ARTS

  Zimbabwe is repositioning film as an economic sector, using tax incentives to attract film productions while building capacity to retain more value locally. The shift mirrors a broader continental push to move beyond filming locations toward full production ecosystems.   SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Zimbabwe is backing …

Kampala, Uganda | ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT | ‘Maama Wange’ – a film that was a product of the 2023 iKON Awards Young Filmmakers’ Fellowship – has earned 9 nominations at the 2026 Uganda Film Festival (UFF). The film is a social drama highlighting pressing social challenges such as Sexual and Gender-Based Violence …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Bashir Lukonge, widely known as Bash Luks, is steadily carving out a unique space in Uganda’s creative economy, blending street-inspired music with entrepreneurship and grassroots activism. Born in Kampala and raised in Mubende District, his journey reflects a deliberate rise from local influences to …

COMMENT | PROF. MYRIAN SIDIBE | Awards season this year was a celebration of Black creativity and cinema. Sinners made history with 16 Academy Award nominations. This is a film critics said would never land, which narrates an episode of Black history which had previously been diminished and, at some point, …

Ibra Kitimbo’s technique “Flowing Water” exposes how the artist is intent on self discovery and stepping outside the proverbial box on canvas                                                         …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Hundreds of aspiring models turned up at the Makerere University Art Gallery over the Easter weekend for the Uganda International Fashion Week (UIFW) casting call, signalling renewed momentum ahead of the event’s return in June after a six-year hiatus. The turnout, which drew young …

London, UK | ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT | British Ugandan artist Platin Dinero is emerging as one of the most promising new voices in the international music landscape. Born in Mpigi and raised in Kampala, his sound reflects a fusion of Afrobeat, Reggaeton, Afropop, Pop and Dancehall, a blend shaped by both …

Kigali, Rwanda | THE INDEPENDENT | Ugandan stylist and creative director Allan Ainebyona, popularly known as Allan Senior, has been named Best Fashion Star – East Africa at the Shining Star Awards in Kigali, cementing his rise as one of the region’s most sought-after image-makers in the entertainment industry. The …

  Nurturing young talent and celebrating the established artists over the years.   COMMENT | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | Galleries come and go, but AKA Gallery has stood the test of time. Established in 1999 as Tulifanya Art Gallery by the gallant and scrupulous Maria Fischer, the gallery has over the years been …

  The lake is Uganda’s newest cultural landmark; where art, architecture, and ecology meet the Virunga Mountains   ART FEATURE | RONALD MUSOKE | On the volcanic waters of Lake Mutanda in the southwestern Uganda district of Kisoro, a new cultural geography is quietly taking shape. It does not announce itself …