ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

Feb

04

2023

Lights, camera, action: Idris Elba boost to Swahili film industry

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

DAR ES SALAAM (BIRD STORY AGENCY) - British actor Idris Elba plans to open a major film studio in Tanzania after holding initial talks with President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Tanzanian's Director of Presidential Communications, Zuhura Yunus, recently made this announcement during a media briefing session on the outcome of President Hassan's trip to the 53rd World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "The president met with Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina, and they are keen to invest in a film studio in Tanzania," said Yunus. "Discussions on the project have just begun, and if successful, the project will help not…

Feb

02

2023

By The African Mirror

Angelique Kidjo in line for a record sixth Grammy Award

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ANGELIQUE Kidjo, the energetic singer-songwriter and activist from the Republic of Benin, represents a rare African phenomenon. In many respects, she belongs to the illustrious musical lineage of “Mama Africas” – the likes of South Africa’s Miriam Makeba, Letta Mbulu and Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Cape Verde’s Cesaria Evora and Mali’s Oumou Sangare. Author SANYA OSHA, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town These powerful maternal personages are distinctive for their regal bearing, a grand sense of responsibility in sharing Africa’s cultural heritage, and protecting the dignity of the African woman. They may not always articulate…

Feb

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Eco-friendly Nigerian artist turns plastic flip-flops into portraits

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

EUGENE Komboye, a Nigerian artist, is turning discarded plastic flip-flop sandals into colourful portraits in an effort to help clean up the environment in a country where plastic pollution is prevalent. What started as an assignment in a college in 2017, has become a full-time job for Komboye, whose studio in the city of Abeokuta in the southwest state of Ogun now trains aspiring artists who want to follow in his footsteps and create flip-flop portraits. According to government figures, Nigeria produces at least 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with some of it finding its way into the…

Jan

31

2023

By The African Mirror

A major new exhibition in Nairobi reveals the history of east African art traditions

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MWILI, Akili na Roho (Body, Mind and Spirit) – on in Nairobi, Kenya – is a major international exhibition presenting east African painters who are key players in the modernist art of the region. Modernism in the fine arts refers to a period of experimentation from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, a break from the realism of the past and a search for new forms of expression. Author ANNE MWITI, Lecturer, Kenyatta University The exhibition features a group of artists from different generations who vary in backgrounds, as well as in the themes and forms of their art. They…

Jan

26

2023

By The African Mirror

Stella Chiweshe: Zimbabwe’s mbira queen, rebel music star and pioneer

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

GIBSON NCUBE STELLA Rambisai Chiweshe, affectionately known in Zimbabwe as “the queen of mbira” or “Ambuya (grandmother) Chiweshe”, passed away on 20 January 2023. Through Mbira/Anhrefn Records Chiweshe was born in July 1946 in the rural area of Mhondoro in the Mashonaland province of northern Zimbabwe. She began playing the mbira, an ancient thumb piano, in the early 1960s. At the time she was reproached by both men and women because she had dared to play an instrument that was ordinarily played by men. Chiweshe was not only a singer, songwriter and musician who performed extensively across Africa, Europe and…

Jan

19

2023

By The African Mirror

African music craze sweeps YouTube as artists rack up millions of views

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY MORE African hits are reverberating far beyond the continent's borders, amplified by the African resounding global music reach on YouTube and other streaming services. Growing smartphone adoption and the penetration of affordable and fast internet in Africa also drive the local consumption of music on YouTube. From the catchy Afrobeats and the soulful sounds of Afro-soul to the energetic rhythms of Afropop and the traditional melodies of African folk music, the diversity of African music is captivating listeners worldwide, thanks in part to YouTube. To most African musicians, YouTube has revolutionised how music is consumed,…

Jan

17

2023

By The African Mirror

Stars flock to Dakar for All-Africa Music Awards

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MUSICAL heavyweights gathered in Dakar, Senegal for the eighth All-Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) that aim to celebrate and promote the continent's best veteran and cutting-edge musicians. Globally recognised stars including Senegalese maestro Youssou Ndour, and Nigerian artists P-Square and Tiwa Savage are among those set to perform during the main awards ceremony at the 15,000-seat Dakar stadium. Gabonese singer and AFRIMA nominee Espoir La Tigresse was among the extravagantly dressed guests posing on the red carpet before the ceremony. "I’m wearing a head mask from my tribe in Gabon representing a traditional dance from my village to show that I’m…

Dec

20

2022

By The African Mirror

The Kabareh Cheikhats: challenging gender stereotypes in Morocco

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IMAD SAOUDI FOR BIRD STORY AGENCY DRESSED in colourful caftans and sporting wigs, bold make-up and glittering jewellery, the Kabareh Cheikhats troup is singing and swaying their hips, exploring issues of femininity in ways that might seem surprising in a conservatively patriarchal society. The all-male band is paying homage to the Cheikhats, Morocco's most famous historical female traditional folk singers, once renowned in the region and responsible for chants, called Aitas, that remain extremely popular. Sometimes compared to Geishas, Cheikhats have been intriguing and controversial figures throughout Moroccan history. They were singers, dancers, poets, and preservers of esoteric musical lore.…

Dec

18

2022

By The African Mirror

Burkina Faso film maker recalls golden era of cinema before insurgency

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

FILM producer Drissa Toure peered through the locked glass doors of what was once the lively cinema in Burkina Faso's southwestern city of Bobo-Dioulasso and remembered a time when locals could enjoy films from Africa and beyond on its screen. Today the 70-year-old struggles with respiratory illness and ekes out a living ferrying people and parcels on his scooter. He treasures the magazine clippings that lauded his earlier film work and the medals he collected. Burkina Faso historically has clout in Africa's film industry, with several feature productions landing international awards over the past decades. It has also hosted the…

Dec

13

2022

By The African Mirror

CKay makes musical history amid Afrobeat’s unstoppable global rise

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY THE popular musician came in at number 98 on Billboard’s best-selling artist in USA 2022 with his addictive Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah) hit single clocking in at number 17 on Billboard Global 200 songs and the Hot 100 chart at number 55. African music has had another stellar year in 2022, likely to continue through 2023, with Nigerian artist Burna Boy set for a history-making concert at London Stadium on June 3 - the first-ever African artist to headline a UK stadium, according to Rolling Stone. On April 2 this year, CKay's Love Nwantiti,…