ENTERTAINMENT

By Nathan Kiwere Going by the sheer number of artists, the Ugandan music industry appears to overflowwith talent. It is a contrast to a few years ago when the local scene was awash with ‘imported’ music. Congolese Lingala maestros monopolized the few radio stations and patronised Ugandan revelers with their …

Yaoundé, Cameroon | AFP | Popular Cameroonian singer Anne-Marie Nzie has died at the age of 84 following a career spanning six decades, state media reported Wednesday. Nicknamed the “golden voice of Cameroon”, the singer died Tuesday evening in a hospital in the capital Yaounde where she had been admitted …

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | AFP | The Middle East’s poetry equivalent of “Pop Idol” is helping to keep alive an age-old tradition using bedouin dialect, which is barely understood outside the Arabian Gulf. Apart from the glory, a Kuwaiti student took home five million dirhams ($1.36 million), the …

Cannes, France | AFP | The last thing rich and famous visitors to Cannes want is a cheeky seagull swooping in to nibble their peanuts or steal their steak. So the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez has deployed a team of trained hawks to chase away opportunistic gulls who may …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Democratic Republic of Congo’s rumba king Papa Wemba was posthumously awarded one of his country’s highest honours on Monday, a week after he collapsed on stage and died aged 66. At a ceremony in the national parliament in Kinshasa, where Papa Wemba’s body lay …

Washington, United States | AFP | “Prince, surely not? Can we turn this year off and turn it back on when it stops being a giant exit for all the most talented people?” The actress Minnie Driver echoed the thoughts of many in tweeting her reaction to the sudden loss …

  Papa Wemba was a warrior of African music & an Africa legend whose music will endure. He acted, sang, wrote songs, performed on world stages — Min. Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) April 24, 2016 Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Papa Wemba, one of Africa’s greatest music stars, has died …

Minneapolis, UNITED STATES | AFP | Loved ones cremated pop icon Prince on Saturday with his final resting place to remain a secret, two days after his sudden death stunned the music world. The 57-year-old “Purple Rain” creator, one of the most acclaimed and unique artists of his generation, will …

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom | AFP | Thousands of people from around the world descended upon William Shakespeare’s hometown Saturday for a day of theatre, dancing and fireworks marking the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death. Some 10,000 people turned out in Stratford-upon-Avon, central England, to see a parade revved up …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Pop icon Prince, whose pioneering brand of danceable funk made him one of the most influential figures in music, died Thursday at his compound in Minnesota. He was 57. The announcement came just a week after the enigmatic Grammy and Oscar winner — …