LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Sep

26

2020

Elsa Majimbo is the globe’s new obsession

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER AS some folks turn to online learning, binge-watching series or practising meditation to keep themselves busy while being under the COVID-19 lockdown, a lot of people have turned to social media to release their frustrations and entertain themselves as they await the end of lockdown. One of those is Kenyan comic Elsa Majimbo. The young viral sensation has bolstered a global fan base over her short, comic videos in English and Swahili, detailing her life under lockdown and the responses from her fans has made Majimbo a fan favourite for quick laughs. The Kenyan comic’s videos has…

Sep

25

2020

By The African Mirror

Book review | The blood politics of a warring ANC

LITERATURE

JAN BORNMAN GREG Ardé’s War Party: How the ANC’s Political Killings Are Breaking South Africa is a cautionary tale of how the murderous rot in one province is damaging an entire country. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the then province of Natal and the KwaZulu bantustan bore witness to extraordinary violence between Inkatha and the United Democratic Front (UDF), which was allied to the ANC. The violence spread via migrant worker hostels to Johannesburg. By the early 1990s this violence, estimated to have cost up to 20 000 lives and often described as a regional civil war, threatened to destabilise and…

Sep

24

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigerian pop star Yemi Alade wants to help women in new UN role

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

DARNELL CHRISTIE NIGERIAN pop star Yemi Alade has called for coronavirus recovery plans to focus more on women, particularly in her home country, saying she planned to use a new role as a United Nations goodwill ambassador to help vulnerable people. Alade, 31, joined a list of celebrities including actor Antonio Banderas and footballer Didier Drogba as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to raise awareness of poverty, inequality and climate change. The singer gained global fame after becoming the first female Afro-pop artist to get more than 100 million views on YouTube, winning multiple music…

Sep

23

2020

By The African Mirror

Nike and Nigeria score big with 2020-2022 football apparel

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO WHEN it comes to seasonal football kits for international teams, Nike and their creatives always seem to get it right for the Nigerian football teams. The latest football apparel for the West African nation’s men and women teams was officially released by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) this month, following leaks of the new apparel, went viral on social media. https://twitter.com/ngsupereagles/status/1307642070249738240?s=21 In a campaign featuring some of Nigeria’s biggest football stars, the new apparel for the next two years features vibrant eye-catching designs which tailor to the Nigerian culture and identity as cultural icons on the continent and…

Sep

23

2020

By The African Mirror

Reframing women in Namibia’s early history of photography

LITERATURE

LORENA RIZZO, Senior lecturer, University of Basel WOMEN photographers, and black African women photographers in particular, are largely absent from early histories of the medium. Even in South Africa, which has attracted more attention than other parts of the continent, few women photographers from the early and mid-1900s appear in the historical record. There are even fewer whose work has been collected and received serious treatment, like Constance Stuart Larrabee and Anne Fisher. Women photographers in Namibia have languished in even greater obscurity, and scholarship that embraces this neglected history is only just emerging. My new book Photography and History…

Sep

23

2020

By The African Mirror

Zendaya makes history and wins big at virtual Emmy Awards

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER AMERICAN actress and singer Zendaya has made history. The 24 year-old star, in winning the Emmy for best leading actress in a drama, became the youngest actress to win in that category. Held via virtual stage in Los Angeles, Zendaya (full name Zendaya Coleman) won her first Emmy award for her leading role in HBO drama Euphoria, beating out actresses Laura Linney, Olivia Colman, Jennifer Aniston, and “Killing Eve” co-stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. The award for Lead Actress in a drama was Zendaya’s first ever nomination for an Emmy and made her the second ever…

Sep

21

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Watchmen,’ ‘Schitt’s Creek’ rule at virtual Emmys with pandemic and political twists

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MEDIA family saga "Succession," dystopian drama "Watchmen" and feel-good comedy "Schitt's Creek" dominated the Emmy Awards in a show sprinkled with jokes about the coronavirus pandemic, political jibes and appeals for racial justice. "Hello, and welcome to the PandEmmys!," said host Jimmy Kimmel, opening the show, where most celebrities took part remotely from their sofas and backyards dressed in a variety of gowns, hoodies and sleepwear. "It seems frivolous and unnecessary to do this during a global pandemic," Kimmel said as he opened the live show from Los Angeles. "What's happening tonight is not important. It's not going to stop…

Sep

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Remembering Achmat Dangor, the South African novelist who redefined identity

LITERATURE

RONIT FRENKEL, Professor of English, University of Johannesburg IN his 71 years, Achmat Dangor was many things to many people, both in South Africa and across the world. He was a lifelong activist and social justice advocate. He was once banned for his political activities in resistance to apartheid. He was a cultural leader at the centre of the Congress of South African Writers, a tireless development organiser and, for six years, the chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. For me, he was above all an extraordinary novelist and poet who expanded how I think. I was a graduate…

Sep

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Beyonce reference cut from Bollywood song after racist lyrics storm

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ROLI SRIVASTAVA A song from an upcoming Bollywood film has been rewritten after social media users criticised the original lyrics as racist for glorifying fair skin and making an inappropriate reference to Black American pop star Beyonce. The offending lyrics, which translated as 'After looking at you fair woman, Beyonce would feel shy', featured in a song from a film called Khaali Peeli, whose director Maqbool Khan swiftly apologised. "(The) lyric in question was never intended racially," Khan said in a statement on Monday, adding that the film's makers were huge fans of Beyonce and had not meant any disrespect.…

Sep

17

2020

By The African Mirror

Maxhosa showcases Spring 2021 collection at NYFW

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO CELEBRATING ten years in the fashion industry, South African label Maxhosa has showcased its upcoming ready to wear Spring 2021 collection for IMG’s New York Fashion Week (NYFW), via a virtual runway show. Participating in NYFW for a third time, the ‘Missoni of Africa’ brand by Laduma Ngxokolo displayed a vibrant collection with the brand’s signature Xhosa-inspired patterns and beadwork on its knits for the men’s and women’s collection. Titled “God’s work is miraculous”, Maxhosa’s latest collection has pieces which do not only cater to the vibrant cosmopolitan fashion enthusiast, but also to the sporty fashion enthusiast, which…