LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Apr

18

2023

Africans in World War 1: artist William Kentridge’s epic theatre production restores forgotten histories

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SOUTH African artist William Kentridge became world famous for his charcoal drawings and hand-drawn animated films, but his work continued to grow in scope and he began staging performances. Today he also creates operas and collaborative stage productions combining numerous art forms. William Kentridge. Stella Olivier One of his largest productions to date, The Head & The Load, tells the forgotten stories of Africans in World War 1, who served mostly as porters for European armies on the continent. The production was first performed in London in 2018; its South African premiere was delayed by three years because of the…

Apr

15

2023

By The African Mirror

El Anatsui creates gigantic artworks from recycled materials – why the world fell in love with him

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE artist El Anatsui was born in Ghana and has spent the bulk of his career in Nigeria, but is a citizen of the world. News of a major new installation of his work coming to the prestigious Tate Modern gallery in London is just one in a string of major international exhibitions and awards in the past decade. Author AMUCHE NNABUEZE, Lecturer in Art and researcher, University of Nigeria The 79-year-old artist has become so renowned that in art circles his brand of work is a kind of art movement with its own name, Elism. His work is influenced…

Apr

11

2023

By The African Mirror

Winky D is being targeted by police in Zimbabwe – why the music star’s voice is so important

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

WINKY D, a 40-year-old Zimdancehall artist, is hugely popular in Zimbabwe. He’s also increasingly in the news for the messages in his songs, some of which address social injustice and corruption under a regime that stifles freedom of expression. There have been threats to ban his music and claims that his life is in danger. On 4 March 2023, during a concert in the city of Chitungwiza, police removed Winky D from the stage. He had just sung his latest hit, Ibotso, from his 12th album, Eureka Eureka. Videos shared online capture him being manhandled as he walks from the…

Apr

05

2023

By GARHE OSIEBE, Research Fellow, Rhodes University

Timeless review: Nigerian star Davido’s new album is mostly form over substance

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NIGERIAN Afrobeats star Davido (David Adeleke) has demonstrated himself to be a master of showboating. He is able to milk every situation to the maximum. And he did not disappoint with the recent trailer for his fourth studio album, Timeless, released on 31 March. It’s drenched with signifiers of the tragic loss of his three-year-old son in a drowning accident last year. The trailer is clear as to his resolve to get over grief and dance again, and it leaves no one in doubt about his battle readiness: If dem wan turn Goliath, I be David for life! Davido Music…

Apr

05

2023

By EDITH MAGAK, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Goodbye Beethoven: Compose Yourself Lab is putting the rhythm of Africa in Nature documentaries

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

WHILE the ingredients to a great nature documentary may vary, some key elements include stunning cinematography, great storytelling - and a soundtrack that complements the visuals. For Pragna Parsotam-Kok, a South African storyteller and a National Geographic Explorer, that means the soundtrack must perfectly match the film's setting. "There are all these beautiful African wildlife and nature documentaries that we watch, but all the music that you hear is Beethoven and 15-piece orchestras playing in the background, and it doesn't resonate with the lion that's chasing the buck across the African plain," said Parsotam-Kok. NEWF cofounder and National Geographic Explorer…

Apr

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Photo Feature: The drawings of Nigerian artist Joshua Akugbe

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NIGERIAN charcoal artist Joshua Osariemen Akugbe shares his journey as an artist and his creative process. Joshua Osariemen Akugbe, also known as JJOSH_ARTZ, is a 23 years old artist based in Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria. "I've been drawing since I was little. I found myself drawing on my school books and any scrap of paper that I could find. I can say I've been drawing since birth." He primarily renders his portraits with charcoal, occasionally incorporating other media like pen and sometimes pencil. "I've been disabled from birth, which positively and negatively influences my work. Negatively because I can't…

Apr

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Can you use digital wallets when travelling around Africa?

LIFESTYLE

DIGITAL wallets have become an increasingly popular payment method around the world, offering a convenient and secure way to make transactions without the need for physical cash or cards. But what about when you're travelling around Africa? Can you use digital wallets to make purchases and payments in different countries across the continent? This is an excellent question, and it is one that we intend to answer in this article. Let’s get right into it and take a look at whether or not you can use digital wallets when travelling around Africa. Not All Digital Wallets Will Be Accepted in…

Apr

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Amapiano Awards: South Africa’s dance music scene spreads its joy across the world

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN 2019 amapiano began to dominate South Africa’s dance floors to such an extent that, by 2021, the first South African Amapiano Awards were held to mark the rise of the country’s most infectious new music export. In 2022, the South African dance music genre continued to expand its galloping worldwide reach. The annual awards are now an established event in South Africa’s music calendar. Author SANYA OSHA, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town Amapiano is a soulful mix of grooves, sonic textures and moods that can be by turns hectic, smooth, melodic or…

Mar

30

2023

By The African Mirror

The astonishing life and music of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, the Ethiopian nun who’s died at 99

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AS the Ethiopian pianist Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou approached the age of 100, fans and music critics from the US to Ethiopia, Israel to Europe have been eagerly rediscovering her work. But the Addis Ababa-born pianist, who has died at the age of 99, has been a source of fascination to connoisseurs. Especially after a disc in the iconic Ethiopiques series (issued by Buda Musique) was dedicated to her work in 2006. Author ILANA WEBSTER-KOGEN, Reader, SOAS, University of London The classically trained musician was associated with the jazz genre and spent her life in a convent. She will remain in…

Mar

24

2023

By The African Mirror

Noni Jabavu was a pioneering South African writer – a new book shows how relevant she still is

LITERATURE

NONI Jabavu was the first black South African woman to publish memoirs and one of the first African women to pursue a literary career abroad. She left the country as a teenager to pursue an education and returned intermittently throughout her life. She returned to South Africa in 1977 to research her father’s biography. Some of her best-known work became the witty, insightful and politically charged columns she wrote for the Daily Dispatch newspaper. But this pioneering figure had been all but forgotten until writer and academic Makhosazana Xaba and historian Athambile Masola focused their attention on her life and…