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Sex sells in these Zimbabwe take-out chicken ads – showing how fragile masculinity is

Sex sells in these Zimbabwe take-out chicken ads – showing how fragile masculinity is

AROUND the world, fast food advertising has been called out for sexualising and objectifying women’s bodies. In South Africa in 2019, for example, one fast food chain was castigated by advertising authorities for “the gratuitous use of sexualised women and sexual puns, with no product relevance”. At the same time, UK authorities put regulations in place to prohibit ads featuring gender stereotypes that could cause harm or lead to significant or widespread offence. Zimbabwe is no exception. This is particularly the case with the marketing strategy of the popular chain Mambo’s Chicken, which often uses humour and innuendo. My research…
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Réunion is a tropical island getaway – our climate study shows that it could attract more tourists during European summers

Réunion is a tropical island getaway – our climate study shows that it could attract more tourists during European summers

YOURE scrolling through Instagram, only half paying attention to your friends’ updates, when a photo of a beautiful, pristine beach grabs your eye. Somebody you know is lounging on that very beach – and suddenly you want to be there, too. You check the location tag: Réunion Island. Réunion is a French department in the south-west Indian Ocean, situated between Madagascar and Mauritius. It ticks many of the boxes associated with a dream island holiday: beautiful green mountainscapes, waterfalls and sunny skies (and, of course, beautiful beaches). Its tourism marketing plays heavily on its year-round favourable weather and outdoor activities.…
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Mountains, pyramids, deserts, souks, beaches, islands and wildlife – Inside Tourist Africa

Mountains, pyramids, deserts, souks, beaches, islands and wildlife – Inside Tourist Africa

WHETHER you are African or a foreigner, Africa has experiences that should be on your bucket list, according to Moky Makura, Executive Director at Africa No Filter, and a founder at bird story agency. As she points out, the continent is also pulling out the stops to make its tourism world-class. During a lively discussion at a fan zone at the recently concluded UEFA Euro 2024, a chat with a Scottish stranger about travels in Africa brought up the usual oversimplified tropes. "Is it safe?" he asked. I fumbled for some assuring words; “Absolutely, as safe as it can be.…
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Onyeka Onwenu remembered: Nigerian pop star, activist and voice of national unity

Onyeka Onwenu remembered: Nigerian pop star, activist and voice of national unity

THE news of the death of Nigerian musician Onyeka Onwenu on 30 July 2024 hit me, as a musician and popular music scholar, like a thunderbolt. I have listened to and appreciated Onyeka’s music since I was in my 20s. Onwenu was aged 72 – and video clips of her last performance at a birthday ceremony showed her energy level and exuberance, making the sudden transition hard to fathom. Aspiring musicians in Nigeria looked up to the big names in the industry as models and sources of inspiration. Onwenu stood out as a rising star in the early 1980s, when…
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Women in translation month: a moving Algerian novel tracks the economic struggles of writers and publishers

Women in translation month: a moving Algerian novel tracks the economic struggles of writers and publishers

JOSEPH FORD FRENCH-ALGERIAN publisher Edmond Charlot is the subject of the Algerian writer Kaouther Adimi’s third novel, and her first to be translated into English. It was published in 2020 under the US title Our Riches and retitled A Bookshop in Algiers for the UK audience. Before he reached the heights of fame, the French Algerian author Albert Camus was part of a group of talented thinkers and writers including André Gide, Kateb Yacine and Mohammed Dib. This group’s early works were first printed and sold by the young Charlot. Adimi’s novel was translated into English by Chris Andrews. It…
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Podcasts bring southern Africa’s liberation struggle to life – thanks to an innovative new audio archive

Podcasts bring southern Africa’s liberation struggle to life – thanks to an innovative new audio archive

MUCH has been written about the struggles for liberation in southern Africa that took place between the 1960s and early 1990s in countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. This period of history has been transcribed, interpreted and written about in books, academic monographs and colonial treatises. But the sounds and voices these wars and conflicts produced have largely remained muted. As a result, African liberation figures and histories can become one-dimensional and flattened. Now, a new podcast series, Echoes of Southern African Independence Struggles, resurfaces sound and audio archives of Swiss journalism that are mainly deposited…
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How an Idris Elba film studio in Zanzibar would be a big boost to the Swahili film industry

How an Idris Elba film studio in Zanzibar would be a big boost to the Swahili film industry

THE allocation of an 80-hectare parcel of land in Zanzibar to Hollywood star Idris Elba to build a film studio marks a new milestone in efforts to develop a regional film industry - efforts that are being supported by local government. "Idris Elba will be building a modern studio similar to Hollywood, Nollywood or Bollywood… I'm not sure how we will call it in Zanzibar, whether Zallywood or Zawood, I don't know," Zanzibar’s Minister of Investment, Shariff Ali Shariff said during the 27th anniversary celebrations of the Zanzibar International Film Festival held between August 1 and 4, according to AFP.…
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John Kani, a legend of the South African, African theatre honoured by King Charles

John Kani, a legend of the South African, African theatre honoured by King Charles

FROM the dusty streets of New Brighton township to the grand halls of Buckingham Palace, Dr John Kani's journey is a testament to the transformative power of art and the indomitable spirit of human perseverance. As King Charles III bestowed upon him the Order of the British Empire (OBE), the world bore witness to the coronation of a true titan of African theatre. Kani's life reads like an epic play, each act more compelling than the last. Born in the crucible of apartheid South Africa, he wielded words and performances as weapons against oppression. His stages were not merely platforms…
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Fela Kuti is more famous today than ever – what’s behind his global power

Fela Kuti is more famous today than ever – what’s behind his global power

ALMOST three decades after his passing in 1997, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the legendary Nigerian musician and activist who created the Afrobeat music movement, remains the subject of global obsession. The self-proclaimed “Black President” is everywhere, like an omnipresent deity. His presence is felt, and his legacy is honoured, through contemporary showcases from Lagos to London, Bonn to Brazil. Among his many afterlife manifestations are reissues of his music, like the 2024 Fela Vinyl Box Set #6 curated by British actor and DJ Idris Elba; the display of his life, activism and music at the Rébellion Afrobeat exhibition in Paris in 2022-23;…
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Mozambique’s transgender history is on display in a powerful photo exhibition

Mozambique’s transgender history is on display in a powerful photo exhibition

A pioneering queer photo exhibition that was staged 20 years ago in Mozambique and South Africa has found new life and a new audience. Manas 2000-2024, by the Danish photographer Ditte Haarløv Johnsen, opened at the French-Mozambican Cultural Centre, in the capital Maputo, on 8 July. The show kicked off Ulayo Fest, Mozambique’s annual LGBTIQ+ pride week. Held in July since 2021, this cultural event celebrates the power of the arts to bring about and reflect social change. Many of the photographs of Manas 2000-2024 have been seen by the public before. Firstly, at the University of the Witwatersrand in…
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