LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Apr

13

2024

How to keep your music career going: 3 tips from a Ghanaian star

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

GHANAIAN parents have historically discouraged their children from becoming musicians or marrying musicians. A music career is still not seen as one that can provide a steady income to support a family, and the behaviour of musicians is seen by some as deviant. These attitudes stand in the way of musicians wanting to make a career out of their art. I am a professional musician, music scholar and environmental activist who’s interested in the global challenges that musicians face. In a recent paper, I examined the strategies adopted by Okyeame Kwame (OK), one of the pioneers of hiplife music in…

Apr

13

2024

By STEVEN FRIEDMAN

Good Jew, Bad Jew: new book explores why the West views brutality against Ukrainians and Palestinians differently

LITERATURE

IN a recently published book Steven Friedman, who has written extensively on the political and social aspects of apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa, explores the racist underpinnings of the West’s responses to Israel’s war in Gaza. This is an extract from the book, Good Jew, Bad Jew. Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani sees a link between the violence of the coloniser and the slaughter of Jews and Slavs by the Nazis. The racial theories of Houston Stewart Chamberlain and others who claimed the Aryan race was superior meant that Jews and Slavs, who were both regarded as not Aryan, could be…

Apr

12

2024

By KATE OKORIE, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Meet the creative championing the African Renaissance from her living room

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT, MULTIMEDIA

BOLA Edwards' living room has been transformed into a giant stage. Large styrofoam books stand tall while an oversized pencil crafted from plywood balances on a brown wall. The opposite wall is a fuchsia pink. The space looks like a classroom from a child’s whimsical imagination. In the middle of the room stands an armchair upholstered in the swirling patterns of African textiles. It is here, at the centre of things, that the fictional grandmother character Grandma Wura comes to life, sharing stories with young African minds around the globe. Ever since the character's debut in 2015, Grandma Wura has…

Apr

10

2024

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Zambia’s arts and creative sector is thriving

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ZAMBIA’S recent unveiling of a National Arts and Revised Film Policy is evidence of the growing interest in increasing investment and fostering the growth of the arts and creative sector. Besides committing to invest close to US$100 million in the arts and film sector between 2024 and 2028, the policy commits to improving artists' welfare in a bid to promote talent by leveraging public-private partnerships. Munya Chidzonga, a Harare-based filmmaker and actor, believes the new policy “will certainly add value to the fiscus but, more importantly, to culture, and the preservation of national heritage.” Just like in many countries on…

Apr

10

2024

By MAJDI FALEH, ASMA GHARBI and NOURCHEN BEN FATMA

Tunisia’s El Kef city is rich in heritage: centuries of cultural mixing give it a distinct identity

CULTURE

EL Kef is a city built into the southern face of Jebel Dyr mountain, which is linked to the High Atlas mountains in the north-western region of Tunisia that borders on Algeria. The breeze that sweeps off the mountain and through the city’s streets offers relief from the hot weather and becomes part of the identity of a city whose riches are little known to the rest of the world. El Kef is rarely on the list of tours organised for international visitors who flock to Tunisia every year to enjoy sunny beaches and local culture. The city’s magnificent natural…

Apr

10

2024

By Mpho Rantao

Fluence Africa Festival empowers micro creators

CULTURE

ACCORDING TO IT Web, the creator economy is set to top R 689 million by 2027. The social media landscape is witnessing a meteoric rise in the influencer marketing industry. This shift in consumer behaviour has opened a golden door for brands. Forecasts predict continued explosive growth in influencer marketing, with businesses projected to allocate a significant portion of their marketing budgets to partner with these social media stars. Fueled by the ever-growing user base on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, influencers are no longer just personalities, and brands have responded to the growth with projections of marketing budgets…

Apr

06

2024

By ILANA WEBSTER-KOGEN

A tribute to Maurice El Medioni, the last of the Algerian-born Jewish musical stars

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MAURICE El Medioni, Algerian-born Jewish musician and mentor to young performers, died on 25 March 2024, leaving a legacy of musical production on three continents – Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Maurice El Medioni lived his early life in Oran, western Algeria. Like the vast majority of the Jewish community, he moved to France in 1961/1962 when Algeria became independent. The tragedy of the mass migration of Jews from the Arab world between 1949 and 1970 has become a topic of intense academic and media interest over the past decade. And as the people sometimes referred to as Mizrahi…

Apr

04

2024

By Mpho Rantao

Thandiswa Mazwai’s makes Tiny Desk concert dream debut

LIFESTYLE, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

South African music fans rejoiced when legendary Thandiswa Mazwai, a powerhouse vocalist and champion of kwaito music, graced the stage (well, desk) for NPR's beloved Tiny Desk Concert series. Premiering on YouTube on April 1, 2024, Mazwai's Tiny Desk set signifies a pivotal moment, not only for the singer but also for the global music community eagerly acquainting themselves with her sounds and performance style in this intimate setting. Mazwai follows a growing list of African artists from across the continent being honoured and platformed on the American YouTube channel. These names include the late Oliver Mtukudzi, Benin’s Angelique Kidjo,…

Apr

02

2024

By SAHEED ADERINTO

Fuji music in Nigeria: new documentary shines light on a popular African culture

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NIGERIAN singer Síkírù Àyìndé Barrister (1948-2010) pioneered fújì, a Yorùbá genre of popular dance music. In February 2024, historian Saheed Aderinto’s documentary on the musician’s life and times premiered. The Conversation Africa’s Wale Fatade asked Aderinto about the film and the music it brings to our attention. What is fújì music? Fújì fuses Islamic philosophy and wordsmithing with Yoruba poetry and meaning-making to create sound, idioms and recreational habits. It does this across social classes, from the wealthy in the corridors of political power to the poor at the fringe. Its messages, politics, performance styles, space and sophistication reflect a…

Apr

02

2024

By KANISHKA SINGH

Beyoncé Cowboy Carter album takes ‘deeper dive’ into country music history

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

U.S. music superstar Beyoncé released her highly anticipated country album, Cowboy Carter, which she says was born out of an experience years ago where she "did not feel welcomed." Country music legends Linda Martell and Willie Nelson are featured on the album released on Friday, which also had duets with Miley Cyrus, and Post Malone and a cover of Dolly Parton's famed "Jolene." Many critics offered praise for the album with Page Six's Nicholas Hautman calling it "the revival that country music so desperately needed". Experts and fans view Beyoncé's foray into country music as a reclamation and homage to the legacy…