ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

Apr

12

2021

See LeBron James in ‘Space Jam 2’

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER SPACE Jam is back twenty-five years later, this time with a new NBA superstar. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James shared the official trailer of the sequel on Twitter, which he is starring in as the main character. James will be joined by Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang in his first major starring role for ‘Space Jam 2: A New Legacy’. In the sequel, LeBron James plays a heightened version of himself who struggles to form a close bond with his son named Don, who dreams of being a videogame developer. Joining…

Apr

19

2021

By The African Mirror

Oscars show reinvented as a movie — with masks, longer speeches

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

JILL SERJEANT THE Oscars ceremony next week will have the look and feel of a movie, giving winners more time for speeches, while coronavirus masks will play a major role, producers of the show said on Saturday. The coronavirus pandemic and a trio of new producers have led to a reinvention of the traditional show where the world's highest movie honours are handed out before a seated theatre audience of more than 4,000 A-list stars and industry executives. Much of the April 25 ceremony will instead be held at the Art Deco Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, where a…

Jun

29

2021

By The African Mirror

Lil Nas X’s onstage kiss earns massive praise

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO US rapper Lil Nas X made fans’ jaws drop with his onstage performance where he kissed a male dancer. In a Michael Jackson ‘Remember The Time’-inspired performance for his homoerotic hit “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” at the 2021 edition of the Black Entertainment Awards (BET), ending it by passionately kissing one of his male backup dancers. https://twitter.com/BET/status/1409337682392752132?s=20 Instead of the expected mass scorn on social media, Nas’ performance was met with major praise, with big names in the hip-hop industry like Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs expressing said support on Twitter. Combs tweeted: “Lil Nas X did that!!…

Jun

28

2021

By The African Mirror

Cardi B reveals pregnancy no.2

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER RAPPERS Cardi B and Offset are expecting again. Cardi B made the announcement during her featured performance with her husband and his group Migos’ on stage at the Black Entertainment Awards (BET). The rapper wore a black jeweled jumpsuit with the crystals designed to surround her swollen belly as the rapper performed. Cardi B at the 2020 BET Awards. Picture: Twitter The announcement during a live show makes it the second time that Cardi has announced her pregnancy to the world. While expecting the couple’s first child, Kulture, Cardi made the announcement while performing on US comedy…

Jun

24

2021

By The African Mirror

The woman redefining African dance

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

TATENDA KANENGONI CLASSICAL ballet instructor Soukaina Marie-Laure Edom is determined to give women space at the heart of African dance. Since 2014 she has run the only institute offering professional dance training in Zimbabwe, and her work is beginning to have a profound effect on dance right across the continent. AfriKera Dance Theatre Hub is situated in the very heart of Harare, a throbbing nexus of sound and energy. From soft classical ballet melodies to rhythmic African drums, sound pours out in a steady stream and there is seldom a moment when dance students are not utilising the space to…

May

11

2021

By The African Mirror

Lady Gaga, Glenn Close join Prince Harry and Oprah for mental health TV series

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

BRITAIN's Prince Harry and U.S. chat show queen Oprah Winfrey will premiere their television documentary series on mental health issues later this month, with singer Lady Gaga and actress Glenn Close among those contributing. "The Me You Can't See" series, co-created and produced by Harry and Winfrey, will feature stories from high-profile guests and others across the world about mental health and emotional well-being issues, Apple TV+, the streaming service which will air the programmes from May 21, said on Monday. Winfrey said the series aimed to spark a global conversation, and replace the shame surrounding mental health with wisdom…

Jun

23

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal’s famed jazz festival returns after pandemic delay

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

COOPER INVEEN ON a small island where the Senegal River meets the sea, hundreds of mask-wearing jazz enthusiasts listened to French-Senegalese vocalist Awa Ly sing the blues for uncertain times. "Once you touched the sky and you went down," she crooned. "Use your inner senses and you'll figure it out, like a dream you can't remember." Last year COVID-19 halted Saint Louis' jazz festival for the first time in its 29-year history. This year it was back, bringing much needed life to the Island of Saint Louis, a UNESCO World Heritage site famed for its colonial architecture and pastel-coloured houses.…

Jun

23

2021

By The African Mirror

Usain Bolt and Kasi Bennett welcome twin boys

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO OLYMPIC runner Usain Bolt and partner Kasi Bennett have welcomed two new members to the family, elevating their eldest daughter, Olympia Bolt’s, role to big sister. Bolt celebrated Father’s Day with a post on Instagram where he shared the news with a photo of his family from a photo shoot, including their one-year-old daughter, and first glimpses of their newborn twins named Saint Leo and Thunder. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Usain St.Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) His partner, Bennett, posted her own tribute to the Olympic sprinter, sharing more footage from their family photoshoot, calling…

May

08

2021

By The African Mirror

The #JerusalemaDanceChallenge showed how Pan African styles can be forged

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

A year has passed since an Angolan dance troupe called Fenómenos do Semba released a video of themselves dancing in a courtyard in Luanda to the South African hit song Jerusalema by Master KG. FRANCESCA NEGRO, Associate research scientist, Universidade de Lisboa With over 16 million YouTube clicks, the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge swept the planet as social media users posted their own versions of the dance. Its success has inspired me to offer some further reflections on the importance of the cultural meaning of this dance and its contribution to the creation of a Pan African aesthetic. How Angolans celebrate The dance…

Jun

19

2021

By The African Mirror

The Late Night, Mogadishu

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

JAAMAC JAAMAC MOGADISHU was once known as The Pearl of the Indian Ocean, famous for its architecture, culture and nightlife. A civil war and more recently an Islamic insurgency interrupted that. Now, with elections looming, nightlife is returning to this former Indian Ocean entrepot. At the Late Night restaurant, there's a palpable sense of hope, served up, along with each plate of Jabaati, by the manager himself. It is almost midnight and along Mogadishu's central Maka-Al-Mukarama boulevard, late-night restaurant patrons are coming and going. Three-wheeled "tuk-tuks" throng the area, dropping off customers or waiting for new ones. Judging by their…