ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT - The African Mirror

Jul

15

2025

bird Interview: In Conversation with Nigerian documentary filmmaker Joel Kachi on winning an Emmy, potential of virtual reality in storytelling, and more

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NIGERIAN filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson won an Emmy Award last month in the documentary film category for "Madu," a coming-of-age story set in Nigeria. Benson is only the second African to win in his category after Trevor Noah’s 2014 win. Just weeks after Benson took home the Emmy, he won Best African Feature at the 2025 Encounters International Documentary Festival in South Africa for "Mothers of Chibok," a documentary film that returns to the Chibok community with a deeper lens, not just on grief, but on resilience, memory, and the long arc of healing. It is a follow-up to "Daughters…

Jul

12

2025

By JACOB NYARKO and OSWELLED UREKE

TikTok users in Ghana and Zimbabwe enjoy making fun of government – why it can have a downside

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

BROWSE the internet or turn on the global news, and chances are the coverage of Africa you find is about war, coups, displaced populations and disease. Generally, the West and its media are blamed for this negative, Afropessimistic portrayal of the continent. Africans have taken strategic steps to repair this negative narrative. An example is the Africa Rising campaign. It was launched in 2000 by a coalition of African activists and organisations. Its objective was to highlight the role of Africa in global development and encourage Africans at home and the diaspora to contribute positively. Social media platforms played a…

Jul

10

2025

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

bird Interview: In conversation with Sudanese filmmaker Yasir Faiz on storytelling, survival, and rebuilding from exile

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

WHEN the war in Sudan broke out in 2023, Yasir Faiz had already spent over a decade nurturing stories through the lens of journalism, film, and cultural activism. But as bullets tore through his Khartoum neighbourhood, he and his family were forced to flee, eventually making their way to Kenya. Now based in Nairobi, Faiz is rebuilding, personally and professionally. He is working on a new film, co-producing with Kenyan creatives, and imagining how displaced Sudanese artists can help shape a broader cultural ecosystem across Africa. For Faiz, filmmaking is not just an art form; it’s a tool for survival,…

Jul

03

2025

By NNAMDI O. MADICHIE; MOTSHEDISI MATHIBE and NOBULALI DANGAZELE

Detty December started as a Nigerian cultural moment. Now it’s spreading across the continent – and minting money

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

EVERY December in Nigeria and Ghana, a giant party takes place, unfolding in a whirlwind of concerts, festivals, weddings, art shows, dress-ups, meet-ups and travel. Locals and diaspora West Africans returning from overseas come together to create Detty December, a festive event stretching from mid-December to the new year. Detty is a playful term for “dirty” in the regional Pidgin language, and “Detty December” is a term commonly believed to have been coined by Afropop star Mr Eazi in 2016. It means letting loose and indulging in some fun and revelry. Major events headlined by local and international music stars…

Jul

02

2025

By DARIUS BRUBECK

Feya Faku as I knew him – a tribute to the great South African jazz trumpeter

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

LEX Futshane, the South African bass player in the 1992 student band NU Jazz Connection, was the first to tell me that the great South African jazz trumpeter Feya Faku had died while touring Switzerland on 23 June. He was born on 6 June 1962 and was just 63 years old. Within a day of Feya’s passing, my wife Catherine Brubeck and I had heard from every member of the student band that I’d helped form, except the late Lulu Gontsana, of course. They expressed great sadness and praised not just his playing but also the man himself. https://www.youtube.com/embed/fhthU1zLz6U The…

Jun

30

2025

By WUNPINI FATIMATA MOHAMMED

Netflix gives African film a platform – but the cultural price is high

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NETFLIX began its African operations in South Africa in 2016. When the US streaming giant announced it was setting up shop in Nigeria in 2020, many West African filmmakers, writers, artists and media audiences were jubilant. Finally, West Africa’s creativity and brilliance would be formally recognised on the world stage. Netflix Naija’s purpose was to produce local content for Netflix, just like Netflix South Africa and later Netflix Kenya. Some filmmakers have been wary of US cultural imperialism happening through the market dominance of Netflix and other US streamers. Others have rushed to the streamer to sign deals that will…

Jun

25

2025

By JOVIAL RANTAO

FEYA FAKU: The Trumpet that sang Africa’s soul

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE golden brass is silent now. On June 23, 2025, in the distant mountains of Switzerland, Feya Faku drew his final breath, and with it, one of Africa's most luminous musical voices fell quiet. But even in death, his trumpet continues to sing - echoing through the townships of New Brighton, reverberating in the jazz clubs of Durban, and soaring across continents where his music touched souls and transformed hearts. In the vibrant township of New Brighton, Port Elizabeth - a crucible where South African jazz was forged in struggle and hope - a young Feya Faku discovered magic in…

Jun

24

2025

By RACHEL AMA ASAA ENGMANN

Kwame Akoto-Bamfo: the Ghanaian artist using work about slavery to find justice and healing

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THOUSANDS of sculpted heads – captive African men, women, and children – meticulously created by the artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, emerge from the soil at the Nkyinkyim Museum, as a sacred gathering of ancestors. Together, they form a powerful monument to the horror, violence, and resistance to enslavement, as well as the ongoing work of remembrance and healing. Kwame Akoto-Bamfo is a Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist who engages with the histories and legacies of the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism at home and, increasingly, internationally, on both sides of the Atlantic. As an archaeologist who works in the field of critical heritage…

Jun

24

2025

By The African Mirror

Leleti and Anand receive the prestigious Golden Nymph Award

HEADLINES, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SCREEN legends Leleti Khumalo and Anant Singh have once again placed South African storytelling on the global map with their triumphant win of the prestigious Golden Nymph Award at the Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco - one of Europe’s most esteemed honours in television and film. This victory marks a significant milestone for the veteran actress and acclaimed producer, whose collaboration on the short film Don’t Give Up powerfully captures the harsh realities faced by a mother living on the streets of Johannesburg. Don’t Give Up tells a deeply moving story without dialogue, using the timeless language of silent…

Jun

18

2025

By KIM GURNEY

5 indie art spaces in African cities worth knowing more about

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

INDEPENDENT art spaces are collectives of artists (and others) who club together to set up a communal space – often in former industrial sites and more affordable parts of the city – to further their practice. These spaces are DIY art institutions, if you like, that operate largely under the radar. In art world lingo, “offspaces”. Designed for purpose over profit, they encourage experimental work and creative risk-taking. They also favour art in public space, which provides an intriguing lens on the city. My Africa-wide research took me to five such spaces, each at least 10 years old, so that…