culture

Vuvuzela orchestra

A South African soccer game would be incomplete without the vuvuzela, a brightly coloured plastic trumpet which sounds like an elephant’s call. Many fans hate the instrument’s noise, but the vuvuzela orchestra proves that the instrument can also make great music.

By Anna-Marie Jansen van Vuuren - 30 June 2010 - Audio, Fans, fun and football

Pantsula Dancers

Pantsula was birthed in the townships of South Africa in the 1950s. Originally referring to a style of dress, it soon evolved into a cultural expression and later into a dance form. By the 1980s, when the townships were aflame and war had broken out between the Apartheid police and the young men in the area, Pantsula dance was a means of expression for many.

By Alexia Webster - 25 June 2010 - Business and life, Photo, Rich dreams, poor realities

Ghanaian Hip-life

Hip-life is the name for the music that pours out of nightclubs and bars throughout Ghana, and has been touted by some as the genre set to take the place of the nation’s celebrated high-life music. But not all Ghanaians are thrilled with the growing popularity of the mixture of high-life and American rap that characterizes hip-life; the older generation believes that their cultural heritage is being destroyed.

By Francis Kokutse - 19 June 2010 - Text

Game of hope

Football betting pools, a cultural import from 1920s Britain, is popular in Nigeria among old men, retired workers and the unemployed. The bettors play every week in the hope of winning the jackpot of up to 400,000 Naira – the equivalent of the average annual wage among workers in Nigeria.

By Andrew Esiebo - 16 April 2010 - Photo

Talking drums

Drums have deep roots in the history of Ghana and are believed will bring luck to their national team. Dressed in colorful dresses, drummers play celebration melodies for the whole 90 minutes which helps players be in full confidence to win.

By Tadele Assefa - 8 April 2010 - Text