ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

Oct

15

2022

Woman King is worth watching: but be aware that its take on history is problematic

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE Hollywood movie The Woman King, released in mid-September, became an immediate box-office success. The triumphs of the Agoodjies, the women warriors of the ancient Kingdom of Dahomey in today’s Benin, west Africa, are as magnificent as the public had anticipated. In this epic historical drama, African women take centre stage. Abomey (the kingdom’s capital) and Ouidah (the main port under its control) are shown from the perspective of Nawi, a novice in the all-female regiment. She opposes the enduring injustice of gender expectations, espouses the camaraderie of her sisters in arms and faces the brutality of slave traders. The…

Oct

15

2022

By The African Mirror

Tracey Rose, renegade South African artist: understanding her 30 years of outrage

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

WHEN an artist is welcomed into the monumental interiors of a structure such as the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa for a retrospective of their work, it suggests the levels of recognition they enjoy. The gallery, crafted from old dockyard silos in Cape Town, South Africa, opened in 2017. It is built to have such a pedigree; a solid foundation for African artists to gain global visibility and scrutiny. Author SANYA OSHA, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town Tracey Rose is a South African multimedia artist whose practice spans performance, film and video…

Oct

15

2022

By The African Mirror

Simi and Bella Shmurda: two Afrobeats stars reveal a growing tendency to abuse Fela Kuti

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THERE can no longer be any doubt that Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the legendary Nigerian musician, activist and father of Afrobeat music, has become an easy career booster for today’s Afrobeats artists who are undergoing creative droughts. Fela’s invention, Afrobeat, is an ensemble and performance-based category that blends jazz, funk, rock and traditional West African chant and rhythms. It originated in the early 1970s through continued experimentation after a stint with highlife music. Afrobeats, however, is a 21st-century creation of beat-heavy electronic pop music from Nigeria with steadily growing global audiences. It’s become an umbrella term describing the music of contemporary West…

Nov

02

2022

By The African Mirror

Rapper Takeoff killed in Houston shooting, attorney says

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

RICH MCKAY TAKEOFF, a member of the rap group Migos, was fatally shot and killed at a party held at a Houston bowling alley early, his attorney said. A representative of the rapper told Reuters that Takeoff, 28, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, was killed. Police said two other people were wounded. "I am devastated by the tragic death of Kirshnik Ball, known to his fans as Takeoff," his attorney Drew Findling said. "Takeoff was not only a brilliant musical artist with unlimited talent but also a uniquely kind and gentle soul. He will be greatly missed now…

Nov

01

2022

By The African Mirror

VIDEO: With ‘Waya Waya’ Master KG is living in the moment

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

“JERUSALEMA” hit-maker Kgaogelo Moagi, better known as Master KG, has once again grabbed global attention after his more than 4-years-old song, ‘Waya Waya’; a tune from 2018, resurfaced to become a social media sensation thanks to an accompanying dance challenge. What began with a simple musical beat in his grandmother’s house in Calais Village, Limpopo in 2018 bolstered music producer Moagi on his musical journey - and international stardom. According to Moagi, a casual beat-making trial with his computer gave birth to what later, with the help of Team Mosha, was released to being the latest dance craze, 'Waya Waya'.…

Nov

01

2022

By The African Mirror

Ghana’s National Museum: superb restoration but painful stories remain untold

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

GHANA’S national museum has reopened its doors after a seven-year closure to allow for major renovations. The museum was first opened in March 1957 as part of the celebrations marking the transition from colonial rule to independence. The opening also marked the end of a bitter struggle between members of the museum staff over issues related to the creation of a new memory space. I traced this history in a paper about the origins of the museum. Author JON OLAV HOVE, Associate Professor, Department of Historical and Classical Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Often, museums are considered spaces…

Nov

01

2022

By The African Mirror

Podcasting in Egypt – how feminist activism has emerged through shared stories

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFTER more than a decade of teaching audio production to my college students in Cairo, it finally dawned on me that podcasts themselves can serve as teaching tools that highlight lessons in Egyptian society. I realised this because so many of my female students selected feminist topics or took feminist standpoints in their narrative nonfiction podcasts. Though in the past I’ve written about how I teach audio, I’d never thought to focus on the content of my students’ podcasts. The idea of podcasts as digital activism resonated with me, particularly from a perspective of telling real life stories. Author KIM…

Oct

23

2022

By The African Mirror

Rapper Cardi B wins California trial over explicit album cover art

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

BLAKE BRITTAIN A California federal jury rejected claims that musician Cardi B misused a man's image on the cover of her first 2016 mixtape album. The cover of "Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1" did not violate plaintiff Kevin Michael Brophy's publicity or privacy rights by depicting an altered photo of another man with Brophy's unique back tattoo performing oral sex on the popular rapper, the Santa Ana jury found after a four-day trial and an afternoon of deliberations. Brophy's 2017 lawsuit sought at least $5 million in damages from Cardi B and her ex-manager Klenord Raphael, as well as an…

Oct

23

2022

By The African Mirror

Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson to be honoured as MusiCares persons of the year

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

DANIELLE BROADWAY MOTOWN icons Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson will be honoured by the music industry in Los Angeles ahead of the annual Grammy Awards as MusiCares 2023 persons of the year, the organization announced. MusiCares, which is dedicated to supporting the music community, said the music world will celebrate the legacy of both songwriters during its 32nd annual persons of the year benefit gala. Berry Gordy, 92, and Smokey Robinson, 82, built the Motown record label in the 1960s and for several decades was the highest-earning Black American record label, nicknamed Hitsville USA for its dozens of chart-toppers. Gordy,…

Jul

08

2022

By The African Mirror

Spiritual traditions fuel South African jazz artist Tumi Mogorosi’s new album

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Blues … Black … Darker than grey/ Creation sounds Gold Reef Mine rockfall crush-sounds/ Guitar-string gun-spit tear flesh/ Black sonic science/ Darkest Acoustics … (from Where Are The Keys? on Group Theory: Black Music) SOUTH African poet Lesego Rampolokeng often writes about Black music in his poems. His collaborations with musicians on record are rarer but always remarkable. There was the cassette-only 1994 African Axemen collaboration with Zimbabwean Louis Mhlanga and a stellar crew of other pan-African guitarists. And his Tears for Marikana on Salim Washington’s album, Sankofa. And now the track Where Are the Keys? on South African drummer…