Author: Ewang Johnson

By Maxwell Okello In today’s world, creative industries such as music, film, and sports are no longer merely side hustles; they have become driving forces of modern economies. The creative economy is reshaping how nations grow, how cultures connect, and how young people find their voice and livelihood. For Kenya, the same principle applies. According to the ACP-EU Culture Programme, the country’s creative sector is not only vibrant but surging ahead, growing 60% faster than other industries nationally. Today, the creative economy has become a central pillar in fostering entrepreneurship and advancing Kenya’s broader economic development agenda. With the right…

It’s France’s biggest music festival, drawing up to 300,000 people to the little town of Clisson every year. We check in with music critic Marjorie Hache who brings us the latest from Hellfest, with headliners Judas Priest, Korn, Linkin Park and British rockers Muse debuting their new single at this year’s festival. We also get a glimpse of a new exhibition at La Défense showcasing the huge diversity of street art from around the world, and learn how the V&A museum in London has taken a radical new approach to their collections.  Source link

AlamyTwenty years ago, Ang Lee’s drama about the love between two male sheep herders was finally released after a long struggle to get it made. It was a watershed moment for gay representation that balanced playing by Hollywood’s rules and changing them.When it was released in 2005, Brokeback Mountain entered the collective consciousness in a way that is vanishingly rare for a film with queer subject matter. Even non-cinephiles would have been aware of the “gay cowboy movie”, as it was often described in the press, and the subsequent controversy when it lost the Academy Award for best picture to…

With over 1 gigawatt of solar equipment supplied in South Africa in the past year, Trinasolar returns to the Africa Energy Forum (AEF) reaffirming its position as a long-term partner in Africa’s clean energy journey. At this year’s event in Cape Town, the company is spotlighting its next-generation solar and battery storage solutions, designed to withstand extreme weather, harsh environmental conditions, and evolving grid demands across the continent. “As the energy crisis and climate volatility continue to impact South Africa and the broader African region, Trinasolar is focused on delivering real solutions that enable long-term energy security,” said Vincent Wu,…

A ground-breaking new report, authored by the Pope Francis’ Jubilee Commission calls for urgent action and systemic reforms to tackle the escalating debt and development crises affecting billions, including African in particular, worldwide. The Jubilee Report: A Blueprint for Tackling the Debt and Development Crises and Creating the Financial Foundations for a Sustainable People-Centered Global Economy,” written by the Pope Francis’ Jubilee Commission — a group of over 30 leading global experts led by Nobel laureate and Columbia University Professor Joseph Stiglitz and former Minister of the Economy of Argentina and Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs Professor…

The sheer glut of music today has rendered a question like “What’s your favorite song?” close to meaningless, but I have a definitive answer. The Beach Boys’ “In My Room” occupies pride of place in my sonic world. No, I’m not qualifying it as my favorite pop song. It’s my favorite song, full stop, edging out towering compositions like Coltrane’s A Love Supreme and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. I’m not saying it should be on Voyager’s Golden Record. I’m simply saying that it’s shaped my inner world. I’m far from alone, of course. The late Brian Wilson had that impact…

Her images reveal the impossible, the invisible, and the many, many layers behind a photograph. Taryn Simon’s singular and meticulous approach to fine art photography produces pictures that interrogate our political structures, our social conventions and our governing principles. Her latest exhibition “The Game”, on show at the Almine Rech gallery in Paris, zooms in on symbolic and significant moments during the presidential election last year in the United States, questioning the random nature of democratic processes. We talk about the power of photography in a world of smartphones and artificial intelligence and reflect upon the universal moment of mourning during…

Serenity Strull/ BBC/ Getty Images(Credit: Serenity Strull/ BBC/ Getty Images)Today’s youth are harking back to the messy hipster aesthetic of the late 2000s and early 2010s – and at the heart of that was French designer and queen of cool, Isabel Marant.A long time ago (2011) in a galaxy far away (Paris), Kate Moss posed in an advertising campaign wearing Isabel Marant’s latest creation: a suede lace-up high-top sneaker with a wedge heel and a logo on the side. The shoes were called “The Bekett” – named after a friend of Marant’s – and after Moss’s stamp of approval, they…

With youth unemployment rising to 46,1% in the first quarter of 2025 – a 9,2 percentage increase over the past decade – South Africa faces a critical challenge. Traditional employment avenues are failing to absorb the country’s young jobseekers. While policy solutions remain important, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are playing an increasingly vital role in bridging the gap. SMEs, often described as the lifeblood of the economy, account for over 60% of employment in South Africa’s private sector. But beyond their economic footprint, these businesses are stepping up to shape the next generation of South African entrepreneurs – creating…

What does migration mean and how does it inform and impact human societies, existence and civilisations? These were some of the questions at the core of the dialogues, conversations, engagements and workshops at the Migrant Forms: Creative Futures symposium held at Magdalene College, Oxford. The symposium began life in 2019 when it was conceived as the “anti-conference conference” because of its conveners’ preference for conversations, performances, and sharing of experiences over strict academic papers and presentations. Returning six years later, the deliberations and insights from the first edition have given life to a book, Crossings: Migrant Knowledges, Migrant Forms edited…