LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Jul

11

2023

Belgium’s AfricaMuseum has a dark colonial past – it’s making slow progress in confronting this history

CULTURE

RACIST displays and stories remain on display in several western European museums. They include grotesque objects depicting African people as “savage” and “wild”. Narratives of a “continent without history” and fantasies of European superiority are still told in ethnographic museums, like the Humboldt Forum in Berlin and the Musée du quai Branly in Paris. JULIEN BOBINEAU, Assistant Professor, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena These museums have been criticised by scholars and activists since the 1970s. Their handling of objects looted during the colonial period, especially from Africa, is seen as an indicator of the political relations between Europe and African nations. Criticism ranges…

Jul

11

2023

By The African Mirror

Unicorns in southern Africa: the fascinating story behind one-horned creatures in rock art

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ONE-HORNED creatures are found in myths around the world. Although unicorns in different cultures have little to do with one another, they have multiple associations in European thought. For example, the Roman natural historian Pliny the Elder wrote about unicorns in the first century AD. The unicorn features in both medieval Christian and Celtic beliefs and is Scotland’s national animal. The unicorn’s prominence in European culture spread across the globe with colonisation. DAVID M. WITELSON, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of the Witwatersrand In southern Africa, colonial European ideas encountered older indigenous beliefs about one-horned creatures. I’ve highlighted this in a…

Jul

06

2023

By The African Mirror

Dancing the blues away: Nigerian salsa teacher fights mental health stigma

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NIGERIA'S Emeka Adindu says salsa saved his life. Growing up in a country with a deep-rooted stigma against mental health issues, Adindu, 35, found solace in the popular Latin dance as he battled abuse, depression and suicidal thoughts. He now helps others do the same - with free dance classes in the capital city Abuja. "Salsa was the only thing that could make me smile all those days that I was battling, fighting with my demon," he says. A 2021 UNICEF report shows one in six Nigerians aged between 15 and 24 are depressed, anxious or have other mental health…

Jul

08

2023

By The African Mirror

House of BNG partners with Miss South Africa

BEAUTY AND FASHION

HOUSE of BNG, one of South Africa's leading MCC brands, is thrilled to announce its continued partnership with the prestigious Miss South Africa pageant. The collaboration coincides with the launch of the exciting reality series "Crown Chasers," where Bonang Matheba, the owner of The House of BNG, will serve as a resident judge. The five-episode show is set to premiere on SABC 3 this Sunday, the 9th of July at 4 pm. ABOUT HOUSE OF BNG House of BNG is a leading luxury beverage brand founded by Bonang Matheba. The brand offers a range of premium sparkling wines, synonymous with…

Jul

06

2023

By FRANCESCA NEGRO

Paulina Chiziane, Mozambique’s grand novelist, finally receives her prestigious award

LITERATURE

PAULINA Chiziane, the first woman to publish a novel in Mozambique, has become the first African woman to receive the most important award for Portuguese literature, the Camões Prize. She’s also the first to break all the rules about what a writer may reveal about Mozambique’s patriarchal culture and social taboos. Born in Manjacaze in 1955 and raised in the capital, Maputo, Chiziane’s mother tongue is Chopi, a Bantu language spoken along the southern coast of Mozambique, which she practised along with Portuguese, the language imposed during the colonial period. Today Chiziane has a degree in linguistics and is a…

Jul

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Tshimologong targets youth for global video game and animation skills

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, is providing wide-ranging opportunities for South African youth to access the necessary tools, technical training, and business support to pioneer the African games and animation industry and compete in the global market. As the global gaming industry's revenue soars to over $180 billion per year (a staggering three times higher than movie revenue), young aspiring developers are establishing a thrilling entry point into this highly lucrative industry with specialised skills in coding, programming, game development, UX, and app development. Launched in 2021 and supported by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the…

Jul

04

2023

By OWEN KONZOLO FOR BIRD STORY AGENCY

The vinyl revival: This man is helping African millennials rediscover the groove

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

"ONE of the beautiful aspects of vinyl is its ability to preserve cultural heritage. In Africa, vinyl has become more than just a medium for music; it has transformed into a cultural artefact," proclaims James 'Jimmy' Rugami, from amongst the hundreds of vinyl records on display in his market stall in Nairobi. "People are rediscovering old recordings of traditional music, reconnecting with their heritage, and finding a sense of pride in their identity." Rugami should know; he has been selling vinyls to a mostly African audience for over 30 years. Located in the bustling Kenyatta Market in Nairobi, Rugami occupies…

Jul

01

2023

By IRENE KALULU, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Tsitsi Dangarembaga speaks

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

TSITSI Dangarembga is a Zimbabwean playwright, filmmaker and award-winning novelist who is vocal about freedom of expression and human rights. In 2020, she was arrested and later convicted by a Zimbabwean court for inciting violence after carrying out a march calling for political reforms. The charge was later overturned. Her first book, "Nervous Conditions" earned her the Commonwealth Writers Prize, with the New York Times calling it one of the 20th century's most significant works of African literature. Other works include "This Mournable Body", "The Book of Not", and most recently, a book of essays titled "Black and Female". This…

Jun

27

2023

By NOKUKHANYA MUSI - AIMIENOHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Eswatini brings the world to its doorstep at the Annual MTN Bushfire

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT, MULTIMEDIA

THE road to Malkerns Valley in Eswatini is packed with cars, causing a massive traffic jam. Despite this, the atmosphere is jolly and lively, and no one seems bothered by the delay. That's because the road leads to Eswatini's annual MTN Bushfire Festival of the Arts. People are already starting to party and as the cars start moving again, Malkerns comes into view, a tranquil pineapple-growing town known for its picturesque farmland and mountains. In the distance, the pulsating beats of Amapiano music can already be heard. The entrance is crowded the food stalls offering a variety of quick bites,…

Jun

22

2023

By PATRICK NELLE / BIRD STORY AGENCY

A statue’s theft and return earned it a spot in the African Artworks Hall of Fame

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ON a cool, moonlit night in 1966, as the people of Kom lay sleeping, a significant cultural symbol disappeared from under their noses. Located in the western grasslands, Kom, formerly an independent kingdom, became an administrative division in Cameroon when the country gained independence in 1960. The most revered symbol of the Kom people is a 159-centimetre carved wooden statue. It depicts a man standing behind a small throne, wearing a crown and holding a sceptre. The wooden sculpture, called Afo Akom (which translates as the "thing of Kom"), was kept in storage at the king's palace. It was only…