If you haven’t seen this documentary (trailer above) on South African artist William Kentridge yet, take your time for it. William Kentridge: Anything is Possible is the first in a series of Art21-produced features focusing on contemporary art and artists. Kentridge, as always, captures the essence of recent and less recent times: “This extraordinary nonsense […]

Ever since they started putting out records in 2007, Cape Town based label Pioneer Unit has been catching the local music scene off guard. (Remember them introducing Rattex, KONFAB, Ben Sharpa and Jaak.) But you’ll rarely see these artists on South African music channels. Whatever the reason for the industry’s reluctance in the past, it […]

You’d never thought you’d see Ronnie and Pauli D from the MTV reality TV show “Jersey Shore” on This is Africa.

For the final assignment of a class I teach on Media and Africa at The New School I asked students to make short video profiles of African immigrant experiences in New York City. Most, if not all, of the students had never blogged before, nor filmed, much less edited something for public viewing. None of […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=829dg3GN7aM&w=500&h=307&rel=0] Does it matter whether we know where a music video was shot? Probably not, but watching this first clip for Simphiwe Dana’s new album Kulture Noir, I can’t help but stare at the steel barred windows of the police holding cells in the background. Daily, around that corner, you find people on the sidewalk exchanging […]

This is an ad to promote the wares of Willow TV—the California-based portal for live Internet streaming of big cricket matches—ahead of India’s tour of South Africa, a tour that kicks off today. I’ll let the stereotypes of South Africa (Afrikaner farmers, coloured klopse and Zulu fighters) and the idea of cricket as a white […]

The guys from Fresk have opinions, but we will go into that another day. Until then, this song by Brazzaville’s Fredy Massamba, Mad Pluma and Steve Mavoungou (and friends) will do. You get the message. – Tom Devriendt

[The wealthy Congolese club and current African Champions League cup holders] TP Mazembe Englebert have produced the biggest shock in the history of the FIFA Club World Cup, beating the Brazilian team Porto Alegre 2-0 to become the first team from outside Europe and South America to qualify for the final [of the tournament that […]

Some Brooklyn business. You know I live here. Read it here.–Sean Jacobs