LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Mar

01

2022

A short story by Ghana’s Ama Ata Aidoo offers a view of humanity’s place in the world

LITERATURE

IN recent years, philosophers and other thinkers have been rethinking how we see humanity and its place in the world. One reason for this change in thinking has been climate change: it has made humans realise that our actions have large and irreversible consequences. Many ideologies, religions and philosophies see humans as being at the centre of existence on earth, or as the rulers or stewards of all other life on the planet. But climate change forces us to realise that such a view of humans is precisely what might lead to the destruction of the world. Author BIBI BURGER,…

Mar

08

2022

By The African Mirror

Imbokodo is a long overdue series of children’s books on South African women

LITERATURE

A new series of books called Imbokodo: Women Who Shape Us explores the neglected histories of South African women. Geared at younger readers, there are three books in the series: 10 Extraordinary Leaders, Activists & Protesters; 10 Inspiring Singers, Writers & Artists; and 10 Curious Inventors, Healers & Educators. The authors are Xolisa Guzula, an early literacy specialist and children’s author, and Athambile Masola, a historian and poet. We asked them about the project. Authors XOLISA GUZULA, PhD Candidate in Language and Literacy, University of Cape Town ATHAMBILE MASOLA, Lecturer, University of Cape Town What does Imbokodo mean? Xolisa Guzula:…

Mar

08

2022

By The African Mirror

Keyboard as art and saving the world

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ANGE KUMASSI, BIRD STORY AGENCY ADMIRERS call him a "master in the art of electronic waste." Born in the city of Buyo, in the southwest of the Ivory Coast, Mounou Désiré Koffi has always had a passion for art. That passion - and his obvious skill, recognised throughout his school-going years and then through college - gave him what so many creatives on the continent dream of… professional training and then a career in visual art. "After my studies, I wanted to embark on a professional career; painting, trying to stand out, bringing creativity to my work," he told bird…

Dec

04

2021

By The African Mirror

More minority faces in film, TV, music as audiences demand diversity

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

RICHARD CHANG MORE minorities are showing up in mainstream U.S. entertainment, from films and TV to music, as audiences demand stories that reflect the world's diversity, showing that inclusion is good business, industry executives said. "Our industry has caught up with reality. The majority of the world is actually Asian," said Bing Chen, president of Gold House, a nonprofit collective that promotes Asian Pacific Islander voices, on a panel at  the  Reuters Next conference broadcast on Thursday.  "Audiences are craving things they've never seen, never heard of." "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," the first Marvel movie to…

Dec

03

2021

By The African Mirror

New book on South Africa’s history puts black people at the centre, for a change

LITERATURE

THULA Simpson’s new book, History of South Africa from 1902 to the Present, is an event-packed narrative history. It is reminiscent of the style of Eric Walker’s History of Southern Africa eight decades ago – a very influential book, prescribed for many university history classes – except this time black South Africans are central to the story, not confined to its margins. Author KEITH GOTTSCHALK, Political Scientist, University of the Western Cape The author, an associate professor at the University of Pretoria, most recently published the book, Umkhonto we Sizwe: The ANC’s Armed Struggle, in 2016. This was also written…

Dec

07

2021

By The African Mirror

Oscar winners assemble for climate warning comedy ‘Don’t Look Up’

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ALICIA POWELL DIRECTOR Adam McKay has assembled an all-star cast brimming with Oscar winners to give a humorous warning about climate change in the new movie "Don't Look Up". In the Netflix film, Academy Award winners Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio play two astronomers who set out to warn the world of an approaching comet set to destroy the planet. But the message falls on deaf ears, starting with Meryl Streep's President Janie Orlean. "I think the big trick is we want you to laugh ... The great thing about test screening the movie was right, left-wing were all laughing,"…

Aug

01

2021

By The African Mirror

Ghana’s first openly trans musician fights homophobia with song

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NITA BHALLA GHANA'S first openly transgender musician has released a song to boost the morale of the West African nation's LGBT+ community as it faces a crackdown by authorities and a rise in homophobic persecution. Hiplife and Afropop artist Angel Maxine said she wrote "Wo Fie", meaning "Your Home" in the Twi language, to comfort LGBT+ Ghanaians who were not only facing threats from authorities, but also a surge in verbal and physical attacks from the public. "The situation for the queer community in Ghana is very tense at the moment," Maxine, 35, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from…

Aug

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria makes an international statement with its first feature-length animated movie

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD NEWSROOM AFRO-URBAN entertainment powerhouse, Trace, has begun distributing "Lady Buckit and the Motley Mopsters" – a Nigerian feature-length 3D animated film - after inking a deal with Hot Ticket Productions to distribute the film globally. In May this year, Trace's distribution arm inked a deal with Hot Ticket Productions to distribute Nigeria’s first feature-length 3D animated film, "Lady Buckit and the Motley Mopsters" worldwide - opening the door to a potential global audience for an animation that was originally conceived in the home of a Nigerian geologist. The wide success of the movie is not only a…

Apr

01

2021

By The African Mirror

Book sheds light on apartheid South Africa’s hidden massacre

LITERATURE

APPALLING atrocities occurred under the flag of apartheid as the white minority government sought to impose a racist system on the majority of South African citizens. Many of the atrocities were subsequently investigated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and are now seared into public memory. MIGNONNE BREIER, Honorary Research Associate, School of Education, University of Cape Town But not all. One of the more notable gaps in the country’s collective memory is a massacre that took place in 1952. It was never officially investigated and few people know about it. I set about trying to rectify this in my…

Jan

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Beauty maven Pat McGrath to receive royal honours – a first for industry

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO AMERICAN longtime make-up artist Pat McGrath is set to become a dame, a royal honour by Queen Elizabeth II, as part of the Queen’s New Year list of Honours. It was announced that the veteran makeup artist and businesswoman would be awarded a Dame of the British Empire (D.B.E) for services to the Fashion and Beauty Industry and Diversity. This would be the first time ever for a makeup artist to receive a royal honour. In an Instagram post, McGrath wrote, “Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that one day Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II…