CULTURE & SOCIETY

Nigerian singing legend Olanrewaju Abdul-Ganiu Fasasi, more famously known as Sound Sultan, has died. The rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, comedian and recording artist, who is regarded as one of the pacesetters of modern hip hop music in Nigeria, died on Sunday, 11 July in the US of throat cancer. He was 44. Tributes continue to be paid to the artist. …

A powerful Nigerian delegation visited Berlin on Wednesday, 7 July 2021, to pursue the return of the famous Benin bronze heads and other cultural artefacts that were pillaged from that country in the 19th Century during a punitive expedition of the British Army. Led by Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the delegation included Mr Godwin Obaseki, the Governor …

The international committee of the All African Music Awards (Afrima) has announced the 2021 event calendar at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, marking the opening of Afrima 2021. This year’s calendar features a lineup of undertakings and events that would take place between 20 June and 21 November 2021. Speaking on behalf of the African Union, the …

The annual African Book Festival Berlin holds on 16-17 July. The festival, which was held for the first time in 2018, brings together the best-known authors and artists from Africa and its diaspora for lectures, discussions, readings, interviews, concerts, theatre and spoken word performances. Each year, the festival goes far beyond the mere presentation of new books and authors, as …

The Zimbabwean author and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga has been named the recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2021. The Prize honours personalities who have contributed to the realisation of the idea of peace in literature, science or art. “In her films, she addresses problems that arise from the clash between tradition and modernity,” explained Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, …

The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing has announced 153 submissions from 22 African countries via their new online submissions platform this year, including an entry from Burkina Faso, for the first time. Also announced, are the five Judges for the 2021 Prize. Caine is a literature prize awarded to an African writer of a short story published in English. …

Clothes are important to us humans in our daily activities as they do far more than covering our nakedness. Clothing and dress as a social activity and obligation show our sex, profession, social status/class, and are symbols of communication, have aesthetic value, indicates one’s nobility, shows one’s ethnic or other identities, protect from the environment etc. We give impressions and …

Creative fashion designers, fashion bloggers, jewellery makers, make-up artists, models, fashion brands and influencers from across the globe will gather virtually at the ‘Fashion Major Event’ on 29 May. The creatives will showcase their designs and discuss the post-Covid world for fashion at the online exhibition-fair-conference themed Your Fashion Sense. The pandemic has changed the way we live, work and …

Germany has agreed to return all Benin artefacts by 2022. The artefacts are those taken from the Benin Royal Court following the British incursion in 1849. This was announced on Tuesday at a press briefing in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The event was attended by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed; Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki; and the German delegation. …

A new book, written by the German-Nigerian gospel singer and which dwells on how to overcome difficult phases of life, will be launched on 16 May. Here’s what you should know about the book —– Trapped in the Dark is a real life story book written by the German-Nigerian gospel song writer, recording and performing artist, Joyce Ejiogu-Schmeer. She has …

MY! is an inclusive social media platform that appeals to all age groups NAIROBI, Kenya, April 27, 2021/ — MyCountry MyWorld is set to launch MY! a social media platform for Africans by Africans providing possibilities in world exploration by giving users the opportunity to bring their country and world to each other. MY! A social media platform is set …

The artefacts are mostly from the British looting of the ancient Kingdom of Benin in the 19th century. Now German museums have now agreed to return the art treasures to Nigeria following years of demands for restitution —- German museums are to return the art treasures of the Benin bronzes considered as looted property to Nigeria next year. This was …

Nigerian Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has hit 20 million followers on Instagram. The multiple-award wining musician is now the most followed African artiste on the Facebook-owned photo and video sharing social networking service. As of January 2021, the most followed person on Instagram is Portuguese professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo with over 275 million followers. Davido also recently …

Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba (14 June 1949 – 24 April 2016) It was a terrible shock for the African and international music world when news about Papa Wemba’s passing away circulated around the globe on 24 April 2016. More so as it happened when he was in full swing during a performance at a festival in Abidjan on the night …

Nigerian feature film ‘Eyimofe’ has been selected for the 50th anniversary edition of the New Directors/New Films Festival in New York. The movie follows factory worker technician Mofe, played by Jude Akuwudike, and Hairdresser Rosa, played by Temi Ami-Williams, on their quest for what they hope will be a better life on foreign shores. However, things take a sudden shift …

Pine Kazi, a women-led shoe design house based in Kenya, is the winner of Fashionomics Africa’s sustainable fashion competition. The fashion company, which converts pineapple leaf and recycled rubber into fashionable footwear, wins a $2,000 cash prize, access to media exposure opportunities, and mentorship and networking opportunities from competition collaborators. Fashionomics Africa is an initiative of the African Development Bank, …

The Nigerian Government on Thursday received a stolen Ile-Ife artefact from Mexico.  Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama received the artwork from the Charge D’affaires of the Nigerian mission in Mexico, Yakubu Dadu. “Presented with an ancient bronze sculpture by Dr. Yakubu Dadu, Chargé Affaires of The Nigerian Embassy in Mexico,” the minister tweeted on his official handle. “This Ife …

ZDF will broadcast the new documentary film König Bansah und seine Tochter (King Bansah and his daughter) on 29 March. The film takes viewers to Ludwigshafen, where Togbui Ngoryifia Kosi Olatidoye Céphas Bansah lives and runs a car repair workshop, and on a journey to Africa, where he’s a chief who is active in the development of his community. König …

A Nigerian minister has described the Grammy Awards of music stars Burna Boy and Wizkid’s as endorsement of Afrobeat genre of music Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, on Monday, while congratulating the music stars for their feats, said that Afrobeat genre of music had propelled Nigeria’s increasing prominence of the music world. In a statement issued by …

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, February 24, 2021/ — Digital platforms in Africa should scale up to take advantage of the continent’s surging demand for creative content, said Africa Investment Forum Senior Director Chinelo Anohu, adding that the African Development Bank flagship entity is providing advisory services and investment support to creative players. The Africa Investment Forum was working to promote content …