Tag Archives: culture

All about art mentorship, not teaching Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | What can an average art graduate do with twelve bottle-tops? Perhaps, they will look at them idly and think that they’re useless. However, this is not the case with one art graduate who used the twelve bottle-tops to sculpt a …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia on Monday lifted a decades-old ban on cinemas, part of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s far-reaching liberalisation drive that is shaking up the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom. The government said it would begin licensing cinemas immediately and the first movie theatres are expected …

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | AFP | The Louvre Abu Dhabi said Friday that local Emirati authorities had “acquired” a $450-million painting by Renaissance master Leonardo Da Vinci, as reports swirled about the original source of funding. “Louvre Abu Dhabi is looking forward to displaying the Salvator Mundi by Leonardo …

How fusing an artist’s personality into art makes it powerful Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | Canon Rumanzi’s art is difficult to describe and the same can be said of his rather mysterious personality. He is a photographer and digital artist, and in both genres, he pushes the boundaries and turns art …

Cotonou, Benin | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron made a surprise announcement during his recent African tour, saying in Burkina Faso’s capital that one of his priorities was to restore African cultural treasures. African cultural heritage “should be highlighted in Paris, but also in Dakar, Lagos, Cotonou”, Macron told a …

Showcasing beads and satire at AKAA Paris art fair Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI |  Sanaa Gateja’s art easily captivates with its merging of African traditional art elements with the contemporary. The multi-disciplinary artist creates large tapestries of multi-coloured paper beads- produced from waste paper like magazine and newspapers- stitched on …

Chicago, United States | AFP | It has stood alone, closed to visitors, for a decade — a historic replica built on the site of the first McDonald’s franchise restaurant in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines. The fast food giant on Tuesday said it will demolish the time capsule from …

How Ugandan artist scooped international Cannon camera advert deal Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | In a one minute video, artist Jjuuko Hoods is portrayed as a child prodigy with a fascination for colours. With crayons in hand, he leans next to an adult who probably is his instructor with a …

Paris, France | AFP | Two novels about the Nazis took France’s biggest literary prizes on Monday, with Eric Vuillard’s story of how German industry and finance backed Adolf Hitler winning the top Prix Goncourt. “L’ordre du jour” (in English “Agenda”) had been among the favourites for the Goncourt prize — …

Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | The opening this week of the glittering Louvre Abu Dhabi museum marks the latest stage in a multi-billion-dollar “soft power” showdown between energy giants Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Culture, media and sports have turned into battlegrounds for branding and global recognition. “There …