Entertainment

Beyoncé makes history as first Black woman to top Billboard country chart

Beyoncé has broken another record; this time in country music with 'Texas Hold 'Em'.

21 February, 2024 50

Why does a leap year have 366 days?

Leap Day is coming. Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda/iStock, via Getty images Bhagya Subrayan, Purdue University Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why does a leap year have 366 days? Does the Earth move slower every four years? – Aarush, age 8, Milpitas, California You may be used to hearing that it […]

21 February, 2024 25

Africa

Nervous Conditions: on translating one of Zimbabwe’s most famous novels into Shona

By Tinashe Mushakavanhu, University of Oxford The publishing journey of Zimbabwean writer and film-maker Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions wasn’t easy. Yet the novel is today considered by many as one of Africa’s 100 best books of the 20th century and is studied at universities around the world. When she submitted the manuscript to publishing houses in Zimbabwe in the early 1980s, they all turned it down. Dangarembga […]

20 February, 2024 42

Africa

From Dreaming to Drawing: Omotunde Akiode’s Journey from Screenwriter to Acclaimed Animator

By Gbemisola Esho, via bird story agency Omotunde Akiode sits at her workstation in Lagos, appearing to doodle. To the occasional visitor, this may look like play but the result of the creative session will be a very real cartoon character, possibly for an acclaimed African cartoon series -- like Supa4. “I grew up watching Sesame Street, the Muppet show animations on television. I saw the […]

15 February, 2024 37

Entertainment

2024 Superbowl breaks viewership records

Not sure if you’ve watched Usher's performance...rollerskate dancing, Alicia Keys, and Lil John...But this year's Superbowl was the most watched television broadcast since the 1969 Moon landing. According to preliminary television ratings between 125 to 150 million people tuned into the annual spectacular. But who or what did they come to watch? Football, Usher, or Taylor Swift? Jody Jacobs reports.

14 February, 2024 39

Entertainment

100 years of radio in Africa: from propaganda to people’s power

By Sisanda Nkoala, University of the Western Cape; Christina Chan-Meetoo, University of Mauritius; Jacinta Mwende Maweu, University of Nairobi; Marissa J. Moorman, Indiana University; Modestus Fosu, Ghana Institute of Journalism, and Stanley Tsarwe, University of Namibia Radio is thriving across Africa. Exact figures are difficult to come by because audience research differs across countries. But studies estimate radio listenership to be between 60% and 80% of the continent’s […]

13 February, 2024 45

Entertainment

Books: folklore and fantasy combine in Langabi, a supernatural historical epic from Zimbabwe

By Gibson Ncube, Stellenbosch University In 2023, award-winning Zimbabwean author Christopher Mlalazi published a new book, Langabi: Season of the Beast. He’s the author of novels like Running with Mother (2012), Dancing with Life: Tales from the Township (2012) and They are Coming (2014). His books grapple with diverse social and political issues in Zimbabwe. As a scholar of African literature, including speculative fiction, I have […]

9 February, 2024 31

Entertainment

Rapper Kanye West lists Kenya, and Nigeria as tour venues

US rapper Kanye West has excited his fans in Kenya and Nigeria after listing the two countries among the potential concert venues for his new tour. According to the BBC, a tentative venue list shared on West's Instagram stories shows that the rapper plans to perform at Eko Energy City in Lagos and the Nyayo International Stadium in Nairobi. West also shared interest in performing at Egypt's Giza Pyramids.

8 February, 2024 48

Entertainment

Tyla wins Grammy award for Best African Music Performance

South African music sensation Tyla Seethal has won a Grammy for Best African Music Performance for her hit song 'Water', which has become a global hit, edging out Nigeria's Burna Boy, Davido, and Ayra Starr. The BBC reports that last year, Water became a widely popular global summer anthem, propelling it to smash records on streaming platforms and dominate charts like the Billboard Hot 100.

5 February, 2024 248