CNN just published a list of the eleven players who dominated and defined football in the 2000s. Samuel Eto’o of Inter Milan and Cameroon and probably the best footballer out of Africa, is the only continental player that made the list. That’s deserved. Eto’o, by the way, is also the official face of next June’s World Cup in South Africa.
DANCE LESSONS
December 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Great piece of video footage of James Brown (circa 1970s) showing off his dance moves.
FILM / ‘THE UMBRELLA MAN’
December 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Recently I blogged here about the Cape Town New Year’s Carnival, a series of marches, competitions and celebrations that incorporates Christmas Choirs, “Malay” Choirs and klopse (known to some participants as “Coons” or minstrels for their use of blackface) and the cultural politics around it. Well, I’ve had word of the film “The Umbrella Men” which revolves a group of klopse (the film’s creators talk about “minstrels”) who “… fall on hard-times and decide to rob a local bank during the chaos of the carnival.”
YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP
December 28, 2009 By 1 Comment
Just before Christmas “The New York Times ” led its sports section with a story about Ater Majok, a future University of Connecticut baskeball player born in Sudan but educated in Australia and the US, with the headline “A Warrior from Africa,” and this introduction:
POP’AFRICANA
December 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
It’s worth checking out Pop’Africana, a brilliant fashion blog that styles itself as “… “The Africana Global Book of Style.” I really like the aesthetic and the cultural politics of the blog. It just needs to be updated more regularly. Apparently they intend to bring out a print magazine in “early 2010.” That’s good news.
For some testimonials, see Dazed & Confused and The Fader Blog.
MIXTAPES / J PERIOD AND NNEKA PRESENTS ‘THE MADNESS’
December 17, 2009 By 1 Comment
Nneka is like the Angelique Kidjo of hipsters. [Liz at Rivvmixx reminds me that Nneka is also about to collaborate with The Roots.]
Download her mixtape with J Period here.
REVIEW / “INVICTUS”
December 17, 2009 By 1 Comment
A friend (he’s a filmmaker himself) emailed me his opinion about “Invictus,” the film in which Nelson Mandela conspires with Matt Damon to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup and absolve white people from all responsibility for wealth and privilege amassed under Apartheid:
I saw Invictus … I just wanted to tell you that from a filmmaker’s perspective I thought the story was not well-developed and the characters lacked dramatic arc where they have doubts, grow, learn etc. I enjoyed the acting, but was not satisfied with the script and the film overall. It was missing on the side of the drama and felt more like a docu-drama as opposed to a strong drama with an engaging storyline. And thus, in that way, it was disappointing
‘A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT AIDS, PILLS AND GERTRUDE STEIN’
December 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Anyone seen the new “documentary” film, “Fig Trees: A documentary about AIDS, Pills and Gertrude Stein” (2009) by Canadian director John Greyson? It’s about AIDS activism in South Africa (and Canada)? The clip, above, from the film has actors portraying South African AIDS activists (Simon Nkoli, Christopher Moraka, Gugu Dlamini and Nkosi Johnson) “… sing[ing] about their lives and their refusal to be immortalized as saints and martyrs“.
TIME / ‘COULD JACOB ZUMA BE THE PRESIDENT SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS?’
December 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Long piece in the American news magazine “Time.” [BTW, does anyone still read it or take it seriously?) based on an interview with Zuma (Time claims it is a "rare interview" when Zuma always grants media interviews.] The reporter Alex Perry writes that since Zuma election in April, he has “surprised” observers of South Africa by “expand[ing] accountability” and quotes Zuma, referring to his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki: “I am a Zulu. I should not be trying to be an American or more British. I must be Zulu.”
Related: Around the same time, “Newsweek” ran a piece recently about Mandela’s political legacy in South Africa.
