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Discovering Shekhinah, South Africa’s Pop and RnB Icon – New Release by Frank Njugi in English and German
Discovering Shekhinah, South Africa’s Pop and RnB Icon by Frank Njugi In modern times, much has been said of how genre feels increasingly irrelevant to the way we think about, create, and consume art. In terms of music, American music journalist, Amanda Petrusich, once explained that few contemporary music stars pride themselves on a pure or traditional approach to form, and most pull purposefully from assorted histories and practices. But sometimes, there comes along an artist who picks up a recognised style/genre and vigorously defends its superiority through a prowess that intermingles with their identities. South Africa’s Pop and RnB artist, Shekhinah Thandi Donnell, mononymously known as Shekhinah, is a prime example of an African act that has displayed…
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Aus der Dunkelheit ins Licht: Priya Hein and Riambel: Discovering the dark history of Mauritius
“Writing is a powerful tool that allows us to break existing norms, long standing hierarchical structures and to challenge traditional narratives often told from one point of view. Fiction provides a safe space for writers to use their pen to air grievances, amplify marginalized voices, raise awareness about societal issues that are often taboo, challenge oppressive regimes, advocate for gender and racial equality and more. Over the centuries, literature has not only acted as a catalyst forsocial change but has played a major role in shaping history as well as her story. “
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The Writing And Literary Philosophy Of Mauritian Author Sabah Carrim_by Frank Njugi__English and German
Sabah Carrim is a writer who initially as a young writer was against the idea of entering writing competitions. She shared the non-mainstream belief that organizing competitions, and in the process, setting down rules about winning entries, was a sure means of standardizing the stories that were produced. Her ideal was to resist the established order of promoting politically correct literature which was subject to self-censorship, shun writing that said and did nothing, and produce something unique and different that did not serve the limited perspectives and morality of the time. “Instead, the aspiration was to move beyond the particular and attain the universal. Big words. Big thoughts”, she tells me in an exclusive correspondence with her.
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Casablanca Art School: Progressive African Post-Colonialism in Art //Exhibition in Frankfurt/Germany_deutsch/english
Big Art show in Frankfurt/Germany: Schirn Kunsthalle shows art works from an influential art movement in Morocco: The Casablanca Art School. History is often made when the right people end up in the right place at the right time. That fateful alchemy defines the story of the trailblazing artists who revolutionised modern art in post-colonial Morocco. The locus of this movement was the Casablanca Art School (CAS), which underwent radical changes after artist Farid Belkahia took on the school's directorship in 1962 at age 28, six years after Morocco gained independence from French rule.
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The Continuing Rise Of Kenyan Songstress Nikita Kering by Frank Njugi_ english/german
When Kenyan musician and songstress, Nikita Kering, released her project The Other Side — a 7 track extended play — on November 11, 2022 ( under Universal Music, South Africa ), the EP struck a primal chord in anyone who has had to relive struggles of trauma. At twenty years old during its release, The Other Side, was a sequel to a 2021 debut project, A side of me – another 7 track EP that had been deluged with exploration of love, relationships and all its entails. The Other Side and A side of me, established Nikita as an artist whose blueprint is using mesmerizing vocals to synthesize self– disclosure, in both romantic and relationships with oneself, as something…
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Colombia is reconnecting with Africa through Dancing – Sankofa Danzafro in South Africa
For Sankofa Danzafro and their members, the mission of connecting to and with Africa and vice-versa through spreading a message of self-awareness, self-knowledge, the important of knowing and acknowledging one’s roots and positivity to the world through dance is one which they will continue to champion because it is also about education and educating African peoples on the continent.
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The Transcendental Poetry Of Naomi Waweru // by Frank Njugi //english_deutsch
“At sixteen, I am allowed to love a boy whose cheekbone is an analogy for how heavens hold rain intact just for Sunday mornings.” This is how my most memorable line from a Kenyan poem goes. A mesmerising line from a poem titled Analogy, published in the Liberian literary magazine Pepper Coast Lit, written by Naomi Waweru, who is perhaps one of the most exciting poets to emerge from Kenya in recent times.
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Bayreuther Klangprojekt: Bayreuth Gathering Brings Sonic Artists Under One Roof – by Tonderai Chiyindiko engl/ger
Hosted by the University of Bayreuth, Germany the Critical: Hope. Exercises in Borderlands is a gathering which will feature multiple offerings conceptualised, curated and hosted by Eylem Camuroglu, Serawit Debele as well as Katharina Fink, who is the founder and director of the Johannesburg based Sophiatown Arts Akademy.
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African Author Spotlight – Interview with Peter Ngila Njeri – Engl/Ger
AFRICAN AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT – AN INTERVIEW WITH PETER NGILA NJERI By Lorna Likiza Peter Ngila Njeri is a Kenyan Writer who won the James Currey Prize for African Literature in September 2023 for his novel manuscript, The Legend Of Beach House. This is an annual award given to the best unpublished work of fiction written in English by an African writer and named after James Currey, a renowned publisher of African literature. He is an Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni and Ebedi Fellow. In this interview with Culture Africa Associate Editor, Lorna Likiza, Peter delves deeper into the writing process of his winning manuscript and shares why he feels literary prizes are essential for writers. Lorna Likiza: Hi Peter, welcome…
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African Author Spotlight – An Interview with Dennis Mugaa_ Engl/Ger
Dennis Mugaa is a Kenyan Writer whose debut collection of Short Stories, Half Portraits Underwater, is set for release in 2024 by Nigerian Publisher, Masobe Books. No stranger to the literary scene, he won the 2022 Black Warrior Review Fiction Contest, was shortlisted for Isele Magazine’s inaugural Short Story Prize and was longlisted for the 2021 Afritondo Short Story Prize. Additionally, his works have been featured in various literary journals across Africa and overseas.
