LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Feb

19

2026

New film captures fatherhood in 1993 Nigeria

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE film opens in rural Nigeria, where two young brothers, Akin and Remi, fill the quiet with childhood play and small quarrels. Their relationship is intimate but shaped by absence. Both boys speak of their father, Folarin, with admiration that borders on reverence, even though he is rarely home. Folarin works in the city, a man whose presence is imagined as much as experienced, the provider somewhere beyond their everyday world. That early calm setting sets up the contrast that defines My Father’s Shadow, the private tenderness of family life against the coming urban chaos of Lagos in 1993. It…

Feb

18

2026

By STEPHANIE JENKINS

History with a human face and voice: how museum theatre gets kids to care about the past

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE facts of history are important, but try telling that to a classroom full of bored youngsters. One way to liven up the subject is to show that real people lived through historical events. Drama academic Stephanie Jenkins argues that learning becomes fun when learners care about what they are asked to remember. And one way to encourage caring is to perform the stories of the past, using museums as theatre spaces. Here she explains the idea, using an example from her work in South Africa – where the past is painful but shapes current social issues and future citizens.…

Feb

14

2026

By The African Mirror

One Voice, One Dream, One Journey – and he’s inviting you along

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

PICTURE this: You're stopped at a traffic light in Germiston, South Africa. The engine idles. Your mind wanders. Then suddenly - a voice cuts through the noise. Not through speakers, not through a screen, but raw, real, and right there in front of your windshield. That's where Kutlwano Kenneth Yika has been building his dream. Not in a studio. Not on a stage with perfect lighting. But on street corners, at intersections, in public spaces across South Africa - one song, one stranger, one moment at a time. For years, the 27-year-old musician has been South Africa's best-kept secret, travelling…

Feb

11

2026

By The African Mirror

Ebo Taylor: The guitarist who painted Ghana’s sound in gold

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

EBO Taylor didn't just play music—he conjured it from the red earth of Cape Coast and sent it spinning across continents, a hypnotic fusion of palm wine guitar, jazz sophistication, and funk's irresistible pulse. The legendary Ghanaian guitarist, composer, and bandleader who spent six decades weaving the soul of his nation into every note has died at 90, leaving behind a sonic tapestry as rich and complex as Ghana itself. Born Deroy Taylor in 1936, he emerged during Ghana's cultural awakening, when highlife music floated through colonial dance halls, and independence hung electric in the air. By the late 1950s…

Feb

10

2026

By STAFF REPORTER

Cape Town gets ready to serve looks, business & a whole lot of fabric: Allfashion Sourcing 2026 is coming

BEAUTY AND FASHION

DARLING, mark your calendars in metallic ink – Africa's chicest business affair is back If you thought July was just for winter coats and hot chocolate, think again. From 14–16 July 2026, the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC 2) is about to become the most fashionable address on the continent as Allfashion Sourcing Cape Town 2026 struts back into town. This isn't your cousin's craft market, honey. We're talking about Africa's premier sourcing platform, where textile dreams meet manufacturing reality, where fabric swatches shake hands with spreadsheets, and where "sustainable fashion" isn't just something you say to sound intelligent at…

Feb

07

2026

By TINASHE MUSHAKAVANHU

South African novelist Lauretta Ngcobo is the subject of a tender and urgent new film

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

LAURETTA Ngcobo, who passed away in 2015, left a singular and impactful literary legacy in South Africa. Even in a life of exile and resistance to apartheid and white minority rule in the country. As a novelist, feminist thinker and freedom fighter, her intellectual contributions were foundational. Ngcobo’s work often deals with the realities of black women facing both political and social oppression. While And They Didn’t Die (1990) is considered to be her masterpiece, her first novel, Cross of Gold, was published in 1981. Awards and recognition came relatively late in her career. In a new documentary film, And…

Feb

02

2026

By The African Mirror

Africa’s Grammy Triumph: Tyla’s gold, Fela’s immortal crown – a continent’s roar in 2026

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles thrummed like a Jozi tavern on match day as the 2026 Grammy Awards unfolded on February 1, a night where Africa's sonic revolution claimed its throne with unprecedented force. Amid global giants like Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Lola Young, and Olivia Dean dominating headlines, the continent etched indelible history: South Africa's Tyla snatched Best African Music Performance for her electrifying "PUSH 2 START," while Nigeria's Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti became the first African artist ever to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award - a posthumous coronation nearly three decades after his…

Feb

02

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Where desert meets dream: Inside Ethiopia’s gateway to a new tourism era

LIFESTYLE

JUST 29 kilometres from the bustling heart of Jigjiga, where the ancient Fafen River whispers through arid plains and camel caravans have traversed for centuries, a new chapter in Ethiopian tourism opened its doors today. Shabeely Resort — a sprawling 385-hectare sanctuary of culture, nature, and connection — stands as a bold declaration that Ethiopia's eastern frontier is ready to welcome the world. As the morning sun casts golden light across the Somali Region's rolling landscape, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stood before Horn of Africa leaders to inaugurate what he called "a living expression of the rich heritage of the…

Jan

30

2026

By GIBSON NCUBE

Rafiki unbanned on appeal: why it’s an important moment for African film

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE film Rafiki is a charming love story that plays out in urban Kenya. It follows two teenage girls whose close friendship slowly turns into first love. Directed by rising filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu, it was celebrated as groundbreaking by critics and at festivals when it was released in 2018. But back home in Kenya, where homosexuality is criminal, the film was banned. On 23 January 2026, after a lengthy legal campaign by the filmmaker, the Kenyan Court of Appeals unbanned Rafiki for public screening in that country. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wanuri (@wanuri) In 2018,…

Jan

27

2026

By SAM-EZE CHIDERA IFEAKANWA

Heritage preservation through the eyes of a Nigerian cultural activist

CULTURE

IJEOMA Onyejekwe sat at The Village Bistro restaurant in Enugu with a plate of abacha served with fried fish and garden eggs. She sipped fresh palm wine from a wooden cup and noted the nsibidi ideograms etched on the window frames and the raffia mat ceiling. To the casual diner, the popular restaurant might present a rustic aesthetic, but for Onyejekwe, it represents a practical example of her work. The researcher views spaces like The Village Bistro as evidence of her professional philosophy: heritage that generates revenue is heritage that survives. "Culture is a lifestyle. It is our food, our…