LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Sep

11

2020

Famed British actress Dame Diana Rigg has died

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE veteran British actress has passed away at the age of 82. BBC broke the story that the Game of Thrones actress passed away peacefully on Thursday morning. Rigg’s agent said that the Dame was surrounded by her family who have asked for privacy during this difficult time. Having enjoyed a distinguished career in film, Diana Rigg was well known for playing the only bond girl to become Mrs James Bond in the 1969 film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’. Her other roles include is also known most recently for being part of the cast with distinguished…

Sep

11

2020

By The African Mirror

First look at Nike’s new active maternity collection

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO MOST mothers-to-be find it tiring to find, wear and change out of clothing they need to be active while pregnant. Nike has a solution. The company has launched an active gear range that is comfortable for all mothers-to-be when they’re either at working out at the gym, out on the road or working out in the comfort of their homes. This week saw popular active sports brand Nike promote their new collection, titled Nike (M), for sporty moms to be, explaining that the collection aims to “support women during all stages of pregnancy and beyond”. The collection was…

Sep

11

2020

By The African Mirror

Burna Boy, Davido and Sho Madjozi to hit Afro Nation 2021

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

African Mirror Reporter SOME of Africa’s current biggest musicians have been listed to perform at the world’s biggest afro-beats festival, Afro Nation in Portugal, in 2021. South Africa’s Sho Madjozi and Busiswa, Nigeria’s Davido, Wizkid and Yemi Alade are some of the big African names listed on the festival poster which was posted on social media and their website. The stars are also set to perform alongside American musicians Rick Ross and Chris Brown. https://twitter.com/afronation/status/1301067444434481152?s=21 The Afro-centric festival will be headlined by hip-hop rapper French Montana, Davido and Burna Boy. More artists are to be added to the star-studded lineup. …

Sep

08

2020

By The African Mirror

Dear Dambudzo Marechera… The letters Zimbabweans wrote to a literary star

LITERATURE

TINASHE MUSHAKAVANHU, Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of the Witwatersrand THE writer Dambudzo Marechera, who died on 18 August 1987, remains a popular figure in Zimbabwe. He is heralded by a young generation as a radical and counter-culture figure. Marechera became an instant star when his first book The House of Hunger was published to critical acclaim in 1978. The novella tells of growing up in colonial Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in raw and exquisite prose, a harrowing portrait of lives disrupted and young disillusionment. The rumour is that he wrote it in a tent or squat, but then perhaps he did not,…

Sep

07

2020

By The African Mirror

Black Panther co-stars attend Chadwick Boseman’s memorial

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

African Mirror Reporter FAMILY and friends were in attendance for the American actor Chadwick Boseman’s memorial service, paying respects to the late ‘Black Panther’ star. Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o along with other Black Panther stars attended the outdoor memorial service with Boseman’s spouse, Taylor Simone Ledward, to say their final farewells. Photos published by The Sun showed the stars attending the memorial in Malibu, California, along with a photo of Boseman on display next to a floral arrangement. The memorial service also featured music being played from a hang drum. Chadwick Boseman passed away aged 43 in Los Angeles…

Sep

06

2020

By The African Mirror

Shepherd-turned-singer mixes Lesotho folk music with techno, rap

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

EMILE BOSCH HE looks every bit the traditional Lesotho sheep herder, wrapped in a blanket to ward off the mountain kingdom's cold and swinging an ornate walking stick while he sings in the local Sesotho language. But since establishing himself in 2015, singer and rapper Teboho Mochaoa has gone beyond his home country's folk "Famo" music - with its trademark accordion and single drum - to produce an eclectic sound mixing electronic dance music, dub reggae and rap. That has enabled him to captivate audiences outside his native Lesotho, including in venues in Paris, Oslo, and Cape Town. He has…

Sep

05

2020

By The African Mirror

Janet Jackson endorses #Jerusalema!

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER FRESH from an endorsement by Cristiano Ronaldo, the world best footballer, South African viral hit and dance sensation #Jerusalema has received the thumbs up from the queen of pop - Janet Jackson. Jackson posted a video of a South African girl dancing to #Jerusalema, the hit song and dance whose video has been watched over 100-million times on social media and has had doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers, monks and other celebrities around the world dancing. Jackson posted the video on Twitter and said: “Get it sis! #Goingin # BlackMagic @MasterKGsa.” The popular song was featured in…

Sep

04

2020

By The African Mirror

Prince Harry and Meghan sign production deal with Netflix

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

BRITAIN's Prince Harry and his American-born wife Meghan have signed a multiyear contract with Netflix to produce programming ranging from children's shows to scripted series, the streaming platform has announced. The couple, who moved to Southern California with their infant son Archie earlier this year after stepping back from royal duties in the United Kingdom, will produce content on issues that resonate with them and that their nonprofit Archewell is focused on. "Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope," the couple said in a statement. "As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also…

Sep

04

2020

By The African Mirror

“This is one of those books that makes you shed tears”

LITERATURE

KHULU MBATHA WOMEN IN SOLITARY: Inside the female resistance to apartheidBy Shanthini Naidoo I recently attended the launch of a publication on the life of anti-apartheid struggle veteran Rita Ndzanga at the Phiri Community Hall, in Soweto, Johannesburg. The launch was organised by the Lawrence Ndzanga ANC Branch of Senaoane and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, which produced the booklet. Rita Ndzanga, was one of the accused at the notorious 1969 ‘Trial of 22’. The names of the 22 trialists were: 1. Lawrence Ndzanga; 2. Rita Ndzanga; 3. Winnie Madikizela Mandela; 4. Shanthie…

Oct

01

2020

By The African Mirror

COVID crisis propels homeless Kenyan youth to rising R&B star

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AYENAT MERSIE FOR most of the past three years, up-and-coming Kenyan R&B artist Raymond Georges Ndungu Jane slept under a bridge at the edge of Nairobi's Uhuru Park. Since becoming homeless after a family tragedy at 12, it had been the best place the 22-year-old former choir boy had stayed: there was informal work, generous strangers abounded, and when both dried up there were the massive bald-headed marabou storks that were easy to hunt. Things were stable enough this year for Ndungu Jane, who goes by Ray Gee, to be in the mood to sing for his friends. And in…