Author: Ewang Johnson
Getty Images(Credit: Getty Images)Douglas Adams’s epic series of comic novels, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, is loved by scientists and tech executives, including Elon Musk. In 1986, the author talked to the BBC about the unlikely origins of a wildly successful multimedia franchise.Imagine waking up on what seems to be an ordinary morning on planet Earth, only to find out that the planet is scheduled to be demolished. That is where British writer Douglas Adams begins The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Over the next few decades, the story would take on a life of its own, spinning out…
Ayo Adeyinka, founder of Tafeta Gallery, celebrates the increasing recognition of African modernism in international art circles. At the Venice Biennale, the works of 20th-century African artists, including Ben Enwonwu and Uche Okeke, were showcased for the first time. Adeyinka’s presentation at the Tefaf fair highlights Nigerian artists who blended African traditions with European modernist influences. With rising demand from African collectors, Adeyinka aims to make African art more mainstream, alongside global exhibitions like the Centre Pompidou’s Paris Noir and Tate Modern’s Nigerian Modernism, which celebrate African art’s pivotal role in the post-colonial era. Source: Financial Times Source link
Why are we humans so obsessed with social hierarchies?Until that morning, not too long ago, it had been some time since the social pecking order had pecked me back into place. It’s not that I was unaware of the hierarchy. In fact, as a person of color in the United States, I would argue that it would be difficult not to be aware of the invisible lines that keep everyone in their place. But sometimes, one forgets.I had arrived at the Manhattan luxury tower to do a job for a resident. As usual for “the help,” I was ushered to…
The hit musical comedy “Company” is coming to France. The show by Stephen Sondheim premiered on Broadway in 1970 and is a series of vignettes centered around Bobby, a 35-year-old single New Yorker who’s trying to find his place among his group of married friends. We spoke to “Company” director James Bonas about the show and its Parisian premiere. Source link
Vanessa Tignanelli(Credit: Vanessa Tignanelli)The enigmatic musician has released one of the most raved-about LPs of recent times. But they’ve done it without marketing or interviews – and you certainly won’t find it on Spotify.Of all the musical acts that emerged last year, none was more fascinating – or more mysterious – than Cindy Lee. Last March, their album Diamond Jubilee – an astonishing two-hour, 32-track, lo-fi heliograph of rock and pop’s formative sounds – appeared as if by magic: a sprawling, sumptuous, dream-like immersion of melodiously beautiful, often haunting songs of loss and longing. But this self-released album wasn’t easily…
On this momentous occasion of International Women’s Day 2025, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), through its Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa (SRRWA), stands at a pivotal juncture in the global pursuit of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. This year’s theme, “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” resonates deeply as we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This landmark framework has shaped the global agenda for women’s rights and gender equality. The Beijing Declaration, adopted in 1995, was a clarion…
Africa is at a crossroads. Across the continent, governments are struggling to meet the most basic needs of their people—not because we lack resources or ambition, but because national budgets are consumed by unsustainable debt repayments. Schools are underfunded, hospitals lack medicine, infrastructure projects stall, and millions of young people are left without opportunities. This is not just an economic crisis; it is a crisis of sovereignty. A continent rich in potential remains trapped in a financial system that keeps it dependent, unable to shape its own future. No country can develop when it spends more on debt repayments than…
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars Outlaws.Crime stories always start in the cracks. The places where the world is busted up and broken, like a beat-up clunker, or—in that galaxy far, far away—a rusted old starship. They pull us in because they feel familiar. We recognize the desperation of an outlaw on the run from the crooked hand of fate shuffling the cards and threatening to draw. We see a familiar arc in their struggles and schemes to make sense of a chaotic and often unjust world.Crime is less something you do than it is a weight…
Wax print fabrics or Ankara fabrics are known for their graphic patterns, bold colours and catchy slogans. The iconic cloth is now being celebrated in an exhibition at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, where curators have been exploring its anthropological, social and political role on the African continent and beyond. Kenyan artist Thandiwe Muriu joins us to talk about the fabric’s function in her striking portraits, and how she uses textiles to explore identity, aesthetics and her own place in society. Thandiwe tells us how clothes and the messages they send can empower and emancipate women, and we discuss…
Natassja Ebert(Credit: Natassja Ebert)From making history as Vogue’s youngest-ever fashion editor to creating a gown fit for a Kennedy wedding – which would end up covered in grass stains – Vera Wang chronicles her career’s surprising trajectory and shares some of her hard-won lessons as a woman at the top of her field.Vera Wang may be best known for crafting some of the most memorable wedding gowns of all time. Mariah Carey, Victoria Beckham, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alicia Keys are just a few of the women who have chosen the designer for their big days. Less known is the…