Author: Ewang Johnson

Emmanuel Lafont(Credit: Emmanuel Lafont)Forty years ago, Northern English poet Harrison published a powerful work inspired by vandalised gravestones in his hometown Leeds. Then, when it was screened on TV in 1987, a national furore erupted.”FOUR LETTER TV POEM FURY” thundered the front page of one British newspaper, condemning the “cascade of expletives”. “FROM BAD TO VERSE” was the headline of another article, that quoted a Conservative Member of Parliament questioning whether the said poem “serves any artistic purpose whatsoever”. And a group of particularly exercised MPs called for a debate in the House of Commons.The furore was about a poem…

Africa.com is excited to present Africa, Meet 7 Black Astronauts! The free, virtual event features seven Black NASA astronauts. Scheduled for March 18, 2025, this inspiring event invites students, educators, and curious minds from across Africa and beyond to hear firsthand from trailblazing astronauts who have made history in space exploration. Co-hosted by Africa.com and the Student Sponsorship Programme (SSP), the event highlights the transformative power of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and offers a rare opportunity to engage directly with some of the most accomplished astronauts of our time. Meet the 7 Featured Astronauts: Dr. Robert L.…

Every year, the Super Bowl halftime show sparks conversations, debates, and polarizing reactions. This year was no different with Kendrick Lamar taking the stage. I braced myself for the inevitable wave of criticism, particularly from older audiences who struggle to connect with modern artists. And unfortunately, much of this criticism seems disproportionately aimed at Black artists like Lamar—and rap music in general.Looking past Lamar’s performance for a moment, it’s worth noting that such criticism actually reveals a significant issue in our culture: we see so many things, music included, through a consumerist lens. Instead of seeing music as an art…

After the commercial and critical success of “Parasite”, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho has adopted a very different tone for his sci-fi comedy “Mickey 17”. Film critic Ben Croll tells us why Robert Pattinson is very good at acting alongside multiple selves, and how the movie’s overblown atmosphere sits within Bong’s body of work. We also discuss the atmospheric film “Black Dog”, from Chinese director Guan Hu, which takes place in a ghost town in the Gobi Desert and we learn about the phenomenal success of “Ne Zha 2” as the children’s movie becomes the highest-grossing animated feature of all…

Lucia Iuorio/ Netflix(Credit: Lucia Iuorio/ Netflix)Lampedusa’s mid-20th-Century novel The Leopard became a bestseller, then a revered film – and is now a lavish Netflix series. Its withering takedown of society’s flaws and hypocrisies still hits home today.”Dying for somebody or for something, that was perfectly normal, of course: but the person dying should know, or at least feel sure, that someone knows for whom or for what he is dying.” These are some of the opening lines of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard, published in 1958, only a year after the author died of cancer.These words are from the…

The West African Regional Stock Exchange, the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM), is returning to London for the eagerly awaited launch of the latest BRVM Investment Days Roadshow. BRVM Investment Days, now a familiar must-attend event on the international investment agenda, takes place on 8 April 2025 at the London Stock Exchange. The roadshow is the ideal opportunity to get a detailed overview of the West African business and investment landscape, as it fosters strategic dialogue between participants in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) regional financial market and international investors. The invitation-only tour, themed ‘Exploring Portfolio…

“Go down Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,” the old spiritual says. “Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go.” I’m fond of this song’s rendition by Jess Lee Brooks in Sullivan’s Travels (1941). Brooks portrays a pastor that reminds his congregation not to make unwelcome by word, action, or look those joining the service that night. As they sing “Go down Moses,” prisoners from a local chain gang shuffle in and take their seats. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Wait.…

Taiwanese-American comedy sensation Atsuko Okatsuka speaks to Eve Jackson about building a global fan base with her offbeat humour, her viral dance routines with her grandmother and her groundbreaking HBO special “The Intruder”, which solidified her as a comedy star. They also dive into the Parisian audience’s unexpected liveliness during her latest show “Full Grown” and how she accidentally created the viral Drop Challenge that had everyone from Serena Williams to Kerry Washington squatting to Beyoncé. Tune in to hear more about her rise in comedy, the challenges she’s faced, and what audiences can expect from her upcoming shows in…

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon — The Cameroonian government has expressed strong indignation over recent attacks on two of its senior officials in Belgium, calling on the Belgian authorities to strengthen security measures and prevent further incidents.The Minister of External Relations, MBELLA MBELLA, summoned the Belgian Ambassador to Cameroon, Alain Leroy, on Tuesday to formally protest what it described as “odious acts of aggression” against Minister of Youth and Civic Education Mounouna Foutsou and Daniel Evina Abe’e, Cameroon’s Ambassador to Belgium. The attacks occurred on Feb. 28 and March 3 in Brussels during the closing ceremony of Youth Month.During the meeting, Mbella Mbella…

Alamy(Credit: Alamy)Are you warm, cool or neutral? How the retro trend of “getting your colours done” made a comeback with personalised colour analysis on social media – and how your perfect colours can “spark careers, conversations and connections”.Do you have cool or medium undertones? Does red brighten your skin or dull you down? Questions like these, that may not have crossed your mind before, are now prominent on social media, as users try to define their colour palettes. Colour analysis, once considered niche, has seen a surge in popularity, with appointments booked months in advance and apps including TikTok and Instagram flooded…