LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Oct

03

2020

Book Review | Tennis for the people

LITERATURE

KELLY FLETCHER THE first lawn tennis matches were played on hourglass-shaped courts. But not for long. Three years after Walter Wingfield was granted the patent for his “portable court” and began selling his lawn tennis sets, the first Wimbledon tournament took place in June 1877 on a rectangular court. The shape of the court and the scoring system from that inaugural Gentlemen’s Singles tournament is still used today. In other ways though, lawn tennis has changed immensely, as David Berry shows in A People’s History of Tennis. Tennis is still seen as a sport for the privileged by many today and…

Oct

05

2020

By The African Mirror

Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19

BEAUTY AND FASHION

SARAH WHITE JAPANESE fashion designer Kenzo Takada, better known as Kenzo, who created his label in Paris in the 1970s, died on Sunday, the brand that still carries his name said. Aged 81, Takada died of complications linked to COVID-19 at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a residential suburb on the western outskirts of the capital, his spokesman told French media. Known for his colourful motifs and original silhouettes, which mixed inspirations from Japan, such as the kimono, with other cuts, Takada also branched into perfumes and skincare lines, helping his business boom. He had retired from his…

Nov

08

2020

By The African Mirror

The beauty and brilliance of Baxsan, one of the most popular Somali singers of all time

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SEYNAB Haji Ali Siigaale, widely known as Baxsan, passed away on 19 October 2020 and was buried a day later in Sheikh Sufi Cemetery behind the Somali National Theatre building in the capital Mogadishu. Along with the likes of Halima Khalif Omar ‘Magool’, Baxsan was one of the most popular female Somali singers of all time. Almost 60 years after she embarked on her singing career, it remains impossible to find anyone in Somalia who doesn’t recognise her name. MOHAMED HAJI INGIRIIS, Doctoral candidate, University of Oxford Revered even by her adversaries, Baxsan was not buried in a way that…

Nov

08

2020

By The African Mirror

John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo: Nigeria’s bard, playwright and activist

LITERATURE

SOLA BALOGUN, Lecturer, Theatre and Media Arts, Federal University, Oye Ekiti AHEAD of his death on October 13, 2020, the renowned Nigerian poet and playwright John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo had given instructions on his burial. He wrote a poem, “My Last Testament”: This is to my family Do not take me to a mortuary, Do not take me to a church, Whether I die in or out of town, But take me home to my own, and To lines and tunes, tested on the waves Of time, let me lie in my place On the Kiagbodo River. If Moslems do it…

Nov

07

2020

By The African Mirror

COVID pandemic disrupts 2021 men’s fashion week schedule

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO COVID-19 has changed every aspect of human life and the 2020 international fashion season is no different. The 2020 fashion season saw the traditional format of physical viewing for fashion week around the globe abandoned in favour of non-contact, digital fashion shows. Famous luxury designers like Hugo Boss, Chanel, Moschino and Louis Vuitton have all had to preview their collections for the 2020 fall/winter season through digital shows that were streamed live either on their websites, or on Instagram and Facebook. Other luxury fashion brands resorted to premiering their seasonal collections on Instagram as visual lookbooks, turning a…

Nov

06

2020

By The African Mirror

Mexico demands answers over use of indigenous designs

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MEXICO’S culture ministry has questioned French fashion designer Isabel Marant's use of patterns from indigenous Mexican communities, marking the government's latest complaint over high-fashion brands appropriating local styles. Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto. Photo: Tania Victoria According to the ministry, Marant's latest collection, including a long cape with stripes and starburst designs in gray and brown hues, includes elements from the Purepecha people of Mexico's Michoacan state. "I ask you, Ms Isabel Marant, to publicly explain on what grounds you privatize a collective property ... and how its use benefits the creator communities," Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto said in a letter…

Nov

06

2020

By The African Mirror

Singer Simphiwe Dana comes out as gay and is getting married

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO AWARD-WINNING South African afro-pop singer Simphiwe Dana, has come out of the closet. Dana has disclosed that not only is she gay but that is also getting married. The afrofeminist made the announcement on social media, posting a few lines about her impending nuptials to her yet-to-be-identified partner. Dana posted a photograph of her fiancée but did not name her. Dana said: “I’m gay. I’ve been holding this in since forever. I’m gay”. https://twitter.com/simphiwedana/status/1324372335240118280 “I know coming out means Africa will block me. But, after a lot of thinking, I’m ok with it. I’m marrying a woman, and…

Nov

03

2020

By The African Mirror

Eight common problems with science literature reviews and how to fix them

LITERATURE

NEAL ROBERT HADDAWAY, Research Fellow, Africa Centre for Evidence, University of Johannesburg RESEARCHERS regularly review the literature that’s generated by others in their field. This is an integral part of day-to-day research: finding relevant research, reading and digesting the main findings, summarising across papers, and making conclusions about the evidence base as a whole. However, there is a fundamental difference between brief, narrative approaches to summarising a selection of studies and attempting to reliably, comprehensively summarise an evidence base to support decision-making in policy and practice. So-called “evidence-informed decision-making” relies on rigorous systematic approaches to synthesising the evidence. Systematic review…

Nov

03

2020

By The African Mirror

How viral song Jerusalema joined the ranks of South Africa’s greatest hits

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AKHONA NDZUTA, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Fort Hare THERE'S something seemingly novel about a song from South Africa going viral to the extent that the 2019 house music song Jerusalema has done in 2020. The song is performed by musician and producer Master KG and vocalist Nomcebo Zikode. Apart from the song’s omnipresence on the sound systems of a cross-section of socio-economic neighbourhoods across South Africa, it has become a viral dance phenomenon, drawing in a diverse global audience. Internationally, politicians, sports stars, priests, nuns and monks, shop attendants, healthcare workers and infinite other global citizens have posted countless videos…

Nov

02

2020

By The African Mirror

Why has protest music dried up in Nigeria?

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE failure of Nigeria’s current pop stars to identify with the country’s oppressed has inspired feelings of nostalgia about the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. For much of his life, Kuti’s activism was the nemesis of the country’s military dictatorship and corrupt politicians. FLORENCE NWEKE, University of Lagos Famous for pairing his music with human rights activism Fela, who passed in 1997, stood against Nigeria’s military dictators, often at great personal cost to his family and band members. The apathy of Nigeria’s current crop of pop stars can be seen in the recent #EndSARS protests against police brutality led by…