LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

May

20

2020

African dance hit ‘Pata Pata’ gets reboot for coronavirus

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Miriam Makeba’s famous song is being re-released with new lyrics about disease prevention By Nellie Peyton WASHINGTON, April 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The world-famous song "Pata Pata", a South African dance hit from 1967, is being re-released with new lyrics to spread information about coronavirus to vulnerable communities. Coronavirus: our latest stories Meaning "touch touch" in the Xhosa language, "Pata Pata" was written by Grammy-winning singer Miriam Makeba who named it after a dance move popular in Johannesburg at the time. The new version sung by Beninese artist Angelique Kidjo includes lyrics such as, "We need to keep our…

May

20

2020

By The African Mirror

In coronavirus, Senegal rappers find a new enemy to fight

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

DRESSED in hooded medical suits and protective goggles, Senegal's activist hip-hop group Y'en a Marre rap about washing hands, disposing of used tissues and avoiding crowds in their latest release: 'Shield against Coronavirus.' The new video marks a sudden change for the collective, named 'Enough is Enough' in French slang, which has a history of challenging authority, fighting social injustice - and urging Senegal's youth to hit the streets to protest the government. But when African countries confirmed their first coronavirus cases this month, the group offered to help the government persuade people to take the disease seriously, in an…

Jun

26

2020

By The African Mirror

Celebrating an Algerian music great

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE death of Algerian icon Idir has brought an important chapter of Algerian music to a close. HUGO HADJI Hugo Hadji, Doctoral Researcher in ethnomusicology, SOAS, University of London THE death of Algerian icon Idir has brought an important chapter of Algerian music to a close. Through his brilliant career, Idir modernised and promoted the richness of Kabyle melodies and poetry, popularised North African culture, and advocated for unity and tolerance both in Algeria and in France. Looking at Idir’s life in music is looking into Algeria’s relationship with its history and identity, but also questioning what it means to…

Jun

25

2020

By The African Mirror

The ‘seismic impact’ of Busi Mhlongo’s masterpiece

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Matsuli Music has reissued Busi Mhlongo’s Urban Zulu masterpiece on vinyl for the first time, alongside Dudu Pukwana and the ‘Spears’ and Jump Uptight by the Zorro Five. LOYD GEDYE Whether a new album release is greeted with rave reviews or completely ignored, its full impact becomes visible only with time, especially in the case of a career-defining album. In 1998, when the record label Melt 2000 released Busi Mhlongo’s Urban Zulu, her second album,it was widely acclaimed, later winning three South African Music Awards and spending two months at the top of the Billboard world music charts. With a reissue of Urban Zulu about…

Jun

24

2020

By The African Mirror

Vincent Mantsoe chronicles lockdown life in ‘Cut’

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Unable to return to South Africa this winter, the dancer and choreographer created a dance piece for film, proving the power of creative expression and collaboration. UFRIEDA HO It’s raining in Vichy – five soggy, grey days and counting. This is Vincent Mantsoe’s French home nowadays. His thoughts, though, drift to his other home, to Soweto in winter, when the light cuts like a blade through the bluest of days. The dancer and choreographer was meant to be back in South Africa this April for a month-long tour, presenting his solo piece SoliiDaD and facilitating a workshop programme. Then the coronavirus slammed…

Jun

23

2020

By The African Mirror

Eight African novels to get you through lockdown

LITERATURE

FOR those looking from the global North, African literature is often marketed in a narrow way, comprising worthy stories of resistance, written in an uplifting and sober realist mode. Seen from the continent itself, this view has long been brushed aside by the effervescence and animation of ongoing literary experimentation and creativity. I approached literary academic colleagues from South Africa, Kenya and Uganda to choose – and share their thoughts on – one of their favourite books of African fiction. The resulting finger-on-the-pulse list offers a bookshelf that speaks to the vibrancy of both contemporary and older African literature. –…

Sep

04

2022

By The African Mirror

FASHION: GifaarT: How the headscarf became a symbol of pride for African women

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MOHAMED NDJIM, BIRD STORY AGENCY JUST how important is the headscarf to African dress? To answer this, consider that the finale of the month-long 13th edition of the Biennale of Contemporary African Art, held in Dakar, saw the spotlight switch to a very colourful, very African and, it would appear, timeless, "personality". Hosted by Maguette Guèye and Bineta Seck, the special show was branded ‘Gifaart,' - 'headscarf' in Senegal's Balante language. The show revisited the traditional dress of several African ethnic groups, including the Lebou, Signares, Balantes, Bédiks, Coniaguis, and Bassaris, with the headscarf the star of the show. The…

Jun

18

2020

By The African Mirror

30 Days of Editorials

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

LERATO MBANGENI IF anything, the restrictions of quarantines and lockdowns around the world have shown us the levels of creativity and optimism that people can reach. With social media as a tool of distribution, people of all ages have come together as a community of the talented and bored to make works that make us smile or gasp in awe of their ingenuity. We’ve had the #NoRushChallenge where makeup lovers created transformation videos in the style of TikTok videos with quick transitions and punchy soundtracks. We also had people at home recreating famous paintings with whatever they could find in…

Jun

18

2020

By The African Mirror

African Fashion Fund to offer COVID-19 Relief

BEAUTY AND FASHION

The fashion fund aims to offer relief and economical exposure to African fashion businesses AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER Ghanian businesswoman Roberta Annan has announced that the African Fashion Fund with the United Nations (UN) will invest a large portion of their funds into the businesses of African fashion designers affected by COVID-19. Annan spoke to the UN on Tuesday about the decision and how the funds will be coordinated to various African designers, brands and fashion organisations from August this year. “We must use the COVID pandemic as an opportunity to redefine sustainability – not just for Africa but for the…

Jun

17

2020

By The African Mirror

Music review: Simphiwe Dana’s Bamako is a triumph

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

PHUTI SEPURU Lecturer, University of Pretoria BAMAKO, the fifth album from Simphiwe Dana, marks 16 years of her recording career. To the dismay of her fans, a few days prior to the album’s long-awaited release, the South African singer-songwriter announced that this would be her last. An iconic figure in the country’s cultural life, Dana hails from the Eastern Cape and is a singer, composer and producer. The largest part of her musical output is sung in her home language – isiXhosa, including her most loved songs such as Ndiredi, Zandisile, Bantu Biko Street and Ilolo. Dana’s voice is also…