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Watch Bernadine Evaristo Talk About Womanhood and Othering on 'BBC: Focus on Africa'

The 2019 Booker Prize winner speaks to BBC about her acclaimed book 'Girl, Woman, Other'.

Earlier this week, British-Nigerian author Bernadine Evaristo was awarded the prestigious Booker Prize for her book, Girl, Woman, Other. Although the Booker Prize forbids that the award be given to more than one individual, the committee reportedly felt that two novels were deserving of this year's prize. While Evaristo made history as the first ever Black woman to win the prize, many were not pleased that she had to share the prize with Canadian author, Margaret Atwood. Recently, in an interview with BBC: Focus on Africa, Evaristo spoke about womanhood, othering in terms of race, sexuality, class and immigration status.

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Boity and Dee Koala Totally Own ‘Utatakho Remix’

Boity and Dee Koala deliver great verses on "Utatakho Remix."

One of the most anticipated songs of the year was the remix to "Utatakho" by Yanga Chief. It's the combination of rappers enlisted on the song and of course the fact that the original is a heater that raised everyone's curiosity.

Riky Rick takes the opening verse, and drops decent bars, but things start taking a different turn from Dee Koala's verse. The Cape Town emcee frolics over the beat, switching flows, aligning her bars perfectly with the instrumental. She shows love to her city and reminds you she's great.

In her verse, Boity opens about her personal issues with her father: "Personally, this is a touchy subject/ 'Cause my dad was live but his presence wasn't/ So my mama was everything daddy wasn't," and goes on to say she holds no grudge towards her father, and refusing to dwell on that, she chooses to be grateful for her present life.

One thing is clear, Boity can rap. Her verse on this remix is seamlessly delivered in both English and Setswana. Every word she utters sounds believable. She has been consistently dope since she released her first song last year, "Wuz Dat."

"Utatakho Remix" is the closing song on Yanga Chief's recently released EP Becoming a Pop Star. The nine-track project includes the original version of "Utatakho" and the song "200," which was released last week. Apart from the guests on the remix, features on BAPS include AKA and Makwa.

Listen to Becoming a Pop Star below:
Style
Photo by Gregoire Avenel

Eliana Murargy Is the Trailblazing Mozambican Fashion Brand You Should Know About

We spoke with the designer about her latest collection "Basking In the Osun River," which was the first by a Mozambican designer to show at New York Fashion Week.

Mozambican fashion designer Eliana Murargy has been on a mission to re-imagine luxury clothing in Africa since she first established her eponymous brand in 2011. Her latest collection "Basking in the Osun River," does just that. It debuted at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) last month, making her the first designer from Mozambique to showcase at the renowned fashion event.

Murargy put the myriad African influences in her designs front and center with "Basking in the Osun River"—a name which directly reference the mystical Osun River, which runs from Nigeria to the Atlantic Gulf of Guinea.

The designs themselves, are characterized by ethereal and skillfully tailored garments, designed in solid, earth-tones with feminine silhouettes, inspired by The Aje—a female Yoruba figure believed to hold fierce, cosmic powers as well as the water deity Osun. According to the designer, the collection was created with an "exclusive community of West African tailors."

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Film
Image via Gage Skidmore via Flickr.

Chadwick Boseman to Star as First Black Samurai in Upcoming Historical Action Film

After much speculation, it's been announced that Boseman will play Yasuke, Japan's first African samurai.

Back in 2017, it was announced that a film on Yasuke, the world's first black samurai would be going into production. After much speculation, we finally learn that none other than Chadwick Boseman will play the role of the historical warrior.

Yasuke is believed to have lived during the 1500s, and historical accounts state that he could have been from Angola, Ethiopia or Mozambique, though many details about his life remain a mystery. It is known, however, that he worked under the Japanese ruler Oda Nobunaga, who gave him the name "Yasuke" according to Shadow and Act. There is no account of his birth name.

It is said that upon arriving in Japan in the late 14th century, Yasuke was met with astonishment, as he was the first black person that most Japanese had ever seen. He quickly became Nobunga's body guard before climbing the ranks to become one of Japan's most celebrated warriors.

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