ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

Feb

18

2023

Jean-Paul Zé Bella: the cunning Cameroonian soldier who became a global music legend

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ONE of Cameroon’s most influential music stars – Jean-Paul Zé Bella – passed away on 15 January at the age of 71 after a battle against cancer. The singer and drummer was a founding member of the band Zangalewa and performed with it until he retired from the military. Part of the texture of Cameroonian popular culture, he continued making music until he fell ill. He lived an extraordinary life, from starting out as a lowly soldier to shaping the global hit song Waka Waka. We asked media studies professor Lyombe Eko to tell us more. Author LYOMBE EKO, Professor…

Mar

15

2023

By The African Mirror

The healing work of the social circus, Tamba Africa

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

TATENDA KANENGONI/ BIRD STORY AGENCY THE Tamba Africa Social Circus crew take turns applying paint strokes on each other's faces. When this is done, they huddle up, clasp each other's hands and bow their heads. Troupe leader, Tinotenda Makamure, looks each of them in the eye, carefully enunciating the words, "Remember who we are, where we come from, and what we are about to do." The circus is at the Madsoc Theatre in Lilongwe, Malawi, where in a few moments, they will walk out on stage to a fully packed auditorium to perform a healing dance chronicling the pain, sorrows…

Mar

14

2023

By The African Mirror

Costa Titch: the rising white South African rap star who embraced black hip-hop culture

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

RISING 28-year-old South African dancer and rapper Costa Titch (born Costa Tsobanoglou) died after collapsing on stage on 11 March while performing in Johannesburg. Costa Titch entered the entertainment world as a dancer with Cassper Nyovest, another South African hip-hop megastar, before trying his luck as a rapper, often dabbling in the country’s amapiano dance music genre. He had a huge hit with his track Big Flexa and was destined to shine bright on the country’s music scene. Author SANYA OSHA, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town Being white, Nelspruit-born Costa Titch brought new…

Feb

08

2023

By The African Mirror

New film Under the Hanging Tree examines how Namibia’s genocide lives on today

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

UNDER the Hanging Tree is a new film written, directed and produced by Perivi Katjavivi, a young, up-and-coming Namibian filmmaker. Despite two decades of gradual growth in the fledgling Namibian film industry, only about 20 features have been produced by the southern African country so far. Katjavivi’s efforts at writing, directing and producing are to be lauded. Under the Hangman’s Tree is his third feature and it premiered in the official selection of the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam. Katjavivi’s films offer political themes that reveal the dark underbelly of Namibian society. His narratives expose the devastating effects of colonialism,…

Mar

08

2023

By The African Mirror

Dance Me to the End of Time: South African film on death is a powerful celebration of life

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN her 2021 documentary Dance Me to the End of Time, South African filmmaker and educator Melanie Chait has produced a truly great film. Not only for the breadth of themes it broaches – from cancer to green activism, from lesbian love to arts therapy – but also for the intensity with which she deals with these themes. Author GIBSON NCUBE, Lecturer, Stellenbosch University One of the hallmarks of a great film is its ability to transport audiences; to hold their undivided attention and evoke deep emotions in them. The documentary does this, as it pieces together four years of…

Mar

06

2023

By The African Mirror

Chris Rock unleashes on Will Smith and wife Jada a year after Oscars slap

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

LISA RICHWINE A year after he was slapped on stage at the Academy Awards, Chris Rock hammered Will Smith and his wife in a comedy special streamed live around the world, joking that he enjoyed seeing the actor beaten in his latest film. Live on Netflix on Saturday from the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Rock said he had been watching slavery drama "Emancipation" just to see Smith "get whooped," cheering "hit him again" and "you missed a spot." In March 2022, Smith walked onto the Oscars stage and slapped Rock's face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of…

Mar

03

2023

By The African Mirror

Burkina’s film festival in full swing despite fighting on its doorstep

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, soldiers give directions to movie-goers and journalists attending the continent's premier film festival that is going ahead this year despite the violent insurgency gripping many of its regions. Since the biannual Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) was last held in 2021 the West African country has had to deal with the political fallout from two coups within eight months and spiralling violence driven by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. The festival's delegate-general, Alex Moussa Sawadogo, said Burkina Faso had been dealing with the insecurity for several years, but it…

Mar

03

2023

By The African Mirror

Pretty Yende, a South African opera star with a voice that shatters glass ceilings

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IT'S been announced that South African opera star Pretty Yende will sing at King Charles III’s coronation on 6 May in Westminster Abbey, London. The 37-year-old soprano was elated. The invitation is reminiscent of when Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales were married in 1981. For this occasion, the New Zealand soprano Kiri Te Kanawa’s beautiful voice beguiled the royal couple. Te Kanawa, being Maori, represented her indigenous community who were the victims of imperialism and colonialism. Author WAYNE MULLER, Publications Editor / Research Fellow (Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation), Stellenbosch University Te Kanawa was…

Feb

14

2023

By The African Mirror

VIDEO: Director Steve Mugo fires up East Africa’s music scene

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

WHEN Steve Maingi Mugo is on set, nothing is left to chance. Every few minutes, he calls for a change of scene or gives new instructions. The crew, actors and dancers swiftly respond; after all, the director is perfection personified. According to Mugo, every second of filming is high stakes. A tiny mistake could translate to unending repeat shots. But every second of filming is also an opportunity to showcase Africa. “African directors are really doing a good job, and we have very beautiful colours in our videos, we have beautiful people in our videos. We are showing the natural…

Feb

08

2023

By The African Mirror

The incredible story of how East African culture shaped the music of a state in India

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE term Siddi refers to Afro-Indians – Africans who mixed with Indians through marriage and relationships. Africans crossed the Indian Ocean and arrived in India during the 1200s, 1300s and 1400s. They were transported by Islamic invaders and Portuguese colonisers as enslaved people, palace guards, army chiefs, harem keepers, spiritual leaders, Sufi singers, dancers and treasurers. Author SAYAN DEY, Postdoctoral Fellow at Wits Centre for Diversity Studies, University of the Witwatersrand Today, the majority of Siddis are found in the west and south-west of India, in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana states. As they settled, they preserved and practised their…