Africa’s first 21st century global pop star?
Nigerian D'Banj draws big crowds on the continent and regularly plays the diaspora circuit in cities like London. Next, pop stardom.
Nigeria
Thandie Newton is bi-racial, and not Igbo
Thandi Newton choice as a female lead in the screen adaptation of "Half of a Yellow Sun" has some people upset.
The whole ‘Afrobeats’ thing
Afrobeats is broadly what most people think when they try to define black music in the UK. But it is hard to pin down.
Guinness for the people
Beer company Guinness’s new commercial “The Ticket,” made for its huge Nigerian market and first unveiled in early January this year, used local actors and crew, has Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba versions (the first time Guinness made ads in local languages), and contains a realistic storyline: A loyal brother who makes sure he doesn’t forget […]
Dissatisfied young people
Chika Unigwe has been at the forefront of solidarity efforts in support of the #OccupyNigeria protests. Tom Devriendt spoke to her.
Modern life in Lagos
Nigeria is surely too large and its art community too diverse for any claims for representativeness to be sincerely possible?
Nigeria's Prophet
By now you’ve probably watched the (British) Channel 4 TV documentary film about Nigeria’s millionaire preachers–the fake healings, buckets full of money collected by church leaders (“tithes”), police escorts, mall openings as well as all that flash. This all against a background of grinding poverty. I watched it last night. Most Nigerian blogs not surprisingly […]
On Brand Nigeria
A quick read of comments to recent posts defending gay rights, point to how deep-seated and widespread homophobia is in Nigeria.
Fighting somebody else's war
By Basia Lewandowska Cummings We British are very good at honoring the dead. Last Friday Prime Minister David Cameron, his deputy Nick Clegg et al attended the annual Remembrance Day ceremony; our political elite competed to appear most sombre, respectful. Central London was peppered with war memorials–heavy sculptures in dark metals, the lists of names […]
Music Break. Friday Bonus Edition, N°1
Girl Power is big among female West African pop singers. Or so recent music videos suggest. We’ve featured Goldie Harvey and Lousika (Ghana) here before. Now here’s two more. First up is Ghanaian Efya with “Sexy Sassy Wahala,” from the soundtrack of 10-part Ghanaian movie “Adams Apple“: Next up is Nigerian singer Zara Gretti:
Take me to your leader: Babatunde Fashola
The Governor of Lagos has larger ambitions than just governing Nigeria's and probably Africa's most vibrant megacity.
Found Objects No.14
“Judge Hatchett Discovers She Is Nigerian.” She even does accents. The Hausa gets mangled in the process. So does Benin. * Found Objects is back.
‘The Art of El Anatsui’
Film Review by Elliot Ross* Making a film about an artist whose work is as beautiful as El Anatsui’s must be a daunting thing. But Susan Vogel, in her new documentary, ‘Fold, Crumple, Crush: The Art of El Anatsui’ (trailer above), has achieved a sensitive and sophisticated portrait that will intrigue Anatsui devotees even as […]
Nigerian Independence
Okay we’re a day late. (It’s Sean’s fault.) Happy Indpendence Day Nigeria. Your music industry is too large and prolific and dominant across the continent and the globe to sum up in a few videos, but here’s an idea: Neo-Juju [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEkG6EswH2w&w=600&h=369]
Music Break / Nneka
Nneka‘s “Soul is Heavy” from her new album. Extras: Part 1 and Part 2.
'The Nigerian Jersey Shore'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Is90VKyLk Baylor University students (members of the campus African Studies Association) parodies those icons of 21st century Americana, The Jersey Shore. Nails, biceps and blackberries–and egusi soup–for everyone. That said it is 7 minutes too long.
Lady Gaga lives in Lagos
Goldie’s allusions to madness typify a common theme present in the music of many of today’s successful female artists.
Pleasurable Music
The second lives of Faaji Agba, a collective of octogenarian Nigerian musicians who perform a mix of Nigerians' favorite genres.