalling a broader move to treat storytelling as a supply chain rather than an output. “This is about moving up the value chain,” said Tinotenda Machida, a Harare-based producer familiar with regional production dynamics. “If you don’t have post-production locally, you are exporting your margins. What Zimbabwe is trying to do is keep that…

Apr

09

2026

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

‘The Fisherman,’ a Ghanaian story of dreams, comedy, and a touch of magic

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE lights dim at Westgate Cinema in Nairobi, and within minutes, a retired fisherman appears large on the screen, arguing with a fish that talks back. Around him, younger companions debate money, risk, and opportunity, while the audience laughs, loudly and often, at scenes that feel both absurd and familiar. By the time the credits roll, the film has done more than entertain; it has landed as part of a broader shift in how African stories are being told and where they are being seen. ‘The Fisherman’, directed by Zoey Martinson, recently arrived in Kenyan cinemas as part of a…