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'Black Panther' Is Set To Be the First Film Released in Saudi Arabia in 35 Years

Talk about an impact.

Black Panther continues to do what seems to be the impossible with more milestones achieved this week.

Variety reports Disney and Italia Film, its Middle East distribution partner, is set to release the Marvel blockbuster April 18 in Saudi Arabia—this premiere will break the country's 35-year cinema ban.


The screening will hold in a new AMC-branded movie theater in Riyadh with a gala premiere. Black Panther "will mark the first public screening in the kindgom since movie theaters were banned in the early 1980s, after Saudi Arabia adopted ultraconservative religious standards in 1979. Removal of the ban, announced last December, is part of a drive by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to transform Saudi society," Variety says.

Black Panther continues to surpass box office records, with topping the overall domestic gross of Jurassic World as well as beating Frozen worldwide, Forbes reports. This makes the film the fourth biggest-grossing movie of all time in North America and it's now the top 10 all-time grossers in the world. By the time this weekend ends, it's set to surpass Titanic.

At the rate of this film's impact so far (it's only April), Wakanda surely is forever—and we're here for it.

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Image via Getty

Egypt Expels Dutch Archeologists For "Afrocentric" Exhibit

The North African nation is unimpressed with the group's desire to "falsify history" by exploring the country's influence on Black musicians.

Authorities have banned a team of Dutch archeologists from continuing their excavation activities in the country's abundant Saqqara Necropolis.

On Monday, Holland's National Museum of Antiquities received an email from the head of foreign missions of the Egyptian Antiquities Service stating that the museum's "Kemet: Egypt in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul & Funk" exhibition is "falsifying history" with it's "Afrocentric" approach. Their punishment? The team, who has been working in Egypt's historical tombs since 1975, will no longer be granted access to the historical burial site.

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Image: YouTube screenshot

Watch: Black Sherif Praises Gob3, FC Barcelona, and More

The Ghanaian superstar recently stopped by our OkayAfrica offices to give us a closer look into what keeps him going.

What a joy it is to find out that Ghana's hottest export at the moment, Black Sherif, is a great guy, too. The "Kwaku the Traveller" songster recently stopped by the OkayAfrica offices to share his desire to travel to beautiful Namibia, the heartbreaking relationship he has with football, as well as a look into how he creates a successful hook.

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Black Sherif, Africa’s Young Bright Black Star

We trail the Ghanaian superstar as he plays his first sold-out show in New York City.

“I leave my art to breathe. I don't apply no pressure,” Black Sherif shares one of his many philosophical principles with me in the OkayAfrica offices. The 21-year-old Ghanaian newcomer has only been professionally releasing music since 2019 but he has already become the youngest singer to win Artist of the Year at the 2023 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards.

He reacts to the news with a boyishly shy grin: “It’s mad.”

Last October, his breakthrough album The Villian I Never Was cemented him as a rising talent to watch. The sonic palette of his debut showcased an eclectic fusion of drill, Afrobeats, reggae, and hip-hop. Critical acclaim abounded, as well as collaborations with the likes of Popcaan and Burna Boy.

For as long as the West has smeared Africa with allegations of archaic laws and culture, Black Sherif has become the young bright Black star of what has been derogatorily referred to as the “dark continent.”

Uniting the Diaspora

Three nights earlier I had the opportunity to witness his electrifying stage presence firsthand. Palladium Times Square, New York City — stop number one of Black Sherif’s headlining tour and a long way from Konongo. Usually, concerts will open with a lesser-known artist from the same label, this one had about 20 acts.

From Nigeria and Ghana to Liberia and New York City, the diaspora united on and off stage. No one quite knew when the main act would arrive but the audience was too pleasantly tipsy to notice how much time had passed. At one point it seemed like the hosts were plucking attendees from the audience to perform — a real communal affair. Still, the crowd became restless waiting for Blacko, whose name they cheered in between pulls of smuggled cigarettes and blunts. When he burst on stage with a raucous performance of “Kwaku the Traveller,” the security guards were too enraptured to catch those health code violations.

Even without the pyrotechnics, Black Sherif commanded the stage with the combined energy of the 20 preceding artists.

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From Capetown to a Galaxy Far, Far Away: A South African Animation Studio Reimagines Star Wars

What started as a joint venture in 2015 has become a full-fledged working relationship, as Triggerfish Animation Studios cements its status as one of Disney’s most exciting collaborators.

Tiwa Savage Gets Jiggy In the Video for New Single "Pick Up"

Tiwa Savage is here to remind you, "Don't let no one play games with your heart."

AfroCuration is Bringing Untold Ghanaian Stories to Light

The two-day event, which consists of a Wikipedia edit-a-thon and linguistic workshop, is part of a greater push to share more local knowledge among young people on the continent.

Asake Will Headline A North American Tour This Summer

The blossoming Nigerian talent will be bringing his sold out show to American fans this summer.

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New Research Out of South Africa Brings Us Closer To Understanding Ancient Human Species

The remains left by “Homo Naledi” informs us of their use of burial grounds, tribal paintings, and more.