In this essay, Johannesburg-based Samnkelo Mdledle, a media professional whose career spans journalism, radio, and marketing, returns to long-form storytelling to revisit the rise, fall, and resurgence of the action film genre. Tracing its evolution from 1980s excess through the 1990s to the arrival of the 2014 Chad Stahelski–directed film John Wick , he reframes global action cinema through South African cultural memory and vernacular, invoking "Bliksem" (an Afrikaans slang

In this piece, Esethu Sam, a Cape Town-based multidisciplinary storyteller, reflects on the making of her photoseries People in Spaces, People Owning Spaces , shaped through attentive encounters with individuals often seen in passing. Moving from observation to sustained presence, the essay develops as a thoughtful journey through space, identity, and self-definition, looking at how lives are inhabited, recorded, and slowly claimed over time. As a multidisciplinary storytelle

Set in the precolonial kingdom of Gisaka, this work of fiction by Rwandan writer and editor Lucky Grace Isingizwe, whose work has appeared in the Caine Prize anthology and Flame Tree's African Ghost Stories, follows the story of twin sisters whose childhood rivalry gradually hardens into accusation, punishment, and lasting harm. Drawing on storytelling traditions attentive to folklore, belief, and moral ambiguity, the narrative moves across decades and regions, staging witchc

As JARS of Clay , his Pan-African cinematic project built around 54 interlinked narrative portraits, takes shape, Panmun G Nanle (OGpee) draws on a practice spanning film, architecture, and storytelling to reflect on identities formed through centuries of migration, trade, colonization, and resilience. Writing from within the development of the project, the essay uses clay as a guiding metaphor for cultures shaped, fractured, and remade over time, moving through space, ritual

As writer and illustrator Karasira Teta Ange Lina reflects on her impulse to write, this essay traces the subtle tension between expression and self-protection. Moving through questions of honesty, vulnerability, and creative safety, she shares her thoughts on how words, unlike images, expose the self more directly, and how holding back, out of fear of being fully seen, shapes the way she creates while still seeking sincerity. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about writing

I'd been watching Atmosfera grow online for months. Posts kept popping up, and I kept getting more curious. Intore dancers on the same stage as a DJ? Yeah, I had to see that. November, I went. Really enjoyed it. Got some nice pictures, saw how everything flowed, got a sense of the format. December though, I almost didn't go back. Rain pouring down, I'd just been there the month before, and my camera bag is heavy to lug around. But the flyer caught my eye. Different collaborat

I first heard about the opening of a contemporary art center in Kigali through friends. Shortly afterward, I began seeing images circulating on Instagram: the opening announced, brief glimpses of the space appearing without fully revealing it. I grew curious. When the exhibition opened, seven contemporary Rwandan artists were presented together: artists from different generations, living and working in different parts of the world. Curated by Kami Gahiga, Inuma: A Bird Shall

Rémy Ryumugabe’s work, films and photographs, move between presence and return, gesture and remembrance. His practice unfolds at the intersection of film and photography, where gesture becomes thought and the image becomes a form of listening.   His practice reflects a deep attention to the human presence—the way a face, a silence or a simple thought can carry the light of memory. Across his films and portraits, he constructs a language of intimacy that challenges the boundar

The Kigali Triennial, set to occur every three years, recently concluded last Sunday in Kigali, marking its first-ever occurrence. It...

Happy Monday! Hope you're all feeling great as we kick off the week. Still reeling from Kendrick Lamar's electrifying performance? That...

Amidst a backdrop that defied traditional norms, the launch ceremony of the "Fonds d’appui pour l’entrepreneuriat culturel" (Support Fund...

"Fight Like a Girl," directed by Matthew Leutwyler, had its premiere at the Canal Olympia in Kigali, Rwanda on September 20. The film...

As Canal Olympia concludes its week-long screening of Myriam Birara's 'The Bride', I truly hope you managed to see it. If you didn't,...

With a heart for Rwandan aesthetics and a global design perspective, Deborah Kakoma has been weaving her creative talents to craft brand...

Winnie Kalisa's passion for ceramics provides her with an outlet to express her emotions beyond words. Her unique and striking pieces...

By weaving dreamlike narratives that blur the boundaries between reality and imagination, Ganza Moïse perceives storytelling as a...

Inspired by the flourishing creative scene in the region, Nelson Niyakire feels a renewed sense of energy from witnessing its evolution....

Ivan Mugemanyi's journey from a makeup artist in Belgium to a flourishing creative in Rwanda stands as a shining testament to the rewards...

As the visionary behind the Asantii brand, Maryse Mbonyumutwa is leading the charge in revolutionising the African fashion industry. The...

Yesterday, I had the privilege of experiencing an incredibly impactful art installation: the "On Terraced Earth" exhibit created by the...