LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Sep

17

2025

Without Ego Nwodim, ‘SNL’ has no Black women cast members — again

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

EGO Nwodim has decided to leave “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) alongside multiple other cast members and writers who are departing the flagship late-night show ahead of Season 51. As “SNL” goes through a major cast shake-up, Nwodim’s departure stands out because of the vacuum that it leaves: Without her, the show is set to have no Black women cast members. It’s the first time that’s been the case since before 2014, when Leslie Jones and Sasheer Zamata joined the cast. This story was originally reported by Orion Rummler of The 19th. Meet Orion and read more of his reporting on gender, politics and…

Sep

13

2025

By GEORGE EMEKA AGBO

Nigerian photographer Michael Oyinbokure challenges stereotypes about migrants

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AS migration continues to dominate global news and shape political discourse, mainstream media often carry stereotypical images of immigrants, portraying them as displaced, desperate, and criminal. The photographic practice of UK-based Nigerian artist Michael Oyinbokure (also known as Mike Kure) shows how African artists construct counter-narratives. He uses photography to express insider perspectives on life in the diaspora (abroad). His art photography presents what immigrants bring with them: their resilience, inventiveness, and enduring connection to their homelands. I am a scholar and teacher who uses Oyinbokure’s work as a case study in my undergraduate African Photography course. My research uses…

Sep

09

2025

By The African Mirror

African stars shine bright: A spectacular night at the 2025 MTV VMAs

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE lights dimmed at New York's UBS Arena on September 7, 2025, but nothing could outshine the radiant glow of African excellence that illuminated the MTV Video Music Awards stage. It was a night where the rhythms of Africa pulsed through the heart of global entertainment, with the continent's brightest stars painting the red carpet in vibrant hues of triumph and artistry. Tyla's Golden Moment At the centre of this spectacular celebration stood South Africa's phenomenal Tyla Seetha, a vision of elegance and cultural pride. The Grammy-winning Amapiano sensation didn't just attend the VMAs—she owned them. With her infectious smile…

Sep

06

2025

By ELIZABETH OLAYIWOLA

God and Nollywood: how Pentecostal churches have shaped Nigerian film

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN Nigeria today, one doesn’t have to attend a church service to hear a sermon. The pulpit has moved – onto screens, into living rooms, and across YouTube. Along with this shift, a fascinating genre has emerged: Nigerian evangelical cinema. These films blend entertainment with Pentecostal spirituality, turning prayers into special effects and spiritual battles into dramatic storylines. This transformation is not accidental. It reflects a wider trend in which religion and media intersect to shape how Nigerians – and increasingly, Africans in the diaspora – understand the spiritual world. As a media scholar, I have been researching the Nigerian…

Sep

06

2025

By ROBIN STEEDMAN; ANA ALACOVSKA; RASHIDA RESARIO, THILDE LANGEVANG

Ghana’s films don’t often make it to Netflix – local solutions may be the answer

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN filmmakers have long faced challenges in securing wide-scale distribution for their films. In this context, digital platforms such as Netflix and YouTube have been hailed as bringing huge new opportunities. This optimism in filmmaking resonates with the hype digital technologies more generally have had in Africa. They have been seen to offer almost unlimited opportunities for African entrepreneurs to transform and grow their businesses. Ghana’s communication minister, for example, declared in 2017, “it’s Digitime in Ghana”. We are researchers in film studies, theatre studies, sociology and geography, and in this study, we set out to understand how platforms were…

Sep

06

2025

By ALBERT SHARRA, ANTHONY MAVUTO GUNDE, and JIMMY KAINJA

BBC has a long history in Africa. New book offers a critical take on the broadcaster

LITERATURE

THE British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) established its first radio transmitter sites in Africa in the 1930s, to reach the British colonies and beyond. It became a model for radio in Africa and later a model for TV news. But, almost a century on, what is the BBC’s colonial legacy and how does the public broadcaster serve a post-colonial media space? We asked the editors of a new book, called The BBC’s Legacy in Africa: Continuities and Change, about their study. What was the BBC’s colonial operation all about? The BBC was established in 1922. Within a few years, it became…

Sep

03

2025

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Africa’s creative renaissance takes centre stage as Art Joburg returns for landmark 18th year

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT, MULTIMEDIA

IN the heart of Africa's economic capital, a cultural revolution is quietly reshaping the continent's artistic landscape. This weekend, the Sandton Convention Centre transforms into the epicentre of contemporary African art as FNB Art Joburg opens its doors for the 18th consecutive year, cementing its position as Africa's premier contemporary art fair. The significance extends far beyond gallery walls. As African art gains unprecedented global recognition – with works by contemporary African artists breaking auction records and major international museums expanding their African collections – Art Joburg has emerged as the critical launchpad connecting African creativity to worldwide markets. "Johannesburg…

Aug

30

2025

By TINASHE MUSHAKAVANHU

African novels are being translated to English in a bold new trend. We review Ignatius Mabasa’s The Mad

LITERATURE

WHEN it comes to African literature, translation has mostly meant translating work from European languages into African ones. Translation from African languages into English has been long overdue. Now it appears that a shift in the movement of stories across languages is underway. Works first written and published in African languages are increasingly being translated into English for a broader readership. As a scholar of African literature and publishing, I am optimistic about the launch of a new book series called African Language Literatures in Translation by the University of Georgia Press. The series is edited by US-based literary scholars…

Aug

29

2025

By The African Mirror

When love conquers continents: Africa celebrates Taylor Swift’s engagement

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

The Moment That United a Continent TAYLOR Swift and Travis Kelce confirmed in a joint Instagram post on August 26, 2025, that they are engaged. As the news rippled across the globe, nowhere was the celebration more vibrant than across the African continent, where millions of Swifties erupted in joy. From the bustling streets of Lagos to the townships of Cape Town, from the highlands of Nairobi to the markets of Accra, a collective cheer rose up. This wasn't just celebrity news - this was a moment that touched the hearts of African fans who had been following this love…

Aug

27

2025

By CAROLINE SÉQUIN

Sex workers in colonial Senegal were policed by France – book explores a racist history

LITERATURE

DESIRING Whiteness is an award-winning book by historian Caroline Séquin. It explores the intertwined histories of commercial sex work and racial politics in France and the French colonial empire, particularly in Senegal. We asked her five questions about her study. How was sex work regulated in France? A new system controlling commercial sex developed during Napoleon’s Consulate in the early 1800s. It was first implemented in Paris, then across France. Known as regulationism, it tolerated, rather than banned, commercial sex. But under specific conditions. It licensed brothels, so long as the women who sold sex (it was assumed men didn’t)…