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Seun Kuti is Fela’s youngest son. He took charge of Egypt 80 at 15, when his father died, and is now making his own waves with his distinctive and politically incisive debut album and his shows are seriously high energy. Kuti chatted with Debbie Golt when he was in London to promote his album ….
Debbie [...]

“Black History Month (BHM) is a remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February and the United Kingdom in the month of October.” (Wikipedia)
Over the years, Black History Month has been widely criticized, not least by people of [...]

2009 has been a good year for African music. Rising stars Asa and Ayo are serenading the world with their Nigerian breed of soul and folk; in the UK,  Bashy, Tinchy Stryder, Dizzee Rascal all of African heritage dominate the charts.  On the continent, 9ice, 2Face, HHP, Awilo and Teargas represent a new wave of [...]

I am a self taught artist and started painting fairly late in my life, after seeing an image on TV in 1994 about the Rwandan Genocide.

“What are you going to do, jump off?” Solo asks jokingly to William‘s unusual request. Goodbye Solo, director Ramin Bahrani’s third feature film, begins with an intriguing conversation between taxi driver Solo (Souléymane Sy Savané), and his passenger, William (Red West). William offers Solo a large sum of money to take him to the remote [...]

Graphic novels about a city in the Ivory Coast in the 1970’s are not a regular occurrence and Aya of Yop City is a shining example of how versatile the graphic novel format can be. The story itself is not about Aya, but about the antics of her friends and family in the community of Yop City. Abouet’s writing really shines in the quickness and wit of the dialogue mixing familiar African inflections with a uniquely Ivorian sense of humour that can make light of most serious matters.

A Black leader in a white dominated world; a charismatic, powerful commander resisting prejudice and stereotypes to achieve greatness. Northern Broadsides’ timely depiction of William Shakespeare’s classic drama of tragedy and tension and jealousy recalls the ugly racism that has been part of European society and culture for several centuries.

In 1974, the most celebrated American r&b acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Southern Africa for a 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire.”
Soul Power is the kind of documentary that can make you nostalgic for a time in which you may not have even been born. [...]

Pauline Malefane is a woman of many talents. The award-winning actress, screenwriter, opera singer and musical director was last seen in London in 2007/8 as part of Isango Portobello Theatre Company’s The Magic Flute. She is back in London with a lead role in The Mysteries.

As the gloomy autumn sets in, the London African Music Festival at the Southbank Centre will bring some reminiscing of summer with an array of sounds: from the sensuous sax by cutie YolanDa Brown, to the exquisite harmonies of gospel group The Yoruba Women’s Choir, and the chilled vibe of nu soul group Hil St Soul led by Zambian Hilary Mwelwa.

District 9 is certainly an original sci-fi thriller. Sure, the giant ship hovering above the city is from Independence Day, the hand-held style from Cloverfield, and the aliens straight out of H.R. Giger’s sketch book, but it is set in Johannesburg, not in New York or Washington. Any South African film making it to number one at the US box-office is a turn up for the books, but one that takes the Americans on at their own overblown, CGI-laden game? This is a first.

A former Gymnastic champion, choreographer Aicha Mckenzie formed award-winning talent agency AMCK Management in 2005 with partner Paolo Pecoraro. It boasts an elite selection of dancers, models and choreographers serving a clientele list that includes Gwen Stefani and Dolce & Gabbana. Catch a Vibe had a chance to talk to Aicha at the AMCK office, inside the trendy Westbourne Studios.

Nwaubani transforms 419 scammers and their world into fresh subject matter for her humorous debut novel I Do Not Come To You By Chance. The narrative centres on Kinglsey , university graduate and son of proud Nigerian parents, who finds himself having to navigate between respectable poverty and disreputable wealth.

Courttia Newland, writer of many urban literature novels and short stories, met up with Catch a Vibe to talk about black writers, the future of black writing and co-editing Global Village Tell Tales 4 a collection of short stories from writers around the world.
CAV: In compiling Tell Tales were you looking for a specific kind [...]

This collection of four highly accomplished Cuban films gives a fascinating insight into the country and how it views its own history.
The earliest film, I am Cuba (Soy Cuba, 1964) deals with the Revolution most directly. Russian director Mikhail Kalatozov’s lyrical propaganda piece tells the story of four Cubans and how they suffered before the [...]

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