Author: Ewang Johnson

This week on Paris des Arts, author and filmmaker Amanda Sthers joins us to discuss her latest novel, “C”, in which she explores the transformation of a couple while also portraying a France stripped of nuance, obsessed with identity issues and the rise of extremism. Source link

With Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked, on which the successful Broadway musical and now duo of feature films are based, The Wicked Witch of the West was given a name – Elphaba – and a backstory that elicits empathy for an outcast who was branded a villain for standing up for those less fortunate. In reclaiming the witch as a misunderstood character and, along with aspirational pop cultural representations such as Bewitched’s Samantha and Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige Halliwell of the 1990s series Charmed, the conical hat becomes a lot less sinister.It’s also partly thanks to Academy Award-winning Wicked costume…

DURBAN, South Africa — Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, used a keynote address at the 19th Chief Albert Luthuli Memorial Lecture on Thursday to deliver a pointed assessment of global trade tensions and a cautious but optimistic outlook for Africa’s economic future.Speaking at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville Campus, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said the international trading system is under strain from escalating unilateral tariffs and declining multilateral cooperation. She warned that increased protectionism by major economies threatens the stability of global markets, noting that recent tariff hikes had sharply raised duties on several countries, including South Africa.“Trade…

Africa is home to 50 million displaced people living in overcrowded refugee camps and with little hope for the future. However, a shift in view can see them as unexpected economic assets and the camps as crucibles of innovation. This was the message from a discussion organised by the Amahoro Coalition during the last UNGA.  With nearly 50m Africans without a stable home due to conflict, economic distress and climate shocks, displacement has become one of the most pressing challenges facing the continent. However, speakers convened by the Amahoro Coalition on the margins of the September UN General Assembly (UNGA)…

In this episode of Arts 24, we look at “Fall of Freedom” – a nationwide wave of performances, readings and public art events as artists across the United States mobilise against mounting censorship and political pressure on cultural institutions. Hundreds of theatres, museums, and libraries are taking part on November 21 and 22 in what organisers call an urgent stand for artistic freedom. Joining us from New York are two of the movement’s leading voices: Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Lynn Nottage and visual artist Dread Scott. They discuss why they believe democracy is at risk, how cultural institutions are being pressured…

Hidden for decades from public view, the artist’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer has now sold at auction for a record sum. Why is it so valuable?A mysterious and relatively little-known painting by Gustav Klimt is now the most expensive work of modern art ever to sell at auction and the most expensive ever to be sold by Sotheby’s. The teasingly complex canvas, a full-length portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, the daughter of the Austrian artist’s most committed patrons, fetched $236.4m (£180m) in New York on 18 November, far outpacing the price paid two years ago for Klimt’s Lady with a Fan, 1917-18,…

Geneva, Switzerland, 19 November 2025 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/-Zimbabwe is intensifying efforts to improve the prevention, early detection and treatment of breast and cervical cancers by integrating cancer and chronic disease services into primary health care. This approach aims to bring essential health services closer to communities and ensure women have equitable access to quality care.Cervical cancer accounts for almost 41% of all cancers among women in the country, followed by breast cancer at 13%, according to Zimbabwe’s National Cancer Registry. To address the burden, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and…

As editor-in-chief of Territorial Challenges, Nidam Abdi monitors international developments dedicated to the digital transition of local authorities. He believes that in order to succeed in its digital revolution, French-speaking Africa must learn from English-speaking countries. If French-speaking Africa wants to succeed in its digital transition and establish the competitiveness of Made in Africa internationally, it must draw inspiration from English-speaking models where universities, businesses and public authorities work hand in hand. This is where the continent’s digital sovereignty is at stake. At a time when globalisation is accelerating at the pace of algorithms, one conviction is clear: Africa will…

Film critic Emma Jones joins Eve Jackson to unpack Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s show-stopping return to Oz in Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked: For Good”, the blockbuster sequel landing with sky-high expectations, brand-new music and even a headline-grabbing incident at its Asian premiere. But this week’s arts24 film show has far more than pink bubbles and green glamour. Source link

Grande really gets her moments to shine in this instalment and makes the most of them. She was always ideal in the role, giving Glinda just the right little giggle and hair flip. She has a stronger narrative arc here as Glinda becomes disappointed and disillusioned. When she sings the line “I couldn’t be happier”, the cracks in the happy facade begin to show. Erivo continues to create Elphaba as righteously determined to expose the Wizard’s fakery and also hurt at the way she has been vilified, but that arc is more familiar now.   More like this:• 10 of the hottest…