LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Aug

04

2024

Lights, camera, action: Idris Elba’s “Zollywood” cinematic revolution

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN a groundbreaking move set to transform the East African film landscape, Zanzibar has unveiled plans for an International Film Studio spearheaded by Hollywood heavyweight Idris Elba. The Tanzanian archipelago, known for its pristine beaches and rich cultural tapestry, is now poised to become the beating heart of Africa's film industry. Announced at the star-studded 27th Zanzibar International Film Festival, the government's allocation of 80 hectares in Fumba village for this ambitious project signals a seismic shift in the region's creative economy. Zanzibar's Investment Minister, Shariff Ali Shariff, heralded the studio as a game-changer, promising to catapult Tanzania onto the…

Aug

01

2024

By HENNING MELBER

German colonialism in Africa has a chilling history – new book explores how it lives on

LITERATURE

GERMANY was a significant – and often brutal – colonial power in Africa. But this colonial history is not told as often as that of other imperialist nations. A new book called The Long Shadow of German Colonialism: Amnesia, Denialism and Revisionism aims to bring the past into the light. It explores not just the history of German colonialism, but also how its legacy has played out in German society, politics and the media. We asked Henning Melber about his book. What is the history of German colonialism in Africa? Imperial Germany was a latecomer in the scramble for Africa.…

Jul

31

2024

By ZANIEL DADA, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Nigeria’s sports “queen” scores with local language radio show

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

“…and it’s a corner kick for Man City!” “They’re trying by putting pressure on Arsenal’s No. 18 but their defender Ben White kicked it out, so he isn’t a ‘Ben 10’!” “Raya is pushing Akanji…while saying ‘Akanji don’t push me?’” “Pep Guardiola clearly needs a water break!” “There is no end to the bullets in the guns at Arsenal!” It’s 6:30 PM on Sunday and Aderonke Adesola is live. The popular sports presenter has about three million listeners within Ibadan, Nigeria’s third largest city. Her lively updates and analysis of soccer, motorsports, golf, and even racket sports have fans eagerly…

Jul

27

2024

By RODERIC KNIGHT

Toumani Diabaté: the famed musician from Mali who took the kora to the world

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE world has lost a significant musical ambassador for the Mande people of West Africa – the virtuoso kora player, composer, and collaborator from Mali, Toumani Diabaté. He died on 19 July, just short of his 59th birthday, at the peak of his career. When Toumani was born in Bamako in 1965, neither his surname Diabaté nor his instrument, the kora, an iconic 21-stringed African harp, was familiar to anyone outside the Mande region. By the time Toumani passed, his father Sidiki Diabaté Sr had been known as “the king of the kora” and Toumani himself was world-famous, representing the…

Jul

27

2024

By IBRAHEEM ADESINA KUKOYI

Nigeria’s Ojude-Oba festival celebrates heritage with colourful parades and horsemanship: how it could be used to attract tourists

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE Ojude-Oba festival is a vibrant annual celebration that has become an integral part of the identity of Ijebu-Ode, a city in south-west Nigeria. This colourful event, famous for its cultural displays and public parades, has been observed for nearly two centuries. Though the festival had its origin in Islam, it brings together people from all walks of life, regardless of their religious beliefs. At its core, the Ojude-Oba festival is a grand homage-paying ceremony to the Awujale, the king of the Ijebu people. The earliest documented reference to the Ijebu kingdom is a Portuguese source of late 15th-century context.…

Jul

16

2024

By ABAYOMI AWELEWA

Wole Soyinka at 90: writer and activist for justice

LIFESTYLE

AKINWANDE Oluwole Soyinka, the legendary African author and activist, is proof of what words and acts can achieve in the struggle for justice and human rights. Soyinka, aged 90, embodies unrelenting activism and literary excellence. The importance of Soyinka’s work lies in demonstrating the powerful role of the arts and artists in society. He has shown that literature and artistic expression can be formidable tools for challenging oppression, advocating for justice and inspiring social change. From his early plays and poems to his recent essays and speeches, Soyinka has consistently addressed political corruption, social injustice and human rights abuses –…

Jul

16

2024

By HARRIET OCHARO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

An African in Tokyo: Navigating the world’s most populous city

CULTURE

I moved to Tokyo five years ago, after graduating with a PhD in Information Science from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, a specialised research graduate school, in western Japan. I received a job offer from one of Japan’s top companies and I was happy to move to the big city, having spent close to 5 years in rural Japan. My path to Japan is followed by many fellow Africans. Many of us come to Japan on scholarships to pursue higher education. In 2013, I received the prestigious Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEXT) scholarship. The following…

Jul

13

2024

By MBALI MAZIBUKO

Brenda Fassie’s 1997 hit song Vulindlela still raises questions about South Africa as a nation

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN 1997, South Africa’s most famous music star had a huge hit. Brenda Fassie’s Vulindlela became a national pop anthem, played especially at weddings and celebrations. Vulindlela can be loosely translated from the Zulu language as an instruction to “make way” or, if you like, “clear the path”. The song is about making way for the groom (and bride) at their wedding. In 1997 South Africa was emerging from the racist apartheid system and was celebrating its own “wedding” across the colour bar after democratic elections in 1994. Apartheid and its policy of separate development for different ethnic groups made…

Jul

03

2024

By CHIGOZIE OBIOMA

The Road to the Country: novelist Chigozie Obioma on Nigeria’s brutal civil war, love and redemption

LITERATURE

CHIGOZIE Obioma is the Nigerian author of the novels The Fishermen (2015) and An Orchestra of Minorities (2019), both shortlisted for the Booker Prize for their unique, folkloric tales of Nigerian life in decades past. Like them, his 2024 novel The Road to the Country is “tinged with fable and prophecy”. It’s set in the brutal Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1960, fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence. This epic story of “a young man seeking redemption in a country on fire” is about a shy Lagos student whose brother disappears…

Jun

29

2024

By BETH LE ROUX

Peter Randall: a pioneering publisher who established the radical Ravan Press in South Africa

LIFESTYLE

PETER Randall, a pioneering South African activist publisher and educator, passed away on 5 June 2024 in Johannesburg. He was the co-founder of Ravan Press, which published books critical of the racist apartheid state. Randall was born in Durban in 1935. He was a gifted scholar but was at odds with the country’s political environment. From 1948 onwards, the white minority government passed a series of highly repressive laws to entrench apartheid’s “separate development” policies. Randall believed in the innate equality of all and his moral objections to racially segregated classrooms led him to leave teaching to raise awareness about…