Al Jazeera English is first out of the gate with an analysis of the life of the Nigerian President who died yesterday, but has been bedridden and in hiding for months–first in Saudi Arabia from November last year till February this year and from then at his official residence–while his appropriately named deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, […]

I first heard this track, “Love it Here,” in the video above, in February this year when the Toronto rapper, Ian Kamau, released his 3rd mixtape, “Volume 3: Love & Other Struggles” online for free download. I played the mixtape non-stop for about a week. I still wonder why I did not blog about it […]

Bill T Jones’ “Fela!,” the musical interpretation of the life of the Afrobeat king, is up for 11 Tony Awards–the most of any show this year–including Best Musical.  I haven’t seen any of the other shows up for contention, but I can attest to the brilliance of the show. From Jones’ direction, to the acting […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xktMnfb0Q0A&w=500&h=307] Janelle Monáe featuring Big Boi of Outkast, “Tight Rope.” James Brown is in the building.

From broadcaster Esther Armah‘s Facebook page: Thought for the Day. Idris Elba, 6 ft 2, Chocolate brown, a brother, an actor, formerly of The Wire, will play Norse blond Viking deity Heimdall called “the whitest of gods” in new film Thor by Kenneth Branagh, from Marvel comics. A brother playing a white God? Role choice […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np72mq3M-9s&w=500&h=307&rel=0] I like the flow of this Johannesburg band, Uju (formerly known as Sound Republic). Their first album is scheduled to come out this year. The incredible vocalist is Ntuthu Ndlovu. Good way to start the day.

Live video for “Daylight” by Canadian singer Zaki Ibrahim shot in central Cape Town as part of Taxijam, the “a series of intimate acoustic gigs shot in the back” of the minibus taxis common to South Africa streets. (Ibrahim’s father is South African.)

A few years ago during bouts of insomnia, I used to imagine redesigning a newspaper, any newspaper. I’d always get stuck on the Johannesburg newspaper, City Press, historically aimed at black readers.  I hated their ugly design. (I wrote some freelance pieces for them in the early 1990s).  Now the paper is having a design […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGpikgxn-VM&w=480&h=295#13m00s] Al Jazeera’s media criticism TV program “The Listening Post” has a useful analysis of the South African media’s reporting of the murder of the white supremacist, Eugene Terreblanche, by two farmworkers, one a 15 year old, after a wage dispute. (Not everyone is keeping a cool head; the British tabloids now report the race […]

I like the initiative and work of the designer, Emeka Alams (his family is Ivorian, I think) and his clothing line Gold Coast Trading Co.. I first saw a reference to his work in Clam Magazine‘s most recent issue.  See more below.  The company, its products or the founder have been profiled on a number […]