LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Dec

08

2022

Music streaming in South Africa – new survey reveals musicians get a raw deal

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MUSICIANS worldwide have been placing their tracks with global streaming platforms such as Spotify for many years. South African musicians, however, have reported only sparse earnings from streaming music online. When our 2020 survey revealed this, we wondered if part of the reason was inexperience. At the time, COVID lockdowns had made live performances impossible, driving many South African musicians to try what looked like an alternative revenue stream. In 2022 we broadened and deepened that research. And we discovered that earnings from music streaming remained poor. Further, major international studies were also now demonstrating the same earnings trend everywhere.…

Jan

13

2023

By The African Mirror

Ousmane Sembène @ 100: ‘Father of African cinema’

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

1 January 2023 marked the centenary of the birth of Ousmane Sembène, the Senegalese novelist and filmmaker hailed as the “father of African cinema”. Over the course of five decades, Sembène published 10 books and directed 12 films across three distinct periods. He has been celebrated for his beautifully crafted political works, which range in style from the psychological realism of Black Girl in 1966 to the biting satire of Xala (The Curse) in 1974. Author DAVID MURPHY, Professor of French and Postcolonial Studies, University of Strathclyde Since his death in 2007, Sembène’s status as a pioneer has been further…

Jan

11

2023

By The African Mirror

8 African artists make Rolling Stones’ 200 Greatest Singers of All Time list

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

UPDATED for the first time since 2008, the new '200 Greatest Singers of All Time' list includes Miriam Makeba, Tabu Ley, and Burna Boy, among others. Rolling Stone, one of the world's leading music publications platforms, kicked off the new year with an update to its rankings, which began in 2008, honouring the best vocalists in pop music. "These are the vocalists that have shaped history and defined our lives – from smooth operators to raw shouters, from gospel to punk, from Sinatra to Selena to SZA," Rolling Stone editors wrote. The publication released its Top 200 Greatest Singers of…

Jan

06

2023

By The African Mirror

DRC artist paints politicians portraits in plastic

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

CRISPIN KYALA NEAR the banks of Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, artist Patrick Cikuru Cirimwami wades knee-deep through a mountain of plastic bottles, scooping as many as he can carry into a large sack. There is no public waste collection in the area, and the trash that ends up in Lake Kivu often causes breakdowns in the hydroelectric plant, leading to power cuts. But Cikuru Cirimwami's goal is bigger than helping clean up. Later he will melt down the plastic to make a thick liquid which he uses to paint portraits of politicians - intended to…

Jan

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Benin is building a theme park to remember slavery – is history up for sale?

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE Marina Project is a vast memorial and tourist complex under construction in Ouidah, a coastal town in the Republic of Benin in West Africa. The country hopes to market itself as a major destination for Afro-descendant tourists in the diaspora. Neighbouring Nigeria and its population of 220 million potential visitors also make serene and diminutive Benin an enviable location for large-scale tourist attractions. Author DOMINIQUE SOMDA, Junior research fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA), University of Cape Town The waterfront development is located at what was the main slave port for the Bight of Benin. From this region…

Jan

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Offering “community therapy”, this artist imagines peace

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

DORCAS BELLO, BIRD STORY AGENCY WHEN Jacob Onoja opens the door to welcome guests into his house in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, the first thing that catches one's eye are the exquisite paintings on the walls. This is an artist who lives and breathes art. "As far as I can remember, I have always loved scribbling, drawing, painting and visualising imaginary things in the sky. I did it in my teenage years, and I still do in my adult life," he said. Onoja only started to paint professionally in 1987 when he opened a studio, the Diadem Art Gallery. To…

Jan

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Musician’s app helps Kenyan creatives sell music and merchandise

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN pink trousers and a matching puffer jacket, Grammy-nominated Kenyan musician Bien-Aime Alusa gyrates on stage as he sings to a bank of swaying fans, many capturing the moment on their mobile phones. When the curtain drops on the concert in Nairobi, Alusa keeps making connections and profits through a digital streaming and payment platform, HustleSasa, which he co-founded to help artists recover from revenues lost to the coronavirus lockdown. HustleSasa, which officially launched in November 2021, allows the singer-songwriter and fellow creatives to stream music or sell branded merchandise, concert tickets, food, fashion and other services in one mobile…

Dec

28

2022

By The African Mirror

Afrobeats in 2022: global mobility, election songs, placemaking albums – and Tems

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MORE than Nollywood films, Afrobeats is arguably Nigeria’s strongest cultural export since the turn of the millennium. It is a hugely dynamic music category that incorporates a range of moods, languages, styles, and existing genres. To understand its impact, a cultural connoisseur has equated good Afrobeats music with well-made, smoky Nigerian party jollof rice! Author GARHE OSIEBE, Research Fellow, Rhodes University As suggested, the core of Afrobeats is celebratory pop music originating from Nigeria, West Africa and beyond. In 2022, Afrobeats artists were regular names on the global stage, winning awards, featuring on Hollywood soundtracks, packing out stadiums and even…

Dec

14

2022

By The African Mirror

Meet Carole Lubelo, the young Liswati fashion designer on the rise

BEAUTY AND FASHION

NOKUKHANYA MUSI, BIRD STORY AGENCY IN 2015, Carole Mngometulu took a bold, risky step. With no formal training, no money, and no mentor, she started on a new journey, determined to become a fashion designer. 'I only had God and my sewing machine," she explained. Closed off from most of the world during her boarding school days, it wasn't until her final year at high school that she learned of the fashion scene in Eswatini. Then, fresh out of high school, she landed her first job at Woolworth's retail clothing store, where she sketched and sewed, during her lunch break.…

Dec

17

2022

By The African Mirror

Dear Comrade President: book highlights ANC leader Oliver Tambo’s role in preparing South Africa for democracy

LITERATURE

MORE than three decades have passed since the apartheid government in South Africa unbanned the African National Congress (ANC), the country’s leading liberation movement, and released its leader, Nelson Mandela, from prison. This launched four fraught years of negotiations and violence that led to South Africa’s first-ever democratic elections. The book Dear Comrade President: Oliver Tambo and the Foundations of South Africa’s Constitution, by South African historian Andre Odendaal, focuses on a dimension ignored in previous histories and memoirs of this period: the ANC’s constitution-framing process, which would help to shape the future democratic South Africa. Author GAVIN EVANS, Lecturer,…