ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

Sep

04

2020

Prince Harry and Meghan sign production deal with Netflix

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

BRITAIN's Prince Harry and his American-born wife Meghan have signed a multiyear contract with Netflix to produce programming ranging from children's shows to scripted series, the streaming platform has announced. The couple, who moved to Southern California with their infant son Archie earlier this year after stepping back from royal duties in the United Kingdom, will produce content on issues that resonate with them and that their nonprofit Archewell is focused on. "Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope," the couple said in a statement. "As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also…

Oct

01

2020

By The African Mirror

COVID crisis propels homeless Kenyan youth to rising R&B star

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AYENAT MERSIE FOR most of the past three years, up-and-coming Kenyan R&B artist Raymond Georges Ndungu Jane slept under a bridge at the edge of Nairobi's Uhuru Park. Since becoming homeless after a family tragedy at 12, it had been the best place the 22-year-old former choir boy had stayed: there was informal work, generous strangers abounded, and when both dried up there were the massive bald-headed marabou storks that were easy to hunt. Things were stable enough this year for Ndungu Jane, who goes by Ray Gee, to be in the mood to sing for his friends. And in…

Nov

08

2020

By The African Mirror

The beauty and brilliance of Baxsan, one of the most popular Somali singers of all time

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SEYNAB Haji Ali Siigaale, widely known as Baxsan, passed away on 19 October 2020 and was buried a day later in Sheikh Sufi Cemetery behind the Somali National Theatre building in the capital Mogadishu. Along with the likes of Halima Khalif Omar ‘Magool’, Baxsan was one of the most popular female Somali singers of all time. Almost 60 years after she embarked on her singing career, it remains impossible to find anyone in Somalia who doesn’t recognise her name. MOHAMED HAJI INGIRIIS, Doctoral candidate, University of Oxford Revered even by her adversaries, Baxsan was not buried in a way that…

Nov

06

2020

By The African Mirror

Singer Simphiwe Dana comes out as gay and is getting married

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO AWARD-WINNING South African afro-pop singer Simphiwe Dana, has come out of the closet. Dana has disclosed that not only is she gay but that is also getting married. The afrofeminist made the announcement on social media, posting a few lines about her impending nuptials to her yet-to-be-identified partner. Dana posted a photograph of her fiancée but did not name her. Dana said: “I’m gay. I’ve been holding this in since forever. I’m gay”. https://twitter.com/simphiwedana/status/1324372335240118280 “I know coming out means Africa will block me. But, after a lot of thinking, I’m ok with it. I’m marrying a woman, and…

Nov

03

2020

By The African Mirror

How viral song Jerusalema joined the ranks of South Africa’s greatest hits

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AKHONA NDZUTA, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Fort Hare THERE'S something seemingly novel about a song from South Africa going viral to the extent that the 2019 house music song Jerusalema has done in 2020. The song is performed by musician and producer Master KG and vocalist Nomcebo Zikode. Apart from the song’s omnipresence on the sound systems of a cross-section of socio-economic neighbourhoods across South Africa, it has become a viral dance phenomenon, drawing in a diverse global audience. Internationally, politicians, sports stars, priests, nuns and monks, shop attendants, healthcare workers and infinite other global citizens have posted countless videos…

Nov

02

2020

By The African Mirror

Why has protest music dried up in Nigeria?

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE failure of Nigeria’s current pop stars to identify with the country’s oppressed has inspired feelings of nostalgia about the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. For much of his life, Kuti’s activism was the nemesis of the country’s military dictatorship and corrupt politicians. FLORENCE NWEKE, University of Lagos Famous for pairing his music with human rights activism Fela, who passed in 1997, stood against Nigeria’s military dictators, often at great personal cost to his family and band members. The apathy of Nigeria’s current crop of pop stars can be seen in the recent #EndSARS protests against police brutality led by…

Oct

13

2020

By The African Mirror

‘We need each other’: Black classical musicians are building supportive communities

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

GLORIA BLIZZARD, MFA Candidate, University of King's College, Dalhousie University GILLIAN TURNBULL, Contract lecturer, Music section, Department of Philosophy, Ryerson University MUSIC has been significant for many during COVID-19 isolation, and in these same months, Black musicians have amplified the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement. While pop or hip hop music are genres whose agility and responsiveness make them natural sites for popular commentary, this threatens to neglect other arenas of music making. Some arts organizations in Canada have pledged support for Black Lives Matter, turned their platforms over to Black artists or spotlighted their work. Recently a…

Oct

10

2020

By The African Mirror

Cut from the same cloth, Nigerian waste fabric becomes art

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NNEKA CHILE MARCELLINA Akpojotor weaves past thumping sewing machines and leaves a Lagos shop with a bag brimming with discarded fabric. The colourful pieces, which would typically be burned or thrown into the Nigerian city's lagoon as waste, find a second life in the hands of the artist. Akpojotor, 31, creates portraits using discarded pieces of Ankara, a brightly coloured African fabric that is ubiquitous from the slums of Lagos to high-powered meetings in the capital, Abuja. She says the meaning of the cloth helped fuel her work. "I was so inspired by those materials," she said. "In this part…

Oct

09

2020

By The African Mirror

Kelly Rowland reveals that she’s expecting baby no. 2

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO FORMER Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland has surprised fans with the reveal of her cover of Women’s Health’s October issue in the United States, but the singer was trending on the tongues of social media users this week for a totally different reason. The 39 year-old singer posed on the beach for the cover shot by Djeneba Aduayom, wearing an orange dress and displaying her baby bump. She made the reveal when she posted her cover image on Instagram. The singer is married to businessman Tim Weatherspoon, and the couple have a son named Titan. The couple had…

Oct

07

2020

By The African Mirror

South African DJ becomes CEO of international alcohol brand

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER SOUTH African entertainer DJ Zinhle Jiyane is in a bubbly mood as the new chief executive of international sparkling wine beverage Boulevard Nectar Rose. The Forbes Africa Entertainer of the Year and businesswoman has become the first South African entertainer to obtain equity in an international brand. Jiyane made the announcement on her Instagram page, stating that she had managed to acquire equity in the sparkling wine brand and was officially the brand’s new CEO. https://www.instagram.com/p/CF_rm3gDRKC/ “I actually don’t know what to say, we’ve been working on this for over a year now and at the beginning…