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Aug
14
2020
By The African Mirror
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen expecting baby #3

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen expecting baby #3

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
MPHO RANTAO THE stork is making its way to the Legend household for a third time.  R&B singer John Legend and wife, model Chrissy Teigen have announced that they will be welcoming their third child to their growing family.  The revelation was made after Legend released the music video for his new single titled ‘Wild’ which features Gary Clark Jr. on Youtube, as well as posting a snippet of the video on his Instagram page.  The Grammy award-winning singer held a live premiere for the music video along with Teigen and their two children, Luna and Miles.  Prior to the…
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Aug
20
2020
By The African Mirror
Burna Boy’s “Twice as Tall” reaches streaming high

Burna Boy’s “Twice as Tall” reaches streaming high

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
African Mirror Reporter NIGERIA’S Burna Boy’s star has continued to soar at some speed with the release of his fifth album ‘Twice As Tall’.  Released on Friday 15 August, ‘Twice As Tall’ was commended by scores of fans, who also praised the artist for continuing to fly the Nigerian flag high and for keeping up with the positive momentum from the artist’s previous offering, the 2018 Grammy-nominated album ‘African Giant’. Since its release, the album has amassed popularity on streaming sites. It accumulated 5 million streams in one hour by August 17, and to date has over 6 million streams…
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Aug
18
2020
By The African Mirror
11-year-old Nigerian ballet star’s video earns him a dream scholarship

11-year-old Nigerian ballet star’s video earns him a dream scholarship

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE graceful movements of an 11-year old boy dancing ballet in the rain captured not only the hearts of the social media community but also the attention of a prominent ballet theatre.  The viral video shows Anthony Mmesoma Madu dancing a ballet routine barefoot in the rain, showcasing exquisite pirouettes and leaps just outside his ballet academy, Leap of Dance Academy, where he trains in Nigeria. The video of Madu received more than 15 million views and received praise from the likes of American actress Viola Davis, who reposted the video on her Instagram feed with the…
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Aug
27
2020
By The African Mirror
Scottish farmers feature in Pharrell and Jay-Z’s Black entrepreneurs video

Scottish farmers feature in Pharrell and Jay-Z’s Black entrepreneurs video

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
SONIA ELKS WHEN Michelle and Robert Sullivan were invited to be in a video for a song by music titans Pharrell Williams and Jay-Z showcasing Black entrepreneurs, they had two main concerns: profanity and if their farm in Scotland was camera-ready. They initially wondered whether the Instagram invitation was genuine if the song's message might clash with their strong Christian values, and if they should decline because they didn't have enough time to tidy up the farm. Now, having overcome their misgivings, the married couple in rural north-east Scotland feature in the video for the hip-hop track "Entrepreneur" which celebrates…
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Aug
26
2020
By The African Mirror
The daughters and sons of Fela in African Pop

The daughters and sons of Fela in African Pop

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
GARHE OSIEBE, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Rhodes University DECADES after his death, Fela Kuti, Nigeria’s most famous musician continues to live on through his art. Afrobeat, a genre he pioneered, has transcended generations after him, existing in varying forms. Contemporary African pop stars are sampling his work in new records. Much of that music is called ‘Afrobeats’ today, (the ‘s’ is important) A new genre, partly inspired by Fela’s work. It’s the current flavour of Lagos, and the rest of the continent, where Nigerian pop music maintains a strong presence. But how do these musicians portray this legend in their work?…
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Aug
23
2020
By The African Mirror
Enter the micro-budget film: lockdown amplifies South African cinema trends

Enter the micro-budget film: lockdown amplifies South African cinema trends

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
LIANI MAASDORP, Senior lecturer in Screen Production and Film and Television Studies, University of Cape Town SOUTH Africa’s film industry is the oldest in Africa and one of the oldest in the world, having started in 1896, soon after the Lumiere brothers’ famous first commercial film screening in 1895. The industry is one of the more established and commercially viable on the continent. It doesn’t produce as many films as Nigeria’s bustling industry, but offers a steady trickle of crowd pleasers (with box office records held by the comedies of Leon Shuster) and international award winners like Tsotsi (2006) and…
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Aug
23
2020
By The African Mirror
Nigerian lesbian love film to go online to avoid censorship board

Nigerian lesbian love film to go online to avoid censorship board

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
ANGELA UKOMADU and ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM TWO young women fill the screen, reclining on a bed, talking about their hope of having children. They are protagonists in a new Nigerian film called "Ife" depicting their love story. The topic is controversial in Nigeria, where same-sex relationships are theoretically punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Producer Pamela Adie said "Ife" - which means "love" in the Yoruba language widely spoken in southwest Nigeria - would be released online to avoid any possible move by censors to ban it. "I really feel that the censors board is playing a big part…
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Aug
22
2020
By The African Mirror
Columbia Records signs South African singer

Columbia Records signs South African singer

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
MPHO RANTAO  TWITTER erupted in joy as fans of Trap-soul and R&B music took to the app’s timeline to congratulate independent South African R&B singer Elaine, who was announced to have signed an international record deal.  It was announced on Twitter that American record label Columbia Records had signed a distribution deal with the twenty-one year old, South African singer on the same day Elaine released a music video for her second single ‘Risky’.  https://twitter.com/PhuckPhobes/status/1296121338113990660?s=20 She joins the iconic label’s roster that also features Beyonce, John Legend, Adele, Céline Dion, Pharrell Williams, George Ezra & many others. Columbia Records roster…
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Sep
01
2020
By The African Mirror
‘Big Brother Naija’: Nigeria’s unlikely public relations campaign?

‘Big Brother Naija’: Nigeria’s unlikely public relations campaign?

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
OLUSOLA OGUNNUBI, Research Fellow,University of Free State, University of the Free State AKINLOLU AKINOLA, Invited User EVERY new season of Nigeria’s reality TV show, ‘Big Brother Naija’ (BB Naija), comes loaded with controversy. Despite holding five editions since 2006, the show continues to polarise opinion within the continent. Conservatives oppose it as ‘immoral’ and showcasing values that are ‘un-African’. Protagonists celebrate it as good TV material, possessing immense entertainment value. Big Brother Naija is a popular reality show in which contestants live in an isolated house and compete for a large cash prize worth over $180,000. The winner gets all…
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Sep
03
2020
By The African Mirror
First trans, non-binary characters to debut on ‘Star Trek’ franchise

First trans, non-binary characters to debut on ‘Star Trek’ franchise

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
OSCAR LOPEZ  THE science-fiction franchise "Star Trek" is introducing its first transgender and non-binary characters, with both roles set to debut in its U.S. television series next month, producers said on Wednesday. The trans character named Gray will be played by trans actor Ian Alexander, the producers said, and non-binary Adira will be played by Blu del Barrio, an actor who like the character does not identify as male or female. They will appear in the third season of CBS Television's series "Star Trek: Discovery," the latest incarnation of the TV franchise that launched in 1966. "Star Trek" has spawned…
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