ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

Jan

02

2021

Vanessa Mdee Rotimi ring in 2021 with engagement

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO TWO of Africa’s biggest stars, Rotimi and Vanessa Mdee, entered the new year on a high, with the announcement of their engagement. The Atlanta-based couple have been together for over a year, having met at the 2019 Essence Festival in New Orleans where Rotimi was due to perform. The Nigerian-American actor (born Olurotimi Akinosho) dropped down on one knee in a ‘Coming 2 America’ setting on December 31, asking his Tanzanian singer girlfriend to marry him. Rotimi and Vanessa Mdee on video. Picture: Instagram The actor posted the video of the proposal on his Instagram page with the…

Jan

12

2021

By The African Mirror

Meghan Markle & Prince Harry abandon social media

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex have decided to step away from Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for good. Their decision was disclosed by a source close to the couple, who told The Times of London that it is "very unlikely" that the royal duo will not return to social media due to the immense amount of "hate" they have received from online users. The source also informed The Times of London that the couple had no plans to create social media profiles for their Archewell Foundation or return to their personal social profiles for the foreseeable future. The…

Jul

19

2022

By The African Mirror

Ladysmith Black Mambazo shrug off power cut to sing for Mandela

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

TIM COCKS LADYSMITH Black Mambazo sang their warm-hearted choral harmonies in honour of peace icon Nelson Mandela, with a 45-minute forced intermission caused by one of the power cuts that have become a part of daily life in South Africa. The concert in Johannesburg's main theatre, a day before U.N.-declared Mandela Day, his birthday, celebrated the life of the man who steered South Africa from the manacles of apartheid to multi-racial democracy while narrowly avoiding a civil war. "Madiba has been an inspiration for us," Sibongiseni Shabalala, band member and son of the band's late founder Joseph Shabalala, said, using…

Jul

19

2022

By The African Mirror

100 years of pop music in Nigeria: what shaped four eras

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early months of 2020 shut down nearly all physical and social human activities. For musical practice, this meant near death. Performing music is, after all, one of the oldest forms of social human engagement. In Nigeria, the shutdown of concerts and public music performances was swift. Not even the Nigerian–Biafran War of 1967 to 1970 could shut down all of Nigeria. In fact, popular music activities boomed in Lagos as bombs rained on Biafra. The pandemic was a watershed moment and offers a compelling reason to trace the trajectory and evolution…

Jul

16

2022

By The African Mirror

Nigerian’s dream comes true with “Iyanu”

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY "A dream 15 years in the making" is how Roye Okupe described the announcement that his African superhero creation Iyanu would be turned into an animated series on HBO Max. "That's right, folks, YouNeek Studios IYANU has been greenlit and is set to become an ANIMATED SERIES ON HBO Max!" the US-educated Nigerian creator of African-inspired superhero & fantasy stories behind YouNeek - known for its EXO series of graphic novels - said when announcing the news. “Iyanu: Child of Wonder” is a superhero tale set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, which draws from…

Jan

19

2021

By The African Mirror

Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez to perform at diverse Biden inauguration

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

LADY Gaga and Jennifer Lopez will take the stage at U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony in Washington next week alongside others in what his transition team said would showcase a diverse America. The two will perform at the Jan. 20 event for the incoming 46th U.S. president, which will also feature remarks from a black firefighter from Georgia, a former Youth Poet Laureate, a Catholic priest, and a pastor from Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem and Lopez will give a musical performance. "They represent one clear picture of the grand diversity of…

Jan

17

2021

By The African Mirror

Vee Mmpeezy’s ‘Dumalana’ reaches 8.4 million views on Youtube

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO BOTSWANA singing sensation Vee Mampeezy has a big reason to celebrate this weekend with his latest video reaching over 8 million views on Youtube. This is the highest tally of views for the singer. The song ‘Dumalana’ is Mampeezy’s third single to reach over 1 million views on the platform after his previous singles ‘Dololo’ and ‘I Love You’ reaching over 1.2 million and 1.5 million views respectively. The Motswana singer took to Instagram to share his joy over the video’s success, thanking his fans for watching his videos and continuously supporting him. “I would like to say…

Jan

16

2021

By The African Mirror

Showmax creates first-ever Kenyan original series

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO AFRICAN streaming platform Showmax and CANAL+ have broken ground with a new drama series, a first collaboration between the platform and the French channel. The new series is called Crime & Justice, a gritty procedural & legal drama set in Kenya’s capital of Nairobi. Heavyweight actors Sarah Hassan and Alfred Munyua will take up the roles as the two detective leads, Maken and Silas, with the new role as a detective being Hassan’s first in her career. The new series focuses on Makena and Silas at the heart of the topical show that follows one ripped-from-the-headlines case per…

Jan

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Amazon film recounts epic meeting of Cassius Clay, Sam Cooke, Malcolm X, Jim Brown

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SARAH MILLS IMAGINE a time more than 50 years ago when four of the biggest Black American celebrities in the world met up and spent hours discussing race, religion and politics? That's the premise of the film "One Night in Miami," out on Amazon Prime on Friday, which recounts a 1964 meeting between boxer Cassius Clay, soul singer Sam Cooke, civil rights activist Malcolm X and football player Jim Brown. The meeting really took place, says screenwriter Kemp Powers, who came across a throwaway mention of it years ago and became obsessed with finding out more. "The characterizations and the…

Jan

19

2021

By The African Mirror

Death you are a cheat! We live in your shadow all the time

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

“Hi Khulu! Kunjani Mfowethu, ngu Sam Phillips lona. Yes, uSisi ungitsheshele izindaba ezinzima, of course, ngawe. Baba, hayi Mfowethu, I am sorry to hear… But ngiyethemba uNkulunkulu will hear our prayers masimcela ukuthi ube safe … he will bless [you], even the doctors will be looking after you. Please stay strong mfanakithi, We love you, Ngu Sam!” I received this voice message from my brother on the 23rd of March 2020, in the evening. I listened to it more than twice, and I was angry. Not angry at my brother Sam, but angry at my sister, Lillian. Why did he…