critics - The African Mirror

Jul

24

2024

Kenya’s former President Daniel arap Moi mastered the art of silencing critics – why his tactics wouldn’t work today

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

COUNTRYWIDE protests, police killings, mass arrests and calls for the president to stand down. This is Kenya in 2024 – and, for many, it’s evoking memories of another era: the 24-year rule of Daniel arap Moi. However, Kenya is a very different country today with a new constitution, an array of institutional reforms and a freer media environment. This means that Moi-era strategies are no longer available to, or will no longer work for, Kenya’s current president, William Ruto. During his presidency, which lasted from 1978 to 2002, Moi ruled with an iron fist. His obsession with control and loyalty,…

Dec

01

2023

By The African Mirror

Opera in Cape Town: critics trace how a colonial art form was reinvented as African

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MANY people thought that classical opera in South Africa – regarded as a Western, colonial art form that was the preserve of white people during apartheid – would die with democracy in 1994. Instead, the opposite happened. Black singers emerged as the new stars and the format of opera began to be Africanised for new audiences. Critics mapped this transformation as Cape Town established itself as a hotbed of the new opera. One such critic was Wayne Muller, who became an academic and wrote a PhD on the view of these changes. Now he has a book on the subject…

May

20

2023

By TAREK AMARA

Tunisia police to investigate two top journalists, radio station says

NEWS

TUNISIA'S most popular independent radio station said two of its top broadcasters, critics of President Kais Saied, have been summoned by police for questioning, amid fears of an escalating government campaign against the media. Radio Mosaique said its broadcasters Haythem El Mekki and Elyess Gharbi were going to be questioned by police on Friday in an investigation linked to journalistic content. Police and Interior Ministry spokespeople were not immediately available to comment on the report. El Mekki, who presents a daily show on Radio Mosaique criticising Saied's policies, this week raised concerns about the country's methods of recruiting police after…

Apr

27

2023

By The African Mirror

Tender Photo: the newsletter that’s creating a new conversation about African photography

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NIGERIA'S Emmanuel Iduma is many things: writer, editor, publisher, critic and photographer. In 2022 he combined these skills to introduce a newsletter, Tender Photo, sent to subscribers twice a week. It has since become an important platform for African photographers, writers, critics and curators. Published on Substack, it has become so widely popular that it was a featured publication on the online newsletter support site. Author TINASHE MUSHAKAVANHU, Junior Research Fellow, University of Oxford Iduma is the author of three books: I Am Still With You, a memoir on the Nigerian Civil War; A Stranger’s Pose, a travelogue; and The…