Events

For the third time in the history of the ceremony, the People’s Choice Awards has once again opened a category dedicated to Africa – African Social Star of 2021 – with eight contenders in the running. Last year, Elsa Majimbo scooped up the sought-after title of African Social Star of 2020, while Bonang Matheba was voted the African Influencer of the Year in 2019. NBCUniversal International Networks recently announced that voting is open for the 2021 Awards, celebrating all forms of entertainment and chosen entirely by the fans.  E! is engaging fans worldwide to vote in 40 categories across TV, music, movies and pop culture. The voting window began on October 27 and will run until November 17 on http://www.votepca.com/af or Twitter. In the race to be crowned the African Social Star of 2021 from South Africa is YouTube sensation and LGBTQ activist Lasizwe Dambuza; actress, musician and entrepreneur Boity Thulo; make-up…

A creative collaboration that brings together a trio of creative entrepreneurs to inspire, the #WeDesignSA initiative presents an installation that shows how even in the toughest times South Africa’s creative community can come together to design a South Africa full of optimism, hope and resilience.  Born out of the flames of a turbulent 2021, Dylan Joseph of Semper Fortis, Cara Saven of Cara Saven Wall Design and Tshepo Mohlala of Tshepo Jeans have joined to launch the #WeDesignSA initiative. A collaborative project that pivots off the bespoke Halcyon design created by wallpaper artist Cara Saven.   #WeDesignSA  A beautiful floral-scape resplendent with South African proteas, aloes, grapes and a kingfisher, representative of the mystical Halcyon Kingfisher, a bird that, according to legend, has the power to calm the waves, soaring high above turbulence to instil peace and birth a new future.  “This collaboration is informed by all our roots,” said Saven. …

Popular youth radio station YFM unveiled a new look, changing up its logo and will now be visually identified as Y.  The Y logo represents the new, the here, the now… but also speaks to the future of where the brand will venture and how the brand CI and its platforms are able to remain relevant in any context.  YFM is a content brand.  Y also launched its new campaign ‘Y _NOT’ using a digital and on-air campaign coupled with a television commercial.‘Y _NOT’ promotes heroes individualism and supports young adults embodying their greatness.  “It has been an exhilarating journey to this point, and I am confident that this natural next step will strengthen our connection with our listeners and propel Y to new heights,” said Haseena Cassim, MD of YFM. “Y is at the pulse of youth culture and as a content brand we create with our audience. The…

The DJing landscape of South Africa still presents a wide gender gap and it is not because of any lack of talent. In male-dominated industries, such as the music industry, the barriers to entry for women are deeply entrenched, making it much harder for females to break through. There are a number of factors that contribute to these barriers, including biasness due to false gender perceptions and lack of access  Vodka brand, Smirnoff 1818, has decided to launch a new initiative called Shaya Ingoma. The Shaya Ingoma platform calls on all up-and-coming female DJs nationwide to enter the first for the brand female DJ search. Through Shaya Ingoma, Smirnoff 1818 aims to narrow the gender gap and shine a light on some talented upcoming female DJs. This empowerment platform will be focused on unearthing, promoting and offering multiple opportunities for upcoming female DJs in Mzansi to showcase their skills, get…

Night Embassy Johannesburg has selected the Ambassadors of The Night. They will reveal more information on their residencies on October 23 at Anthill in Maboneng.Night Embassy by Jägermeister is a residency programme centred around ‘Freiraum’, a space for unbridled self-expression and unlimited creativity. From November 12 to December 4, the selected Ambassadors will be exploring new directions in nightlife culture through various artforms and foster a strong sense of community. After receiving hundreds of applications and uncovering some of the creative community’s most visionary ideas, the boldest concepts in Johannesburg were chosen: Unmuted by Lincoln Long and Draper, Other Village People by Andiswa Dlamini and Kefiloe Siwisa, Kombonation by Kananelo Kabelo Sello and Kgotso Selomah as well as DormantYouth by Thelma Ndebele will take over some of the iconic locations in the city this November to make their wildest nightlife vision come to life.Already shifting creative spaces in the city…