LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Mar

17

2026

“Pops flew in from Ghana for this”

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles fell momentarily still on the night of 15 March 2026 when Michael B. Jordan stepped to the podium to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor. He had won for his dual performance in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners - portraying twin brothers Smoke and Stack, children of the Black South navigating violence, vampires, and history in the 1932 Mississippi Delta. But what the world’s cameras caught next had less to do with Hollywood and everything to do with Africa. “God is good,” Jordan said, visibly overwhelmed. Then, scanning the audience: “Momma, what’s up? Pops —…

Mar

17

2026

By MIKI FLOCKEMANN

Memory is not to be trusted: a South African memoir traces the search for a family secret

LITERATURE

SOUTH AFRICAN-BORN literary scholar Dennis Walder recently published an evocative life story called Amid the Alien Corn: A Son’s Memoir. In it, he tracks how, even as a child, he became aware that his mother Ruth was withholding something of herself and her past from him. This disquiet comes to a head after her death. The book paints a rich and entertaining description of Walder’s childhood and young adulthood. He grew up near Cape Town in the 1940s and 1950s with his Namibian-born, German-speaking mother and estranged Swiss-born father. But, as you read, this shifts to a single-minded quest to…

Mar

16

2026

By The African Mirror

The voice that would not be silenced

CULTURE

DAWN had not yet broken over the lagoon villages of southern Ivory Coast when the drum spoke. Its voice - a low, rolling thunder that radiated outward through the tall grass, through sleeping households, through the morning mist - was not music. It was an alarm. It was a command. It was, depending on the moment, a matter of life and death. For the Atchan people, indigenous to what the French would later name Côte d'Ivoire, the Djidji Ayokwè - the Panther-Lion - was never merely an instrument. Stretching more than three metres in length and weighing nearly 400 kilograms,…

Mar

16

2026

By The African Mirror

Golden horns, golden looks – and one very golden night for Bonko Khoza

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

The SAFTAs did not tiptoe back. After last year's inexplicable no-show — the industry's equivalent of a lead actor simply not arriving on set - the 19th Annual South African Film and Television Awards came roaring back to Midrand's Gallagher Convention Centre on Saturday evening with the energy of a township telenovela season finale. There were tears. There were gasps. There were outfits that will require explanation to future generations. And, yes, there was Bonko Khoza. The dual-ceremony format was maintained: the technical Craft Awards streamed quietly on YouTube on Friday, the night the real work was recognised, before Saturday's…

Mar

14

2026

By FANNY GEORGES

Khaby Lame is the world’s most followed TikToker: the story of a Senegalese‑born star who sold his identity

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

HIS name is Khabane Lame, but he is known worldwide as Khaby Lame. Born in Dakar, Senegal, he is the most followed content creator on TikTok. He became famous for video clips in which he reacts to absurd “life hack” videos with a blank, slightly annoyed face, showing the hack wasn’t needed. At the time of writing, he has over 160 million followers: a world record achieved without uttering a single word. In January, he sold his brand rights for nearly US$1 billion. But there’s another dimension to his story that the western media rarely mentions: Khaby Lame is a…

Mar

14

2026

By FLORENCE MARTIN

The Voice of Hind Rajab: Tunisian director’s devastating film about Palestine is up for an Oscar

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE Voice of Hind Rajab made an immediate impact when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2025, receiving a 23-minute standing ovation and seven awards. More were to follow as it played at festivals around the world. It’s a mixture of documentary and drama that tells the story of a Palestinian girl trapped in a car during the conflict with Israel. Its writer and director, Kaouther Ben Hania, is from Tunisia. Nominated for a 2026 Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category, this is her third shortlisting at the awards. So, what makes The Voice of Hind…

Mar

14

2026

By SULEMAN LAZARUS

Afrobeats celebrates cybercrime and it’s becoming a global problem

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

WHEN former US Secretary of State Colin Powell took to a London stage alongside Nigerian artist Olu Maintain in 2008 and danced to a song called Yahoozee, he almost certainly didn’t know that the track is widely understood in Nigeria as a celebration of internet fraud. The moment became a striking illustration of something my research keeps returning to: how music can carry the moral codes of cybercrime far beyond their origins, laundering them in rhythm, recognition and prestige. Over the last ten years, I’ve studied cybercriminal pathways, romance fraud, victimisation of senior citizens, business email compromise, and the cultural…

Mar

13

2026

By IDONGESIT ESSIEN, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Spoken word artist Havfy turns poetry into prospects for Nigeria’s creative economy

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IT’S a warm, humid Saturday in Abuja. Hafsat Abdullahi is prepping for a film shoot on location in a quiet neighbourhood. The cinematographer waits for the director’s call for action. Hafsat takes a deep breath to get into character. After a few moments, she emerges, not as Hafsat, but as Havfy, a virtuoso spoken word performer (which can also be referred to as a slam poet) who is making waves in Nigeria’s poetry scene. She performs on stage as well as online, filming her recitations for social media platforms. Havfy has more than 700 videos across multiple online platforms. Depending…

Mar

12

2026

By LUCY DURÁN

Mali’s maestro of African salsa: how Boncana Maïga shaped dance music

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE passing of celebrated Malian flautist, composer and arranger Boncana Maïga at the age of 77 truly marks the end of an era in the music of West Africa. He was a charismatic performer and bandleader, with innate musical talent and an acute ear. His story is unique and could only have happened in its time, and because of his personality and musical training in Cuba. As a musician, producer and scholar specialising in both Malian and Cuban music, I’ve followed the career of Boncana Maïga for many years, have worked with many Cuban dance bands, and have produced many…

Mar

07

2026

By BARNABAS TICHA MUVHUTI

Zimbabwean artist Option Nyahunzvi explores cultural values in a bold new exhibition

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN Zimbabwe, hunhu is a cultural belief system that instructs us to embrace our neighbours, honour our elders and respect each other’s rights. Also known as ubuntu, it’s a way of being that resonates with southern Africa’s interconnected but diverse communities, where generational wisdom and values are passed from elders to the young. Hunhu is a central idea in the latest solo show by prominent young artist Option Dzikamai Nyahunzvi at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. Called Zvatiri (Who We Are), the exhibition is an appeal to Zimbabweans to reclaim their culture and values. His main focus has always been…