IOL Entertainment Magazine - Issue 4

IOL ISSUE 4 MARCH/JUNE

CELEBRATING AFRICA, CELEBRATING LOCAL

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MANDLA DUBE’S ‘SILVERTON SIEGE’ REVISITS HISTORICAL EVENT ON FREEDOM DAY THIS Freedom Day, Netflix launches the action thriller “Silverton Siege”.

The film is directed and created by renowned South African filmmaker, Mandla Dube (Tsotsi, The Italian Job, Strike Back, Angel Heart, and Umtunzi we Ntaba) and produced by Pambili Media.

Of the film, Dube said: “‘Silverton Siege’ is my strongest work thus far, the hope is that filmmakers from Africa are given more opportunities at decolonizing the narrative of who we are. I also hope that the youth of today can draw inspiration from the Silverton Siege trio, and know that they have the power to change the status quo, and most importantly that their stories matter.”

Set in 1980, the film is inspired by the real-life incident that sparked the global “Free Mandela’ movement and features South African stars Thabo Rametsi, Noxolo Dlamini, and Stefan Erasmus, who play Calvin Khumalo, Mbali Terra Mabunda and Aldo Erasmus, respectively.

They portray the Silverton Siege trio - young freedom fighters with nothing left to lose.

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Following a high-speed car chase with the police after a thwarted sabotage mission, the trio ends up seeking refuge in a South African bank in Silverton, Pretoria.

Taking the bank and its customers hostage, and demanding the release of Nelson Mandela in exchange for the release of the prisoners, the stakes and tensions run high.

In an interview with Rametsi, who worked with Dube in “Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu”, he said: “I found it exhilarating and I was really impressed by the infused action into the real

depth of the storytelling. That was the first thing that leapt out at me even though I had reservations about the character itself.

“Those reservations pulled me into choosing him because I didn’t like the character or attach to him. And I was like, ‘this is why you should play him’.”

The film also stars South African heavyweight Arnold Vosloo alongside a number of wellknown South African talents, including Tumisho Masha, Michelle Mosalakae and Elani Dekker.

“Silverton Siege” will be available to all 222 million subscribers in 190 countries.

CONTENTS

Cover Story: Kelly Khumalo

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Celebs champion body positivity

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The global footprints of 6 African artists

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‘Young, Famous & African’

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Feature: Thuso Mbedu

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Movie Reel: ‘Mr Bones 3’

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Make way for ‘The Real Housewives of Lagos’

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The Will Smith & Chris Rock saga

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CONTACT PUBLISHER Vasantha Angamuthu vasantha@africannewsagency.com

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Keshni Odayan keshni.odayan@inl.co.za

ACTING EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLE EDITOR Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonami@inl.co.za

SALES Charl Reineke charl.reineke@inl.co.za

LIFESTYLE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Debashine Thangevelo debashine.thangevelo@inl.co.za

INQUIRIES hello@africannewsagency.com

DESIGN Mallory Munien mallory.munien@inl.co.za PRODUCTION Renata Ford renata.ford@inl.co.za

@IOLLIFESTYLE

FROM THE EDITOR In the first quarterly edition of IOL Entertainment for 2022, we celebrate the abundance of talent on SA soil and the African continent.

Gone are the days when we turned to the global industry for validation and opportunity.

Today, the international industry is turning to Africa, wanting to cast our actors and collaborate with our artists. And this major stride is an undeniable win for us.

In this edition, we look at Kelly Khumalo carving her own path with that fierce determination she’s known for. And she remains unfazed by the upcoming Netflix documentary that is looking into the murder of her baby daddy – refusing to entertain any discussion around it either.

The battle scars from being trolled clearly remain a painful reminder of that dark time in her life.

Young, Famous & African is a game-changer offering. Instead of turning to Hollywood for our aspirational fix, this series introduces the rich and famous stars that are on our own doorstep. It’s got swag, spicy personalities and a sexy approach. I love it!

On the subject of unscripted offerings, we introduce the cast of The Real Housewives of Lagos. Expect those claws to come out after those niceties are dispensed with in episode one. We also pay homage to Thuso Mbedu who is flying the SA flag proudly in Hollywood.

She is the undeniable darling of Tinseltown at the moment.

Of course, we couldn’t ignore the biggest event of the week - that jaw-dropping slap that Will Smith planted on Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Our comedians weighed in on the drama that got everyone talking and left the showbiz industry divided. Sadly, the ripples of that impetuous act won’t die down anytime soon.

I hope you enjoy this edition!

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KELLY KHUMALO IS RECLAIMING HER NARRATIVE SHINGAI DARANGWA Despite a flourishing music career and a few blossoming businesses, Kelly Khumalo appears to take more pride in motherhood than anything else.

Before we sat for a chat at the chic Blaque Continental Bistro in Bryanston, she made sure to have breakfast with her two young children after gym before she embarked on her typically busy schedule.

She also hosted a luxurious party for her daughter Thingo’s eighth birthday, one which we got a glimpse of through some stunning, pics on her Instagram page. “It was a weekend full of kids,” she says, her tone expressing both pride and tiredness.

“It went extremely well. I was working under pressure because I’d been working (non-stop) and now it’s March and she’s been talking about this birthday and how she’s looking forward to it for a while. So obviously I have to run up and down, get the decor right, a spit braai and a cake, and invitations for the friends.” Thingo is Kelly’s

daughter with her late former boyfriend, Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa. Many might see it as a lot of work for an 8th birthday, but Kelly is determined to do whatever it takes it try and give her children what she didn’t have growing up.

“I want my kids to understand what it means to grow up in a happy and loving home where you are nurtured, where a birthday, Mother’s Day and Christmas are a big deal.”

Barely 24 hours before Kelly and I met, Netflix announced that it would be premiering a new Netflix documentary series titled

Senzo: The Murder of a Soccer Star on April 7. Kelly made it clear early on that she wouldn’t be sharing any remarks on this doccie, Jub Jub or any other “negative noise”, saying sharply, “This right now is my platform that I’ve spent 18 years of hard work building so that I can sit here and have a conversation with you, therefore I will not glorify those people or anything or any negative noise by putting it on my platform.”

Noted.

In a career marked by undeniable success of Kelly’s own making, controversial topics such as this have loomed

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persistently. Instead of sinking into the muck of the negative comments, Kelly has chosen to look forward.

Not only by continuing to make hits, but also by channelling the power of meditation, which she recently took on, prayer, silence and solitude.

Despite being dressed in all red, Kelly’s smile is what stands out most, even though she flashes it sparingly.

After a difficult start to the year that saw Kelly lose her long-time DJ and friend Jacob Titus Kotu, known as Teekay, Kelly is getting back into the swing of things and expecting to release the follow-up to 2020s wildly successful album, The Voice of Africa (TVOA) around July/ August.

Expectations will be high following TVOA’s commercial success, which Kelly says is actually by far the most successful album of her career. “Even my first one wasn’t as big. It’s insane.

Last year, when we looked at the streams at that time, it was sitting on 38 million streams, so you can only imagine where it’s sitting now.”

Kelly says the album's success surprised her and it’s one project that she underestimated. “I’m a singer, I really sing, I’m gifted in that department. There was way less singing – I just threw a little of this and that here and there – so to me it was like, ‘Hau that’s it’. But

people know I can sing, now we’re creating singalongs for the people, and that’s exactly what happened with the album, people are singing. Even with the one we’re busy with, it’s not for me, it’s for the people.”

Empini, the album’s lead single, has also become the biggest song of her career thus far.

When she was working on it, she says she knew she was into something special, but the back and forths with her producer, Mondli Ngcobo, who originally had four different versions of the song, were taxing.

“He went MIA (missing in action) for two weeks to work on the song and when he came back he had added some elements and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m mad at you but I love you at the same time’ because I felt like people could relate to the elements of the song that he had added.”

Sometimes less is more.

While Empini didn’t see Kelly belting out that booming voice of hers, it saw her coasting and resonating with the masses more than ever.

Now, more than ever, she’s excited about the next chapter of her career.

“I was in a brainstorming meeting with the Universal team, including my team and the visual team, and it was just this mind-blowing thing I never thought I’d get to eventually,” she says, gushing over what’s to come.

“For the first time I feel like

I’ve not been singing, I’ve not been working and for the first time I’m actually now working. You can feel it because your creative juices are literally flowing because you are enjoying what you’re doing and also you’re able to just put it out there the way that you see it. It’s so exciting, it’s beyond me.”

Kelly is also focused on building her new skincare range, Kelly Khumalo Skin by Bioquantine.

There are other ventures she’s not privy to speak on right now, but will be sharing in due course. On April 15 Kelly will be hosting the first annual Gospel Explosion concert at the Lyric Theatre in Johannesburg.

“We are exploding, literally,” she says.

“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve always wanted to reflect every now and then on who I am, what sustains me and the power behind the person I am. That’s how Gospel Explosion was born.

Initially it was supposed to be I Look To You before the first lockdown and then we had to cancel everything."

Lockdown was a blessing and a curse for her. Despite a lot of work opportunities coming to a halt, the lockdown allowed her to reflect, uncover and deal with things she hadn’t faced head on.

“Musically I was ready, but emotionally and spiritually I don’t think I was. I was not going to reflect what is needed. Now is the time.”

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CELEBS CHAMPION BODY POSITIVITY OLUTHANDO KETEYI

THE recent casting of Naledi on Showmax’s popular telenovela The Wife opened the lid on the progress or lack of body representation when it comes to the small screen.

Gaisang Noge's reveal as Naledi did not receive a warm welcome on social media, with many taking issue with her body size compared to the character in his book.

In the book, Naledi’s weight plays a critical role in her character description, which is that of a plus-size woman.

The casting move opened the conversation around plus-size

GAISANG NOGE

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castings on the small screen.

Plus-size roles are often the “fat sister”, the “sassy sidekick” or the “funny girl” and if it’s a romantic story line, a fat girl with low-self esteem is type-cast.

Progress when it comes to proper body representation on the small screens is an on-going journey and to bring progression to the journey, there are individuals who are championing body positivity on screens.

It is worth noting that some TV shows are coming to the party, when it comes to how

THICKLEEYONCE

they are casting fuller-figured women, doing away with typecast fat girl roles and giving them lead roles.

Blackbrain Production’s DiepCity' is one of those shows worth mentioning.

Actress Vele Manenje, who portrays Mauren (Momo), had been cast in her fair share of type-cast roles before landing her role on the show.

In a previous interview with Sowetan Live, she spoke about the struggles a “plussize” person experiences in the industry.

“The weight thing has

been a struggle (in) that we don’t get leads. There is also the discrimination that you should always play a funny character because big people are funny,” she told the publication.

Manenje said that as more females similar to herself occupy lead characters, viewers and production houses realise that they are worth being cast.

“I’m hoping by having people like myself on screen playing lead roles and others like Nomsa Buthelezi and Mimi Mahlasela that it will create an awareness because we are all leads in our shows,” Manenje said.

“Slowly and surely there are more of us plus-size women occupying lead characters and we are killing these lead roles," she added.

Gomora actress Siyasanga Papu has always argued that South Africa is a country made up of full-figured women, so why should their stories be told by a smaller-sized woman because she looks better.

In a previous interview with TshisaLive she expressed how glad she was to have been

SIYASANGA PAPU

cast as part of the lead cast of Gomora as a plus-sized woman, something that was not as common on screens.

“People go into castings maybe with a certain look in mind, and you (as the plus size actress) have the additional job of making them doubt, ‘are we really looking for a skinny person or a person who really can bring this to the role and tell the story?’” she told the publication.

“It has taken a while for us to get to a place where a fullfigured woman like myself can be part of the lead cast of a big telenovela. Just a couple of years ago, that was unheard of,” Papu added.

With the rise of body-shaming thanks to internet trolls, more celebrities are fighting back and embracing the body positivity movement and encouraging their followers to do exactly the same.

Photographer and digital content creator, Lesego Legobane, better known as Thickleeyonce, uses her platform to shine a light on plus-size women.

The model has had her fair share of backlash because of her advocacy for fatphobia. She once came under fire for her tweets where she spoke out about the body positivity movement being hijacked by people who are already accepted in society.

Her views may not sit well with everyone but that has not stopped Thickleeyonce and she continues to flood her timeline with messages encouraging people to step out of the box and accept plus-size women wearing what they want and they claiming spaces.

The body positivity movement is moving and viewers are on the train, so maybe it’s time for more local productions, especially casting directors to jump on the train and challenge those stereotypes.

Fuller-figured women in the entertainment industry are no longer holding back when it comes to being seen or heard.

Even when it comes to the fashion designers they are dealing with, if you don’t have the necessary sizes, someone else does.

VELE MANENJE

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AYRA STARR

UNCLE WAFFLES

FOCALISTIC

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THE GLOBAL FOOTPRINTS OF 6 AFRICAN ARTISTS SHINGAI DARANGWA

UNCLE WAFFLES

Of all the artists on this list, South African DJ Uncle Waffles has probably charted the most unique and unconventional path to global fame. Since she burst onto the scene through a viral social media video that captured a delirious crowd eating out the palm of her hands as she DJ'd and danced on stage at a sold out show in Jozi last October, Uncle Waffles has quickly become one of the most popular DJs on the continent. After catching Drake's attention and earning global plaudits, she immediately took off and started to take bookings across the continent.

For the past few weeks, the 21-year-old has taken things to a new level as she's been headlining shows in different cities around Europe. This past weekend, following the release of her debut single Tanzania with Sino Msolo,

Tony Duardo and Boibizza, Uncle Waffles had her first sold out show in Ireland.

Amidst this buzz, she also recently signed an endorsement deal with Sprite. While naysayers on social media continue to question her talent as a DJ and whether she has what it takes to stand the test of time her, Uncle Waffles continues to make bigger and bigger moves by the week. What's next?

AYRA STARR

A member of Nigerian record producer Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records, 20-year-old afrobeats star Ayra Starr always seemed destined to success. After all, Don Jazzy and Mavin Records have in the past few years enhanced their reputation of grooming global African stars with their work with Rema and Ladipoe. Since bursting onto the scene with her brilliant, concise and expertly produced self-

titled debut EP early last year, Ayra Starr has continued the label’s rich tradition as she’s swiftly established herself as one of the continent’s top exports.

She followed that up with an impressive project 19 and Dangerous last August. Project standouts Bloody Samaritan, Fashion Killer and Beggie Beggie featuring Ckay, have helped her gain traction not only here in Africa but abroad too. Bloody Samaritan in particular has been a TikTok hit worldwide with hundred of thousands of users creating dances and other types of content using the audio.

FOCALISTIC

Focalistic has been going from stride to stride and consistently raising the bar since the release of his star-making single Ke Star in 2019. Since Davido hopped on the remix shortly afterwards and

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OMAH LAY

DIAMOND PLATINUMZ

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TEMS

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helped propel the amapiano star’s sound across the continent, Focalistic has not looked back. His latest Davido collaboration Champion Sound has extended his reach across the continent and into Europe.

The Pretoria born-andraised artist has been almost exclusively holed up in Europe for months now playing several shows in countries such as England, France and Turkey.

He’s also gone on to become a brand magnet with partnerships and collaborations with major brands like Jagermeister, with whom he has a long term endorsement deal, and Hyundai. He was recently nominated under the Favourite African Star category at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.

weeks ago, the East African star released a new EP titled First of All. The EP, which has East, West and Southern African features, stands out for its varied sounds that demonstrate just how diverse and versatile he is. Collaborations include Adekunle Gold, Focalistic, Zuchu, Mbosso, Jaywillz, Pabi Cooper and Costa Titch. His latest single, Melody is currently on the cover of Apple Music's flagship global African playlist, Africa Now. Diamond has also been in the headlines of late thanks to his role on the new Netflix reality show, Young, Famous & African.

TEMS

2021 was Tems’ year. Not only did she score a feature on Wizkid’s Essence, which was dubbed the Song of DIAMOND PLATNUMZ the Summer in the U.S, she Tanzanian superstar also landed a placement on Diamond Platnumz has Drake’s blockbuster album been one of the most Certified Lover Boy with the prolific continental stars afrobeats-leaning single for almost a decade now.

Fountains.

Over the past few years, While Essence has been he's turned the heat up by nominated for a Grammy releasing new music at a Award and become the searing pace. first Nigerian song to In 2020, while most go platinum in the U.S, artists were mulling over the Fountains was remarkably coronavirus pandemic, the certified gold in the U.S 32-year-old had his most within a month of release. productive year to date, In the midst of all the releasing music almost attention she’s garnered every month. He's continued through these two huge on that momentum over the features, Tems released her past two years. A couple of sophomore EP, If Orange

Was A Place in September last year. The EP, which was smartly released just over a week after Drake’s album release, thrust Tems firmly onto the global scene by showcasing that she wasn’t just a great feature artists but could hold her own and carry a project as a solo artist too.

OMAH LAY

When Omah Lay burst onto the scene with the infectious and instantly viral hit Bad Influence in 2020, it seemed clear to most that he'd be the next big afrobeats superstar.

He followed that up with Damn, a huge continental single which caught the eye of U.S star 6lack, who gave the young artist his first international feature on the Damn Remix.

He's since followed that up with another global co-sign, this time from Canadian superstar Justin Bieber who features on his latest single Attention.

His early success through these fire singles and the two EP's What Have We Done and Get Layd have led to him touring across parts of Europe and North America over the past year.

This past week, he took off to Manchester, England for the start of his Boy Alone World Tour. This latest tour will see him play in cities like Zurich, Munich, Paris, Istanbul, Berlin, Rome and Madrid.

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DEBASHINE THANGEVELO When we think of the rich and famous, Hollywood becomes a default benchmark.

This mindset has not only been dominant for the longest time, it has been propagated through shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Bling Empire, Selling Sunset and The Real Housewives franchise.

Meanwhile, the African continent is generally put down for its disease outbreaks, poverty, apartheid struggles and political wars.

But this soiled perception of Africa gets a serious shake-up with ‘Young, Famous & African’.

This unscripted reality show offers a front-row seat to the life of everyone’s favourite A-list personalities across the African continent: Khanyi Mbau, Diamond Platnumz, Nadia Nakai, Jeremiah Ogbodo (aka Swanky Jerry), Annie MacaulayIdibia, Andile Ncube, Naked DJ, Zari Hassan (Zari the Boss Lady), 2Baba and Kayleigh Schwark.

These stars are not just pioneering in their respective fields, they are filthy rich, too.

Shot in Joburg, which is where everyone connected, the show captures their frustrations, dating woes, private beefs as well as hopes and dreams of the cast. Friendships are tested and so too are the relationships.

In my recent Zoom interview with DJ Quinton Naked DJ Masina, Zari the Boss Lady and Peace Hyde, who is a co-creator and executive producer on the show, they unpacked why Young, Famous & African, is

a watershed moment for the industry.

Naked DJ said: “Being chosen as one of the creams of the crop of the African continent and to be part of a young cast, it’s something you cannot describe.

“It’s a childhood dream come true and it’s just great to be that chosen few that is here to represent the continent because the continent is rich in culture and just everything. And to be the guys spearheading everything, it’s an honour that you can’t describe.”

He said: “ From my side there were no no-go areas, even when they came into my home and asked can we shoot here, can we shoot there, I said, look, I want to showcase who I am. My ups and downs.

My family. Stuff I go through with my girlfriend. Things I go through as a father. I said, it’s my life and it’s a reality show and I want you to show.”

Naked DJ is dating a much younger Kayleigh. But when you are with someone all the time, it can become too much. This appears to be his predicament.

Hyde confirmed that the idea for the show has been simmering for four years now.

And that it took a village to make it a reality.

She said: “The original vision for the show was between myself and Martin, my cocreator.

“And we started this four years ago. At that time, Netflix didn’t have a strong presence in

Africa but we had this idea that we wanted to show people the Africa we were experiencing.

She said: “Nothing like this had been done before and people weren’t used to the idea of showing their personal lives in Africa to a global audience.

“And it has been very challenging to be able to get a beautiful cast to trust us to tell their authentic stories. It is not scripted, it is not faked for the cameras. These are real people showing their real lives but, more importantly, it was getting people to understand that it was a celebration of Africa.

“For so many years, we’ve had people tell us what Africa is like and demonstrate to the rest of the world what Africa is like but we’ve never had the opportunity to give Africans a platform to tell their own authentic stories, which are very similar to people in the diaspora and beyond.

“So when we look at the cast that we have, we were really just trying to show people in their real lives celebrating the authentic perception of what it means to be African in this current contemporary day and age, and I think it is very important to emphasise.”

Of course, everyone has their own unique personality and that couldn’t be clearer than with the cat fights and misunderstandings.

That said, Zari said: “We are like family now and yes, I would do it again (if there’s a second season).”

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THUSO MBEDU IS THE NAME ON HOLLYWOOD’S LIPS ALYSSIA BIRJALAL

The sky is the limit for South African-born actress Thuso Mbedu.

The young actress is not new to TV and her outstanding performance in Amazon Prime Video’s The Underground Railroad and her several awards thereafter took her international career to the next level – with almost everyone in Hollywood wanting a piece of the South African beauty.

Mbedu was nominated for an International Emmy award for her role in the local drama series Is’Thunzi and, although she didn’t walk away with the Emmy, it was that moment that fuelled the fire which led to her being one of the most talked about actresses on Hollywood’s lips.

This young phenomenon recently played the lead role of Cora Randall in The Underground Railroad, a series that looked at black American slavery, and which won many awards.

In the series, Cora and Caesar run away from the Georgia plantation where they have been slaves for three generations. The rest of the story looks at black experiences, not just during slavery, but throughout American history.

Mbedu’s performance earned her several international awards which include, TV Breakout Star at the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards, Outstanding Performance in a New Series at the Gotham Independent Film Awards and her most

recent award, Best Female Performance in a new Scripted Series at the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards held earlier this month in Santa Monica, California.

On the back of this, Mbedu has also secured a role in the historical drama, The Woman King, which is set to release in September and boasts a cast of brilliant actors like Viola Davis, John Boyega and Sheila Atim who also acted in The Underground Railroad alongside Mbedu.

Mbedu is not only one of the most compelling faces on television but a force to be reckoned with on the fashion front too.

She recently graced the Critics Choice Awards red carpet in a sparkly gold Christian Dior Fall 2020 Haute Couture gown, which she paired with simple Pomellato jewels and a matching gold clutch.

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FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ‘MR BONES 3’ South African comedian Leon Schuster and his right-hand man, Alfred Ntombela, are back in action with ‘Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones’ set to release at the Easter weekend, ALYSSIA BIRJALAL reports

South African comedian Leon Schuster and his right-hand man, Alfred “Shorty” Ntombela, are back to offer viewers side-splitting laughs with the third instalment of Mr Bones, set to release at Easter.

Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones will be in cinemas on Friday, April 15.

Bones, ageing but unbeaten, tries unsuccessfully to pass on his wisdom to Mathambo (Alfred Ntombela), his short, tubby, incompetent, but, at heart, honest and independent son.

At the same time, two unscrupulous oil diggers are trying to steal the treasures of Kuvukiland.

A very funny story about courage and filial confusion.

Schuster offers readers five facts about the movie.

1. Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones comes 14 years after Mr Bones 2: Back from the Past and 20 years after Mr Bones. The storyline begins at the turn of the last century, when viewers witness (in a flashback) the burying of the Kruger millions by two Boer soldiers, who then kill each other through idiotic greed, leaving the treasure hidden in a graveyard in Kuvukiland.

2. Tobie Cronje, the 74-year-old actor best known for his roles in the television series Manakwalanners, Binnelanders and Egoli and singer,songwriter, musician and actor Bouwer Bosch make delightful cameo appearances.

3. In case you’ve forgotten how Bones got his name, 60 years ago, in an obscure corner of Africa, the only survivor of

a light aircraft crash was a baby boy.

Perhaps it was the miracle of his survival which gave him the gift of “sight”, and he became a sangoma, the seer of the Kuvuki tribe, interpreting the wishes of “The Great One” through the throwing of the bones.

4. New actors to the franchise include producer and actor Sans Moonsamy, comedian and actor Tumi Moraki and Legacy actress Jay Anstey. Moonsamy plays Alvin, a scrawny businessman, while Moraki and Anstey play Mamba, an urban baddie, and Gabriella, a beautiful game ranger guide, respectively.

5. The country has been waiting to see Mathambo in a leading role and he rose to the occasion like a giant. Also, this is the first time that we see him fall in love.

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MAKE WAY FOR 'THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF LAGOS' BUHLE MBONAMBI

I REMEMBER the time when many scoffed at people who watched The Real Housewives shows.

They rolled their eyes and lectured about using their time better and watch more highbrow television.

Well, that was a few years ago and now the

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tide has swiftly turned.

Somehow during the worst days of the Covid-19 lockdowns, people around the world actively searched for light-hearted content that wouldn’t make them think about the doom and gloom outside their homes.

Africa being left out of the, that time is over.

The Real Housewives of Johannesburg and The Real Housewives of Durban opened the doors and now Lagos is joining with its version.

Episodes will on stream Showmax from Friday, April 8.

Now meet the women who will be driving the story.

English and Yoruba, and has produced 14 of her own.

CAROLYNA HUTCHINGS

CHIOMA “GOOD HAIR” IKOKWU

Former Nollywood star turned business mogul Carolyna Hutchings is a power player. Her last film role was in 2006.

She left the industry and now has interests in the oil and gas industry, is an interior designer and also has a real estate company of which she is the CEO, Hutchings Ltd.

IYABO OJO

The Yoruba film star is a major name in Nigeria’s entertainment industry.

The actress has featured in more than 150 films, both

Chioma Ikokwu is a literal Girl Boss. Holding degrees from the University of Birmingham, the University of London and the Nigerian Law School, she truly possesses beauty and brains. An entrepreneur, she has successfully built a respectable career for herself as the CEO of global beauty company Good Hair Limited.

TOYIN LAWANI

Toyin is a soughtafter stylist and fashion

designer. Her talents have led her to work with some of Nigeria’s and the US’ biggest stars

LAURA IKEJI KANU

Media entrepreneur and author, Laura is a fashion blogger and founder of Hey! Laura, an entertainment andl0 fashion blog.

MARIAM ADEYEMI TIMMER

Mariam Adeyemi Timmer is a noted PR practitioner and fashionista who has in some way worked with most of her fellow cast members before, most notably Toyin Lawani.

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How can we remember anything else?

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DAMN!

I O L E N TE R TA I N ME N T | Issue 4 | M arch /J un e

LOCAL COMEDIANS SHARE THEIR VIEWS ON THE WILL SMITH & CHRIS ROCK SAGA ALYSSIA BIRJALAL AN EVENT filled with glitz, glamour and shiny golden statuettes was meant to be the order of the night at the 94th Academy Awards, but Will Smith stole the show with that unforgettable slap he planted on Chris Rock after Rock cracked a joke about his wife, JadaPinkett Smith.

Talk now revolves around whether Smith over-reacted or whether Rock overstepped his boundaries as a comedian.

Local comedians, Masood Boomgaard, Siv Ngesi and “Aunty Shamilla” portrayed by Prev Reddy shared their views.

Boomgaard said that he wasn’t sure if the slap was real or staged.

He said a part of him still thinks it was staged to boost Oscar ratings which have fallen dramatically.

Boomgaard said if real, Smith’s reaction was definitely uncalled for.

“No matter what the joke was or what the circumstances were, there is no excuse for violence particularly in that context,” he said.

YouTuber and social media influencer Prev Reddy said: “At first I thought it was part of a skit. I think there is a very fine line between humour and being insensitive, and I guess at its core humour is laughing at the ugly truths about human behaviour, but I do believe that laughing at an illness is not funny,” said Reddy.

He said that he

understood Smith’s frustration but thought the situation could have been handled better. PinkettSmith suffers from a hair loss condition alopecia, and Rock had referred to the actress as GI Jane due to her close cropped hair.

“I get the anger. If I had to make a joke about someone’s health conditions- which I would never - people will be offended, especially the family of that person,” said Reddy.

Comedian and actor Siv Ngesi said Smith would have never slapped a man of a different colour.

“Will Smith would have never done that to a white guy. He is wrong and out of line. I wish he would have tried that s**t with me,” said Ngesi.

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I O L E N TE R TA I N ME N T | Issue 4 | M arch /J un e

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