LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Sep

03

2020

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…

Sep

26

2020

By The African Mirror

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…