LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Aug

23

2020

Nigerian lesbian love film to go online to avoid censorship board

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ANGELA UKOMADU and ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM TWO young women fill the screen, reclining on a bed, talking about their hope of having children. They are protagonists in a new Nigerian film called "Ife" depicting their love story. The topic is controversial in Nigeria, where same-sex relationships are theoretically punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Producer Pamela Adie said "Ife" - which means "love" in the Yoruba language widely spoken in southwest Nigeria - would be released online to avoid any possible move by censors to ban it. "I really feel that the censors board is playing a big part…

Aug

22

2020

By The African Mirror

Columbia Records signs South African singer

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO TWITTER erupted in joy as fans of Trap-soul and R&B music took to the app’s timeline to congratulate independent South African R&B singer Elaine, who was announced to have signed an international record deal. It was announced on Twitter that American record label Columbia Records had signed a distribution deal with the twenty-one year old, South African singer on the same day Elaine released a music video for her second single ‘Risky’. https://twitter.com/PhuckPhobes/status/1296121338113990660?s=20 She joins the iconic label’s roster that also features Beyonce, John Legend, Adele, Céline Dion, Pharrell Williams, George Ezra & many others. Columbia Records roster…

Aug

22

2020

By The African Mirror

Tsitsi Dangarembga and writing about pain and loss in Zimbabwe

LITERATURE

ROSEMARY CHIKAFA-CHIPIRO, Lecturer, University of Zimbabwe TSITSI Dangarembga has made a name for herself as a writer, filmmaker and activist in Zimbabwe. She gained international acclaim with her debut novel Nervous Conditions (1988), which became the first published English novel by a black woman from Zimbabwe. The BBC named it one of the top 100 books that have shaped the world. Now, over three decades later, Dangarembga’s latest novel – This Mournable Body, the third in a trilogy that began with Nervous Conditions and the subject of this review – has been placed on the longlist for the 2020 Booker…

Sep

01

2020

By The African Mirror

Africa and the Testament of the Gods

LITERATURE

VUSI MAVIMBELA IN the 1960 film Inherit the Wind, there is a court dramatisation where defence lawyer Henry Drummond says: “I am trying to establish whether Howard or Brady or Charles Darwin or anybody sitting around this court, or you Sir, has a right to think”. The presiding officer intervenes and says: “Mr Drummond, the right to think is not on trial here”. Drummond retorts: “Well, with all due respect to the court, the right to think is very much on trial here and it is fearfully in danger in the proceedings of this court room…A thinking man is faced…

Sep

01

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Big Brother Naija’: Nigeria’s unlikely public relations campaign?

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

OLUSOLA OGUNNUBI, Research Fellow,University of Free State, University of the Free State AKINLOLU AKINOLA, Invited User EVERY new season of Nigeria’s reality TV show, ‘Big Brother Naija’ (BB Naija), comes loaded with controversy. Despite holding five editions since 2006, the show continues to polarise opinion within the continent. Conservatives oppose it as ‘immoral’ and showcasing values that are ‘un-African’. Protagonists celebrate it as good TV material, possessing immense entertainment value. Big Brother Naija is a popular reality show in which contestants live in an isolated house and compete for a large cash prize worth over $180,000. The winner gets all…

Sep

03

2020

By The African Mirror

Zalando launches diversity drive after racism investigation

BEAUTY AND FASHION

GERMAN online fashion retailer Zalando has pledged to use more brands linked to Black and other minority groups as part of a drive to fight discrimination and increase diversity after an investigation into allegations of racism. Zalando launched the investigation in June after former art director Fernando Torres accused the company of failing to respond to complaints in 2018 about employees who resisted booking black models and made comments about their skin tone. The death in police custody of African-American George Floyd has prompted a groundswell of concern about racism around the world, prompting many companies to make pledges to…

Sep

03

2020

By The African Mirror

First trans, non-binary characters to debut on ‘Star Trek’ franchise

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

OSCAR LOPEZ THE science-fiction franchise "Star Trek" is introducing its first transgender and non-binary characters, with both roles set to debut in its U.S. television series next month, producers said on Wednesday. The trans character named Gray will be played by trans actor Ian Alexander, the producers said, and non-binary Adira will be played by Blu del Barrio, an actor who like the character does not identify as male or female. They will appear in the third season of CBS Television's series "Star Trek: Discovery," the latest incarnation of the TV franchise that launched in 1966. "Star Trek" has spawned…

Sep

03

2020

By The African Mirror

Actor Dwayne Johnson says he and family have recovered from COVID-19

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

STEVE GORMAN PRO-WRESTLER turned Hollywood actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said in a video message posted on social media on Wednesday that he, his wife and their two young children tested positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks but that they all have recovered and are healthy. Johnson, 48, said in the Instagram post that he and his spouse, Lauren, 35, and their daughters, Jasmine, 4, and Tiana, 2, caught the virus about 2-1/2 weeks ago from "very close family friends" whom he said had no idea how they had become infected. "I can tell you this has been one of…

Sep

29

2020

By The African Mirror

Valentino picks Milan over Paris for rare live fashion show

BEAUTY AND FASHION

ITALIAN fashion group Valentino ditched the glitzy setting of central Paris for a foundry on the outskirts of Milan to present its latest collection, a rare live catwalk in the time of COVID-19 with a restricted group of mask-wearing guests. The show brought down the curtain on Milan fashion week, which has hosted a mix of physical and virtual catwalks for its first edition since coronavirus restrictions made the heady mix of glamour, celebrity and hype at such events more complicated. Valentino had never presented a women's collection in Milan, and its last menswear show in Italy's fashion capital was…

Sep

28

2020

By The African Mirror

In Paris, a fashion eco-system on edge as shows disappear

BEAUTY AND FASHION

SARAH WHITE and MICHAELA CABRERA WHEN Swedish fashion brand Acne Studios last hosted a catwalk show in Paris in January, it ordered dozens of vegan-friendly rice bowls from cafe owner and caterer Pearlyn Lee for models and crew to pick on backstage. Those types of orders have all but dried up since the pandemic forced most luxury labels to cancel parties and presentations. Even as some of the world's biggest brands return to Paris on Monday, few are planning physical shows, a blow for make-up artists, lighting specialists, caterers and hundreds of other businesses in fashion's eco-system. "Basically catering is…