ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

Jan

25

2021

Jonas Gwangwa embodied South Africa’s struggle for a national culture

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MUSIC is not a zero-sum game with only one ‘best’. But if you seek to name one musician whose life embodies the South African people’s struggle for a national culture, it must be trombonist, composer and cultural activist Jonas Mosa Gwangwa, who was born on 19 October 1937 in Orlando East, Johannesburg, and died on 23 January 2021 in Johannesburg aged 83. GWEN ANSELL, Associate of the Gordon Institute for Business Science, University of Pretoria Through 65 years on stage, Gwangwa’s playing contributed to every genre of South African jazz. Overseas, he was hailed as player, producer and composer. Yet…

Sep

09

2021

By The African Mirror

S.African animator fuses cartoon with reality in satellite debut

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SELF-TAUGHT South African 3D animator Lwazi Msipha wanted to create something for both grown-ups and kids, along the lines of The Simpsons, when he dreamed up the character that won him a coveted slot on satellite TV. So he hit on an idea: what if his children's cartoon character were to accidentally get stuck in the adult real world? That notion forms the premise of 'My Cartoon Friend', which debuted on Cartoon Network in South Africa last month - the first of his compatriots to get a full 13-episode series. In the new show, Msipha plays himself as a young…

Sep

09

2021

By The African Mirror

In a surprise move, Britney Spears’ father asks for conservatorship to end

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

LISA RICHWINE JAMIE Spears, the father of Britney Spears, on Tuesday, asked a Los Angeles court to end the pop singer's 13-year conservatorship, saying circumstances have changed in recent months. In an unexpected development, Jamie Spears, who in 2008 set up the court-sanctioned arrangement that governs the singer's personal and business affairs, said in a court filing that he believed the judge should "now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer required." "If Ms Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr Spears believes she should get that chance," read the…

Jan

24

2021

By The African Mirror

Latin singer Maluma features on Elle as its first male cover star

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO COLOMBIAN singing maestro Maluma has made an iconic feat early in 2021, by becoming the first-ever male star to cover the fashion magazine. Maluma is the star of Elle’s February print edition. He shared his achievement on Instagram this week, writing that his cover feature is a hopeful message to “keep dreaming and achieving”. “IT'S MALUMA BABY!!!!! Thank u @elleusa for making me the first male on the cover of the magazine, this means a lottttt to me!” Maluma on the cover of Elle. Picture: Instagram Donned in a blue shirt and posed with his left arm outstretched,…

Sep

07

2021

By The African Mirror

‘The Wire’ actor Michael K. Williams found dead in apartment

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

TIM REID MICHAEL K. Williams, who played the character Omar Little in the TV series "The Wire," was found dead in his New York apartment on Monday, the New York Police Department said. He was 54. Lieutenant John Gimpel, an NYPD spokesman, said Williams was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment after a 2 p.m. (1800 GMT)emergency phone call to emergency operators. Williams, who received a 2021 Emmy nomination for his performance in HBO's Lovecraft Country, also found fame for his role in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. The NYPD said there was an "ongoing investigation" into Williams's death and…

Sep

07

2021

By The African Mirror

Cardi B and offset welcome baby no. 2!

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER CARDI B has given birth to her second child, and Offset’s fifth. The hip-hop couple announced on Instagram that they had become parents to a son, making Cardi’s first child Kulture, a big sister. Simply captioned as “9/4/21," Cardi B is seen sitting in a hospital bed cradling her baby boy , wrapped in a blue blanket and wearing a blue knit hat, with husband Offset dressed in blue seated next to her. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cardi B (@iamcardib) "We are so overjoyed to finally meet our son," the couple wrote…

Jan

22

2021

By The African Mirror

Black coffee scores 100 million streams on yet-to-be-released album

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO SOUTH African house DJ Black Coffee has achieved another milestone in his career, another 100 million streams worldwide for his album ‘Subconsciously’. The surprising detail with this announcement is that the album will only be released on February 5th. The ‘Subconsciously’ album has nine out of twelve tracks currently available to the public on streaming sites such as Apple Music and Spotify, which features artists Msaki, Sabrina Claudio, RY X, Usher, Sun El Musician, Elderbrook, Pharrell Williams and Maxine Ashley. Black Coffee took to Twitter to share his excitement over the news and thank his fans for continuing…

Sep

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Nina Stamper empowers with the languages of love

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO LOVE comes in many forms and it often desires one to share how they want to be loved and how they want to love their beloved - that’s where Nina Stamper comes in. A new-age singer and songwriter from Gugulethu, the home of some of the most world’s recognised jazz musicians (like Winston Mankunku Ngozi), in Cape Town, South Africa, Stamper sends the message of what women have gone through all in the name of love whether it be self-love or romance. A feel good song, Language of love, is as inspirational as it is soulful for those…

Jan

21

2021

By The African Mirror

Poet Amanda Gorman, 22, captures ‘bruised, but whole’ U.S. at Biden, Harris inauguration

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ANDREA SHALAL AMANDA Gorman, the youngest poet in U.S. history to mark the transition of presidential power, offered a hopeful vision for a deeply divided country on Wednesday with her poem "The Hill We Climb". Gorman, 22, a Los Angeles resident, joined the ranks of previous inaugural poets Robert Frost, Maya Angelou and Elizabeth Alexander, with a powerful performance at the swearing-in of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. "Being American is more than a pride we inherit. It's the past we step into and how we repair it," Gorman said, in a short poem that was greeted…

Jan

20

2021

By The African Mirror

South African editors condemn Somizi

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) has called for television personality and choreographer Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung to answer for his actions after doxxing two journalists this week. The entertainer was approached by a City Press journalist, who was requesting to communicate with him on the allegations that he was filing for divorce from his husband, Mohale Motaung. Somizi responded via text to the request saying, “Please make my year and write the story as I will sue the living hell out of you and your publication for this crap you are asking me….get your facts right or…