LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Jan

01

2021

2021 Cape Town International Jazz Festival cancelled

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO THE coronavirus pandemic continues to upturn the entertainment industry as many cultural and arts events get cancelled in an effort to decrease infections from events that may be classified as super-spreaders events. The Cape Town Jazz Festival is no exception. Producers espAfrika announced that the 2021 edition of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival would be cancelled, due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic that has seen an increase in infections in South Africa, where the jazz festival is hosted. This announcement was made amidst the country’s President Ramaphosa’s heartfelt plea for the country to be extra cautious with…

Jul

14

2022

By The African Mirror

Alphadi, top African fashion designers, creatives dazzle in London

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

PATRICK NELLE, BIRD BORN Sidahmed Seidnaly, the designer and creative best known as Alphadi has been leading the charge since the 1980s for the global recognition of African creatives, especially fashion designers. Having just attended the opening of an unprecedented African fashion exhibition at London’s Victoria&Albert museum in early July, bird story agency caught up with Alphadi en-route to his next event. “I am going to Morocco now for a ceremony, and then I will fly to Niger. This is my life as an activist who has committed his existence to defend African creatives and to struggle for their worldwide recognition,”…

Jul

10

2022

By The African Mirror

Book on Zimbabwe strongman Robert Mugabe’s legacy has many flaws

LITERATURE

DEVELOPMENT studies professor David Moore’s new book, Mugabe’s Legacy: Coups, Conspiracies and the Conceits of Power in Zimbabwe, attempts to understand the legacy of Robert Mugabe, who led Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2017, when he lost power in a military coup. Author BLESSING-MILES TENDI, Associate Professor in the Politics of Africa, University of Oxford Moore maintains that Mugabe’s legacy revolves around what he terms “the three Cs”: coups, conspiracies and conceits of political power. He shows that “the three Cs” have their origins in the perilous politics of the independence struggle, in which Mugabe was a key participant. The book…

Mar

04

2022

By The African Mirror

The legacy of iconic singer Miriam Makeba and her art of activism

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SOUTH AFRICA'S world famous singer and activist Miriam Makeba (1932-2008) would have turned 90 on 4 March 2022. Born Zenzile Miriam Makeba in Johannesburg’s Prospect township, she had a life of remarkable global impact. She contributed to black people’s struggle for liberation and defended the integrity of African identity and artistry while living in a land absent of her ancestry. Author NOMFUNDO XALUVA, Lecturer, South African College of Music, University of Cape Town Despite being banned from her home country for her outspokenness and resistance to apartheid, Makeba went on to build an illustrious international career, performing on some of…

Mar

01

2022

By The African Mirror

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,"…