Forbes Africa

re-scripting this chapter for posterity

‘UNPRECEDENTED’, THE WORD MOST USED in 2020, took on a new avatar in South Africa in July. Like its virulent spiked contemporary – the coronavirus – this life-altering crisis reared its ugly head in the streets, towns and innards of the country, disembowelling an economy that was plundered to its depths like never before in recent history. Factories were up in flames, shops were pillaged, a child was hurled down a burning building and the shameful looting and lawlessness plummeted Africa’s second biggest economy, already ravaged by a vicious virus, to record lows. The world saw searing images of rioters defying security forces, the rule of law and the army that had to be roped in as looters attacked basic economic infrastructure and the beating heart of business. On our small screens, the scenes…

the priorities and prudence to ensure a sustainable future

THERE ARE MANY BIOGRAPHICAL productions that I have not only watched with interest but have also been influenced by; there are two that stand out. The first was Richard Attenborough’s film on the life of Gandhi that was released in 1982. The second is a documentary produced in 1996 by Angus Gibson and Jo Menell titled Mandela – Son of Africa, Father of a Nation. While South Africa and India have a lot of shared histories, these two men stand out as giants who were responsible for the freedom movement in the two nations. Both were lawyers who sacrificed a lot personally for greater good; both served prison terms, suffered at the hands of their captors but finally won their respect and freedom for their people. When it came to…

showcasing south africa’s homegrown dance culture

IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN entertainment scene, the term JIVA is not foreign to you. Netflix has now marked South African dance on the map with this new original five-part series. FORBES AFRICA spoke to the stars of the show, Noxolo Dlamini and Candice Modiselle, a day before its release. South African actor and dancer Dlamini, who plays Ntombi in JIVA, is ecstatic about her breakthrough lead role, not only from a personal perspective but also from the lens of highlighting how “deeply rooted” the South African dance scene is. “I am hoping audiences will take away that we are more alike than we seem but more importantly, highlight how big the dance culture is in South Africa,” Dlamini says. “And also how seriously we take it.” South African BBC’s…

‘every african nation’ at expo 2020 dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai is going ahead with its plans for hosting the mega global event, with an opening ceremony on September 30 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The event’s theme is Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. To be held until March 31, 2022, the event will feature Africa in its entirety. Billed as “the world’s biggest cultural gathering”, the invite-only opening ceremony is expected to feature “stunning visuals and world-class acts”, and will take place at Al Wasl Plaza, featuring the world’s largest 360-degree projection surface. Each of the 191 participating countries will have its own pavilion. To a query from FORBES AFRICA about Africa’s participation, the organizers say: “For decades, the UAE and Africa have enjoyed strong economic ties. Africa has a lot to offer, and the Expo will provide a platform…

billionaires branson, bezos and musk in space race

Billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson flew into outer space on July 11on his SpaceShipTwo 53.5 miles above Earth. Branson was joined in his spacecraft, named Eve after his mother, by pilots Mike Masucci and Dave Mackay and fellow fliers Beth Moses, Colin Bennett, and Sirisha Bandla. A day after the successful flight, Virgin Galactic, the British-American aerospace company Branson founded, revealed it has filed to sell up to $500 million in stock to investors. Fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon.com and Blue Origin, his own space company, also flew into suborbital space on July 20, the 52nd anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic lunar landing. The space race continues. SpaceX founder and South African-born billionaire CEO Elon Musk is also determined to venture into space and conquer Mars.…

merging music genres for africa

Arguably one of the biggest genres in Africa, Afrobeats collaborated with one of South Africa’s biggest genres, Amapiano. Breakup Riddim, an Amapiano-infused love song, by Ghanaian Collins Nartey, known professionally as DJ Aroma, featuring award-winning artist Oluwatosin Ajibade, also known as Nigerian hitmaker Mr. Eazi and one of South Africa’s popular female vocalists Nhlanhla Nciza. Nartey said in a statement after the song’s release in July that the discussion of the song has been in discussion for a while; they were just looking for an “appropriate time”. “Since 2019, there have been a couple of songs we worked on but this year gave us every reason to leap and release this track,” he said. “Amapiano is the reigning genre hence we settled on this masterpiece for Africa and the global market. It is…