LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Mar

16

2023

In conversation with National Geographic’s Vice President, Storytelling: On Africans telling African conservation stories

LIFESTYLE

BIRD STORY AGENCY IN 2017, two South African National Geographic Explorers and filmmakers, Noel Kok and Pragna Parsotam-Kok created the Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF), which empowers Africa's next generation of storytellers to promote conservation through film. "We are building an army of young, inspired producers, directors, cinematographers, composers, and writers all across Africa, focusing on storytelling in environment and wildlife. The reason we are doing this to meet the opportunities that exist within the industry for our fellows to become part of the crews, so the stories of Africa are told from the perspective of Africans," said Noel…

Mar

02

2023

By The African Mirror

From Chinua Achebe to Toyin Falola – 5 essential books Nigeria’s new president should read

LITERATURE

NOT many African political leaders are known to have publicly declared their love of reading. US President Barack Obama popularised the idea of a recommended reading list and he still shares his annual choice. Author OLAYINKA OYEGBILE, Journalist and Communications scholar, Trinity University, Lagos As a communications scholar and a book reviewer, I made a short list of essential reads for Nigeria’s new president. My selection of books is based on what a new president needs to know when he takes the reins of a deeply divided and disillusioned country. Nigeria has many problems. Disunity deepened under the Muhammadu Buhari…

Mar

01

2023

By The African Mirror

How a vegan restaurant in Senegal is finding its footing in a meat-and fish-loving country

LIFESTYLE, FOOD

MARIA KNODT, BIRD STORY AGENCY FRESHLY painted on the front of a bright, yellow-and-green building nestled between several restaurants on Pointe des Almadies, the westernmost point of the African continent, is the slogan 'The Future is Green', The sign is large enough to be read from far down the Pointe - which offers stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean - ensuring patrons can easily find their way to Senegal's first and only fully vegan restaurant, Casa Teranga. Staff at the restaurant serve customers five to six vegan dishes, daily. These include local specialities like Mafe and Yassa. But instead of…

Feb

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria elections: the surprising influence of Afrobeats music on politics

LIFESTYLE, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN the run-up to Nigeria’s February 2023 elections, the country’s younger generation has mobilised to demand change and redefine the political landscape – and music has been pivotal. Despite being dismissed by several political commentators, Nigeria’s younger generations have shifted the former two-party liberal electoral democratic competition between the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the prominent People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This is due to their overwhelming support for Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi. Author EKA IKPE, Reader, Development Economics in Africa and Director, African Leadership Centre, King's College London The use of music in campaigning for these elections shows…

Feb

25

2023

By The African Mirror

South African rapper AKA’s murder video went viral – it shouldn’t have

LIFESTYLE, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN the days after the killing of rapper Kiernan Jarryd Forbe, known as AKA, and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motoane, the murders kept playing out on social media. Again and again, leaked CCTV footage of the two being gunned down was viewed and shared – some 490,000 times in the version of just one Twitter account. Author FRANZ KRÜGER, Associate researcher, University of the Witwatersrand The explosive viral spread of the grainy but dramatic footage shows the limits of mainstream media ethics. Beyond the reach of press and broadcast codes and complaints mechanisms, social media platforms are driven by algorithms…

Feb

21

2023

By The African Mirror

Fences: August Wilson’s play powerfully affirms the value and struggles of black life

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

FENCES, a creative examination of a black family’s experience, is one of the most frequently performed plays in the US. It was first developed in 1983 by celebrated African American dramatist August Wilson, becoming a successful Broadway production in 1987. Wilson was born in 1945 in a poor district of Pittsburgh; he died in 2005. A pathbreaking force in shaping African American drama, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for both Fences (1987) and The Piano Lesson (1990). Fences became an acclaimed Hollywood film in 2016. Author MERLE A. WILLIAMS, Professor Emerita of English and Research Associate of the African…

Mar

16

2023

By The African Mirror

This cowhorn luxury jewellery brand with a Bugandan name is going global

BEAUTY AND FASHION

CHARLES WACHIRA, BIRD STORY AGENCY WHAT would a vice president at SC Johnson Business School at Cornell University in the United States, an interior design ambassador in New York, and an associate professor at America's first research university, have in common? Wamwari Waichungo is Vice President for Global Safety Assessment and Regulatory Affairs at SC Johnson, Patti Carpenter is based in New York City and is global trend ambassador for Maison et Objet, a prominent French trade fair for interior design, while Marlene Williams is Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The answer is that despite…

Feb

18

2023

By The African Mirror

Jean-Paul Zé Bella: the cunning Cameroonian soldier who became a global music legend

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ONE of Cameroon’s most influential music stars – Jean-Paul Zé Bella – passed away on 15 January at the age of 71 after a battle against cancer. The singer and drummer was a founding member of the band Zangalewa and performed with it until he retired from the military. Part of the texture of Cameroonian popular culture, he continued making music until he fell ill. He lived an extraordinary life, from starting out as a lowly soldier to shaping the global hit song Waka Waka. We asked media studies professor Lyombe Eko to tell us more. Author LYOMBE EKO, Professor…

Mar

15

2023

By The African Mirror

The healing work of the social circus, Tamba Africa

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

TATENDA KANENGONI/ BIRD STORY AGENCY THE Tamba Africa Social Circus crew take turns applying paint strokes on each other's faces. When this is done, they huddle up, clasp each other's hands and bow their heads. Troupe leader, Tinotenda Makamure, looks each of them in the eye, carefully enunciating the words, "Remember who we are, where we come from, and what we are about to do." The circus is at the Madsoc Theatre in Lilongwe, Malawi, where in a few moments, they will walk out on stage to a fully packed auditorium to perform a healing dance chronicling the pain, sorrows…

Mar

14

2023

By The African Mirror

Costa Titch: the rising white South African rap star who embraced black hip-hop culture

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

RISING 28-year-old South African dancer and rapper Costa Titch (born Costa Tsobanoglou) died after collapsing on stage on 11 March while performing in Johannesburg. Costa Titch entered the entertainment world as a dancer with Cassper Nyovest, another South African hip-hop megastar, before trying his luck as a rapper, often dabbling in the country’s amapiano dance music genre. He had a huge hit with his track Big Flexa and was destined to shine bright on the country’s music scene. Author SANYA OSHA, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town Being white, Nelspruit-born Costa Titch brought new…