Entertainment

Niger has announced that seven lives have been lost due to a landmine bomb during the country's presidential runoff. The seven individuals, who were members of Niger's electoral commission (CENI), reportedly drove over a landmine in the western region of Tillaberi. This took place during the second round of presidential elections this past Saturday following the December elections where presidential candidates, Mohamed Bazoum and former President Mahamane Ousmane, failed to get the majority vote. Read: Niger's Presidential Election Plagued by Increasing Violence According to Al Jazeera, the seven election officials were on their way to a polling station with ballot boxes when their car hit an explosive in Dargol. It is unclear whether the car was targeted as the region which borders Nig...

Good music comes in many flavors, and this new EP by duo Kwamz & Flava serves fans with a sonic variety. The 6-track project takes listeners from the gritty streets of London to the beautiful paradise of West Africa, fusing two worlds together with musical sounds and languages that create the perfect canvas. The project features strong collaborations including records with Dutch producer, Yin Yang, fast rising UK veteran producer, E.Double and Ghanaian sensation Darkovibes. Vibes For Days is the perfect blend of the melodic synths and witty lyricism fans have come to appreciate the duo for. "The best way to describe Kwamz & Flava to anybody is simply unpredictable, we got vibes for days and you'll never know what you will get from us," said Kwamz & Flava, speaking on the EP. T...

South African designer, Laduma Ngxokolo's internationally recognised knitwear label Maxhosa has been cast in the spotlight in the upcoming movie Coming 2 America. The Maxhosa designer recently shared on his Instagram that the famous American costume designer Ruth E. Carter had contacted him personally to work together on the costumes for the film. Ngxokolo announced the news shortly after the Coming 2 America trailer officially came out. Read: The Trailer for 'Coming 2 America' Is Here and It Looks As Iconic As the First Ngxokolo's signature designs are seen worn by lead actor Eddie Murphy and other cast members including South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha, who has clinched an acting role in the film, this according to KayaFM. Ngxokolo went on to reveal that he had been working with Ca...

South Africa's genre-bending artist, Focalistic, has dropped the highly anticipated remix for his platinum single "Ke Star" which features Davido. This comes after Focalistic and Davido teased music fans on Twitter with a short sound clip of the "Ke Star" remix earlier in the week. The "Ke Star" remix follows from Focalistic's latest album Sghubu Ses Excellent which dropped in December last year. Read: Listen to Focalistic's New Project 'Sghubu Ses Excellent' The "Ke Star" remix starts off with Davido's vocals and catchy lyrics for which the superstar is known. The remix is just as good as the upbeat original hit and the addition of one of Nigeria's best Afrobeats artists gives it an edge. A couple of weeks ago, Focalistic shared a video on Twitter of him hanging out with Davido and tea...

The story of Musa Mseleku and his family evokes legends and fairytales. The businessman, his four wives—MaCele (Busisiwe Mseleku), MaYeni (Nokukhanya Mseleku), MaKhumalo (Thobile Mseleku) and MaNgwabe (Mbali Mseleku)—and children share their story in the reality show Uthando Nesthembu ("love and polygamy" in IsiZulu). Now on season four, viewers watch as Mseleku shares how he manages his empire with a strong financial muscle and a stern, yet gentle persona. In its latest season, the show's intensifying plot is a subject of many Twitter debates viewers engage in every Thursday when it airs on Mzansi Magic (Uthando Nest'hembu also streams on Showmax). It's clear to many viewers that polygamy in Mseleku's case is a challenging set-up with too many moving parts capable of nullifying equilibr...

Nigerian musician and innovator Mr Eazi has released his latest EP Something Else. While Mr Eazi describes this project as "the calm before the storm", the multi-talented musician does not disappoint. Like Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 - Accra To Lagos (2017) and Life Is Eazi, Vol. 2 - Lagos To London (2018), the 5-track EP will have you swaying and humming along in no time. Something Else follows Mr Eazi's lead track "The Don" which was released last month. Produced by Killertunes and E Kelly, the operatic afro-trap single was a taste of Mr Eazi's ever-expanding creative vision. The second single, "E Be Mad,'' produced by Kel P and Jaylon, combines elements of classic Ghanaian highlife music with Mr Eazi's sonorous tenor to create a song he dedicates to "everyone who's in a long relationship and ...

In our 'Spotlight' series, we highlight the work of photographers, visual artists, multimedia artists and more who are producing vibrant, original work. In our latest piece, we spotlight South African self-portrait artist Zandile Tshabalala. Her debut solo exhibition titled "Enter Paradise" is set to be showcased at the ADA / contemporary art gallery in Accra, Ghana from February 25th to March 26th. The exhibition features acrylic paintings depicting sensuous Black women at one with their bodies and sexual nature. Follow Tshabalala's work on both Facebook and Instagram. Responses have have been edited for length and clarity. When did your journey as an artist begin? I've always been in touch with my creative side. I used to draw a lot of paper dolls when I was in primary school and I wan...

After an undeniably successful first run, Sudanese-American rapper (turned podcaster) Bas has ended off his inaugural season of The Messenger speaking with the man himself: Bobi Wine. The Ugandan musician-turned-politician has had a tumultuous few months; from being added to the presidential ballot and then subsequently arrested, to Wine and his wife being held under house arrest, there has been a lot to keep track of. The Messenger podcast certainly acted as an anchor point for fans or supporters to digest Wine's latest updates in relatively real time. Eight episodes later, the finale gives Wine the opportunity to rely the events leading up to and following Uganda's 2021 presidential election and the abuse he and his team faced at the hands of Uganda's ruling party and president. The ...

It is 1pm on a Saturday afternoon in Johannesburg, South Africa. In a few minutes I will be interviewing the man of the moment, superstar DJ Black Coffee, a day after the release of his much anticipated album Subconsciously. He's in Johannesburg as well, the he calls home although he doesn't happen to be here a lot. Staying on-brand with his global stardom, as we speak there is a billboard of his album cover in the middle of New York's Time Square. In 2020, the DJ/producer had 48.3 million streams of his music across 92 countries, according to Spotify. He was also scheduled to hold a residency in Ibiza, which was postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic. The nomad DJ/producer was able to tour for three months last year when Europe opened up slightly, and had some shows in South Africa durin...

Time has announced its annual Time 100 Next list. The highly coveted list, currently in its second year, recognises outstanding people from across the world in different sectors such as politics, entertainment, literature, leadership and innovation. Nigerian singer Davido, Seirra Leonean politician Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Zimbabwean-born actor Regé-Jean Page and Ugandan activist Vannesa Nakate are just a few of the Africans representing the continent. Read: Here are the African Women on the 2020 BBC '100 Women' List Ghanaian painter Amoaka Boafo is the only African-born artist featured in the artist category. His work, according to Time "highlights Black identity and the African diaspora with complexity and warmth". Boafo is listed alongside African-American actors John David Washington an...