April’s nearly over but theatre is forever! Underdog: The Other Other Brontë @ National Theatre Ends 25 May Directed by Natalie Ibu (Northern Stage Artistic Director) the Brontë sisters rivalry takes centre stage in ‘Underdog: The Other Other Brontë’. Starring Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones) as Charlotte Brontë; Rihannon Clements and Adele James as her sisters Anne and Emily, we are thrust into their world as they each try to make a name for themselves in a time where women were only good for looking after other women’s children. I loved this production. The small cast made it feel much more intimate and voyueristic as we learnt about the Brontë’s world and their individual quests for notoriety. The ensemble, comprised entirely of men, played into their roles amazingly, whether they were pageboys, partygoers or ladies of the manner. Gemma, Rihannon and Adele meshed amazingly as sisters, with the characters of Emily and Anne constantly calling out Charlotte for her unreliable narration and fanciful story telling. I love the National’s commitment to staging theatre from outside the capital, long may it continue. Love Steps @ TALAWA Theatre 29 May to 1 June Anastasia Osei-Kuffour’s ‘Love Steps’ is a lesson in love and understanding your own journey. Starring Sharon Rose (Hamilton) and Reece Richards (Sex Education), Anna takes us through her journey of romantic love and self-love through movement, dance and monolouge. This adaptation of Osei-Kuffour’s poetry is a strong contender for development through to a larger space. Based on her own experiences in love (read our Q&A with Anastasia here) Sharon carried us through this story in her own way as Anna, supported by various, friends, family and love interests all voiced by Reece and his ever changing accent-work. I love the stripped back staging of this production; simple lighting and costume design are used to track Anna’s feelings and emotions throughout her journey. Pink LEDs light the stage when she’s feeling loved up, blue when she’s conflicted, when her love looks hopeful and she meets ‘The One’, Anna dons a floral wrap dress as opposed to her all black ensemble. With a run time just over an hour, ‘Love Steps’ hits the sweet spot and doesn’t drag out Anna’s story, the only issue is that it means that it feels a little more open-ended that I’d like but Anastasia Osei-Kuffour could be hoping for an extension of Anna’s journey. This production has a little break between its transfer at Omnibus and TALAWA, so I’m excited to see how, and if there are any adaptations. Red Pitch @ Soho Place Ends 4 May My second time seeing this production and it did not disappoint. I was worried that a transfer to a larger space would see some the the nuance lost from it’s original run at Bush Theatre (you will always be famous). But this didn’t disappoint, I think the intimacy was aided by the fact that the upper tiers of seating weren’t bookable so you felt like you were back at Bush. Starring Kedar Williams-Stirling (Sex Education),  Francis Lovehall (Small Axe: Lovers Rock) and Emeka Sesay (The Book of Clarence) these three boys are aspiring football stars battling it out on their local pitch as the gentrification of their home looms overhead. This production is so Bush Theatre it makes my heart swell. From the jokes to the dance breaks, the camaraderie is clear to see, as is the real heart for the story being played out. Special shoutout to the movement director Gabrielle Nimo and the original movement director Dickson Mbi for crafting such raw scenes. Not to be missed. Hadestown @ Lyric Theatre Ends 22 December I had no expectations going into this production, I hadn’t even listened to the soundtrack; which didn’t disappoint. Hadestown tells the tale of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, lovers who are separated by Hades. The tale is told by Hermes, played by Melanie La Barrie (& Juliet) who’s phenomenal, her accent only heightens the story and the otherworldly feel that Hadestown seeks to project. I adored the Fates, played by Bella Brown (A Chorus Line), Madeline Charlemagne (The Secret Life of Bees) and Allie Daniel (As You Like It). Their performances of Nothing Changes and When the Chips Are Down were stellar and I loved the fact that they supported the cast musically with individual instruments. The relationship between Orpheus and Eurydice, played by Donal Finn and Grace Hodgett Young respectively, felt a little lukewarm for me, but nevertheless they carried their individual roles well along with every song performed. Hades and Persephone, played by Zachary James and Glori Onitiri, had a much better dynamic in my opinion. Staging and music a feat to witness, I’m glad that this was brought back to the West End. The Comeuppance @ Almeida Theatre Ends 18 May Travelling from across the pond, ‘The Comeuppence’ tells the story of what everyone hates to imagine returning to, your school reunion, but this time it’s post COVID. Directed by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Appropriate) it’s clear to see thematic strands from his previous works involving race and strained relationships. I’m obsessed with the set design on this one, despite largely taking place on the porch, Arnulfo Maldonado has created an entire home behind the cast! Starring Yolanda Kettle (Persuasion), Ferdinand Kingsley (Reacher), Tamara Lawrence (The Silent Twins), Katie Leung (Nightsleeper) and Anthony Welsh (Bob Marley: One Love). We see the highs and lows of reuniting with old friends who have adult problems. I loved the way this played out, though I would have loved if there had been more anger, at times it felt as though we were about to reach the pinnacle of something great only to have it pulled away from us. —--------------------------------------------------------- Is Dat U Yh? @ Brixton House Ends 27 April I have yet to see this, and sadly I don’t think I’ll be able to squeeze it in but if you watch it let me know what you think! Summary: Tamagotchi’s, Pokemon and alien babies. “a time where laughter was free and nonsense was all we knew” It’s when you couldn’t be on the phone and the internet at the same time It’s where you learned insults were a love language It’s when spittin battles at lunchtime could get you happy-slapped Tolu and the “Back Of the Bus Queens” relive and rediscover their love of home, in this joyous and whacky adventure down memory lane. Surreal memories, short stories, and nonsense! Theatre. Dance. Lyricism & school daze nostalgia! Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) @ Criterion Theatre Ends 14 July Disclaimer: I saw this at Kiln Theatre in Decemeber 2023 but I was so glad it was going to the West End. Now at the Criterion Theatre, ‘Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)’ stars Dujonna Gift (Hamilton) and Sam Tutty (Dear Evan Hansen). Seeing this in the winter was the perfect setting but I know that this production is seasonless. Dujonna and Sam are stunning both theatrically and sonically, you almost forget that they’re the only two performers on the stage, the weight they carry. From the score through to to the use of staging, this production snuck in for me on my list of top five shows for 2023. This musical needs the same cult following as SIX. If you’re looking for something feelgood with plenty of heart, Two Strangers is for you.

Here are 5 up-and-coming artists you need to add to your playlist. Listen to the Ones To Watch playlist here. Sasha Keable - Hold Up Sasha Keable is a proud Colombian South-Londoner. Though the two cultures couldn't be more diametrically opposed, Sasha wears both identifiers as a badge of honour, letting them shape her music and define her personhood. After a 2-year hiatus, she's back to music and has released Hold Up - a classic R&B song layered with powerful, soulful crescendos and lyrics that detail a story of love gone wrong. Dear Silas - Out The Way Meet Dear Silas. A Mississippi-native whose sound perfectly combines Hip-Hop, Jazz and Soul. His flow is sharp, infectious and almost resembles a percussion instrument. Dear Silas changes the pitch of his voice to resemble a high hat and bends his voice to add depth to his unique flow and the stories he tells. Rae Khalil - IS IT WORTH IT Rae Khalil is the newest signee to Anderson .Paak's label, Apeshit. Already a Grammy-award winning songwriter for Paak's Lockdown, 2024 is the year she pens songs only for herself. On IS IT WORH IT, Rae Khalil' swings between R&B, jazz, retro-soul and funk, whilst offering euphoric production and warm storytelling. Baaba J - Sunshine Baaba J is a singer, songwriter and film maker from Tema, Ghana. On Sunshine, Baaba J teams up with Grammy nominated producer to create a song about the acceptance of self and love lost. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Koffe, Asa and Imagine Dragons, Baaba’s unique artistry effortlessly creates room for her to weave together smooth Soul, Afro indie and folk sounds, with an alternative twist. Lady Heroine - Sadie Lady Heroine are a rock band hailing from Florida. One may say their sound is almost undefined, but it's best described as experimental with their songs ranging from sweet melodic pop to heavy rock. Whatever the style of music, lead singer Kait Francisco's croon works perfectly with every melody.

A week before the debut of Love Steps, The Floor Mag caught up with poet, director and writer Anastasia Osei-Kuffour to discuss all things love, how our personal journeys feed into our creative processes and early 00s dance films. How was Love Steps born? Love Steps has been in the works for a while. It's been adapted from a series of poems that I wrote at different stages of my own love journey. I kind of looked back over my collection of poetry and thought, “Okay, so like, what is this love journey?” There have been ups and downs and things that I've learned along the way. I just felt like this could be a compelling story. How was the process of adapting your poetry to be ready for the stage? It's been pretty easy in the sense that I come from a poetry background. That's my natural way of writing and I always knew I wanted to write something that wasn't naturalistic, but stylised in the poetic realm. Yes, it did feel very challenging to create because it's not trying to become like a conventional play, but also, I'm still in the process of working on the script with the actors and the team. So it's an ongoing process that is enjoyable and has its challenges as well, because it's very new and I’m trying to get that right. What has it been like for you, being in the rehearsal room as a director? It's been a real joy. I've spent over 12 years directing other people's writing, and I love doing that, and I will continue doing that. But what's been interesting is when I'm directing my own work, it feels so much more connected and it flows easier because I'm not trying to get into someone else's head and understand what they've tried to do or what they want. It's come from me, so I know exactly what I'm going for. I know exactly what I'm hoping to create. And what can audiences expect from Love Steps in terms of themes? I think if people have watched films like Poetic Justice, it kind of has that feel of love and poetry. It's got Black people on stage, and so people, I think, will get the feeling of it's beautiful, it's cool, and it’s got a lot of emotions because it's quite a heightened space and poetry is quite heightened. I think people are going to feel the strength of the feelings in the different stages that Anna [she] goes through. What media, aside from your own work, inspires you? Since my childhood, there've been lots of films, music and dance that I have watched and listened to that I have liked and gone “Oh, I love this.” Then I guess when going to make my own play, those things, not deliberately, came into it because I'm writing something I love or want to see. So dance is something I've loved since childhood. So it's some of the big movies, like Honey, Step Up One and Two, You Got Served and Save the Last Dance. Are the movies I've loved. To sort of bring those to life and emulate or try and make the piece like that. The ingredients I love from those movies; I've got in my piece so, dance and love. I want a love story or dance in my piece. I want great music in my piece, because those are the things I love about those movies. Who is Anna? Is she you still or is she less you now that you’ve been in rehearsals? So everything in the play has a real world inspiration for it. I've kind of done that purposely because I feel like there's a resonance and power that comes from truth. But I think in trying to present a story of this woman who's looking for love and like doing a sweeping sort of journey, I've had to modify it to make sense. And her journey and the men that she encounters have the ingredients of the real life experiences I had with modifications to make it dramatically make sense or more interesting. Going on the journey of romantic love actually throws up your insecurities and your vulnerabilities. In terms of non-romantic love in your own life, who do you look to? That's a great question, because I think in the play, we see that we see the people in [Anna’s] life and we see snapshots of them and how they speak into her life and her sense of self. Family wise, I'm really close to my Dad. I get so much reinforcement and strength from how he sees me and how he has spoken to me over so many years about life, the world and my place. In the play, we have a mirror of that relationship with her dad and how her dad questions her. Maybe it adds to the pressure about what's happening with her relationships, because he’s worried about her, but also he reinforces a sense of self and that she's enough as she is. Love Steps plays at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham till 20 April It then transfers to TALAWA from 29 May to 1 June

With spring finally here, we’re getting out and about and you can too with a National Art Pass. Get free or half-price entry to hundreds of inspiring museums, galleries and exhibitions across the UK for 3 months for only £15. Whether it’s ‘The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure’ at the National Portrait Gallery or exploring ‘Soulscapes’ at Dulwich Picture Gallery - there’s something for everyone. Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art, Barbican Art Gallery, London – Open now (50% off with a National Art Pass) Step into the intersection of form and politics at Unravel, where textiles become a medium for transformation. With over 100 works by international artists, this captivating exhibition encourages you to discover narratives of gender, sexuality, colonialism, and displacement. The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure, National Portrait Gallery – Open now (50% off with a National Art Pass) Dive into a thought-provoking exploration of the Black figure and its representation in contemporary art at this major exhibition that champions over 20 leading artists from the African diaspora. Lubaina Himid: Lost Threads, The Holburne Museum - Open now (50% off with a National Art Pass) Continuing Himid’s work on the relationship between fashion, colonialism and global migrations, Lost Thread is displayed as African dress in the The Holburne Museum’s gallery and staircase. Soulscapes, Dulwich Picture Gallery - Open now (50% off with a National Art Pass)  Curated by Lisa Anderson, the Managing Director of Black Cultural Archives, Soulscapes explores our connection to the world around us featuring over 30 artworks by artists from the African diaspora. Beyond the Bassline, British Library – Opens 26 April (50% off with a National Art Pass)  Standing as the first major exhibition to chronicle 500 years of Black music in Britain, Beyond the Bassline invites you to embark on a groundbreaking journey through jazz, reggae, jungle, and afroswing. Zanele Muholi, Tate Modern – Opens 6 June (50% off with a National Art Pass)  Explore the remarkable career of Zanele Muholi, an acclaimed visual activist. This powerful exhibition, which tells the stories of Black LGBTQIA+ lives in South Africa and beyond, is not to be missed. Naomi, V&A - Opens 22 June (50% off with a National Art Pass) Celebrate the extraordinary career of Naomi Campbell through the lens of leading global designers and photographers. Explore her iconic creative collaborations, activism, and far-reaching cultural impact. To experience these extraordinary exhibitions with an exclusive National Art Pass 3 month trial for £15, click here.

What do you think your divine purpose is? Because Ramata-Toulaye Sy thinks it is to love. Debuts are painfully exposing. What you choose to say matters. Whether you like it or not, they serve as a manifesto for the type of filmmaker you want to be and it seems Ramata-Toulaye Sy wants to be one who tells stories about his people with as much love as the film’s titular characters Banel (Khady Mane) and Adama (Mamadou Diallo) hold for one another. We are a generation devoid of earnestness, and it is starting to show in our art. Rom-Coms no longer have the same overflowing giddiness they used to because the need to be ‘cool’ or ‘realistic’ has trumped out the desire to believe wholeheartedly in the existence of a great love. Romantic dramas like One Day seek to make you fall in love and then to humble you with the coldness of reality. This film undoes that. There is no ‘cool’, pessimistically post-modern interpretation of love in Banel and Adama. Love in this film is idealistic and dreamy- so, so dreamy. Adama writes he and his lover’s names together over and over again like a lovesick child in a little notebook with such devotion, you would think he was jotting down bits of scripture. Our hearts as a culture need to be thawed and Sy’s debut takes a blowtorch to that fashionable cynicism that has robbed us of belief. Set in a Northern-Senegalese village, the film takes place in Pulaar (a specific dialectic, offshoot of Fula), a language so rich in rhythm and melody you can’t help but feel like Sy has been handed a secret weapon to elevate his film. The two leads are opposites in almost every way; Adama is softly spoken and introverted, more likely to lower his gaze in a moment of heat than his lover Banel- a firecracker in every sense of the word-is. Her rebellion is not rooted in a white misinterpretation of her nature as a Black woman. Her frustration is valid, the boxes her people keep trying to shove her into of ‘mother’ and ‘dutiful wife’ too small for her. When she pushes back, you understand- and support- her firmly.  We watch the couple fend off the judgements of the other villagers, their own insecurities and wrestle with what it means to be so emotionally isolated in a place filled with people. Their village believes that Adama is destined to be their leader; he believes he was put on this earth to love this young widowed woman very few approve of. It is a tried and tested formula for writing a love story (what is more exciting than a love that is forbidden and misunderstood?) but here it is elevated by the masterful direction of Sy, and an understanding that no good love story exists in isolation from the real world. Banel and Adama sit waiting patiently for their dream home to become habitable after a sandstorm sweeps through their village. They are at odds with the climate, Sy taking this opportunity to point out the consequence of Western policy and recklessness on African communities. Climate disasters in the region have increased in the last few years, famine and drought driven by environmental changes displacing entire communities. It is the people who love their environments the most who are being punished by it. Banel and Adama has real stakes, because it has real people at the centre of it, literally. Neither Khady Mane nor Mamadou Diallo (the two leads) have ever acted professionally before, which feels impossible when you watch them navigate this story so effortlessly. The film was shot in Senegal too and that authenticity shines through in every way. This is an African film just as it is a romantic drama. There is a subtlety and quiet to the picture that is hypnotic. Sy is already a master at capturing stillness, letting the camera linger in all the right places. There are moments that feel almost documentary style, shots of vast open land and beautiful bodies of water interweaved within the wider narrative. Faith and mysticism play a role in these people’s lives and their perceptions of things like purpose, but it also flows through the setting. Bong Joon-Ho famously said that ‘once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films’ as he accepted his much deserved Oscar for Parasite. He is-of course- correct. This film simply would not have worked as well in English or even French. This is a film that is just as much about Banel and Adama as it is about their home and its culture. It’s a pleasure to watch two people love one another as thoroughly and earnestly as Banel and Adama do. It is even more of pleasure to watch them do it in their native tongue, Sy not compromising in an attempt to serve a wider, whiter demographic. It is why when a film like Past Lives breaks into the cultural discourse, it becomes difficult to bear the expected, tiring counter wave of criticism, the yells of ‘overrated’ that take ahold like clockwork. If it were up to the mainstream (and by the mainstream I mean the classic gatekeepers of culture, the white film critics and their white ‘film bro’ followers), we would die before our work got the attention and love it deserved. How many films by Black and brown creatives will fly under the radar because we as audiences do not seek to explore beyond our own white-centric tastes? How many more times must we watch an African artist’s work ignored and relegated to the bottom of a ‘hidden gem’ feature years after it's completed because there is no one trying to see it, see us as capable and worthy? We have declared ourselves ready as a culture for yearning and earnestness to make a comeback. With Banel and Adama, it feels as though Sy has captured love itself and placed it in the room with you. As a film, it is as sensual and intimate as a lover whispering in your ear. The question is not does Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s debut land with impact (it unequivocally does). The question is will you hear its call and let yourself be swept away in its romance the way I was.

The spotlight is on the short story for this month's bookshelf, with 3 out of the 8 picks being compilations that span across genres and regions. There is also a variety of literary fiction to pick from including the much anticipated debut novel from writer-editor Varaidzo. Themes: Race, Class, Second Coming-of-age, Relationships, Culture and Arts Summary: London, 1936. Two sisters are ready to take the city and the world by storm. Bath, 2012. Two young Black men are figuring out who they are, and who they want to become. Manny Powell is forthright, intellectual, and determined to make her mark on the London literary scene. Her younger sister, Rita 'The Baby', just wants to dance. Chasing their dreams across smoky Soho jazz clubs, they soon find themselves part of the burgeoning Black ambition movement, and must learn how to navigate it as women. As tensions rise, and fascism and war snap at their heels, Rita finds herself drawn to the mysterious mimic and trumpeter, Ezekiel Brown, from Jamaica, and the trio are faced with choices that will alter their lives forever. Itai has fled London to his late father's flat in Bath. Listening to cassette tapes his father made, he realises there is a lot he doesn't know about the man's life - who is Rita? Why did his father record her life story? And might she hold the answers to Itai's questions? Meanwhile, his developing friendship with Josh, a young athlete who moonlights as a dealer to fund his training, is on unsteady ground. As the country prepares for the 2012 Olympics, Josh is under increasing pressure from his bosses to find out just what the hell Itai is really doing in their city. Manny and the Baby is a character-driven debut novel, full of heart, about what it means to be Black and British, now and in the past. Themes: Music, Education, Race, Colonialism, Art for Social Change Summary: In Track Record: Me, Music, and the War on Blackness, George sheds a light on his upbringing and education, while also breathing life into music as a powerful force - one that has ignited social movements and has the lead to dramatic change. In this deeply personal and thought-provoking book, George looks back at his own education, his time at university, and his beginnings as a musician, and the moments that have shaped him. As he reflects on his own evolution as an artist, George weaves a story that goes beyond traditional memoir. He dives deep into the complexities of the economy, colonialism, while also diving deep into forgotten moments in history which form the war on blackness. By understanding how structural inequality, and how marginalised communities have been suffocated by social exclusion, George tells a story that is personal and political, highlighting the many injustices facing Black artists today. Themes: Technology, Identity, Culture, Afro-futurism Summary: Convergence Problems is a new short story collection from award-winning, Nebula-nominated Nigerian author Wole Talabi. Containing brand-new stories rewrites of early work, and a few previously published pieces, Wole Talabi's new collection, Convergence Problems, consists of sixteen short stories and one previously unseen novella. All of the stories in this collection are set in or relate to Africa and investigate the rapidly changing role of technology in our lives as we search for meaning, knowledge, and justice, constantly converging to our future selves. In Lagos, Nigeria, a roadside mechanic volunteers to undergo a procedure that will increase the electrical conductivity of his skin by orders of magnitude. On Mars, a woman races against time and a previously undocumented geological phenomenon to save her brother. In Nairobi, a tech support engineer tries to understand what is happening when an AI system begins malfunctioning in ways that could change the world. Themes: Race, Race History, Family, Sacrifice, Love, Grief Summary: A remarkable talent far ahead of her time, Diane Oliver died in 1966 at the age of 22, leaving behind these crisply told and often chilling tales that explore race and racism in 1950s and 60s America. In this first and only collection by a masterful storyteller finally taking her rightful place in the canon, Oliver's insightful stories reverberate into the present day. There's the nightmarish "The Closet on the Top Floor" in which Winifred, the first Black student at her newly integrated college, starts to physically disappear; "Mint Juleps not Served Here" where a couple living deep in a forest with their son go to bloody lengths to protect him; "Spiders Cry without Tears," in which a couple, Meg and Walt, are confronted by prejudices and strains of interracial and extramarital love; and the high tension titular story that follows a nervous older sister the night before her little brother is set to desegregate his school. These are incisive and intimate portraits of African American families in everyday moments of anxiety and crisis that look at how they use agency to navigate their predicaments. Themes: Desire, Fear, Shame, Community, Family, Survival Summary: A searing, unflinching collection of stories set in Nigeria that explores themes of community expectations, familial strife, and the struggle for survival. Set in contemporary Nigeria, Uche Okonkwo’s A Kind of Madness is a collection of ten stories concerned with literal madness but also those private feelings that, when left unspoken, can feel like a type of desire, desperation, hunger, fear, sadness, shame, longing. In these stories, a young woman and her mother bask in the envy of their neighbors when the woman receives an offer of marriage from the family of a doctor living in Belgium―though when the offer fails to materialize, that envy threatens to turn vicious, pitting them both against their village. A teenage girl from a poor family is dazzled by her rich, vivacious friend, but as the friend’s behavior grows unstable and dangerous, she must decide whether to cover for her or risk telling the truth to get her the help she needs. And a lonely daughter finds herself wandering a village in eastern Nigeria in an ill-fated quest, struggling to come to terms with her mother’s mental illness. In vivid, evocative prose, A Kind of Madness marks the arrival of an extraordinary new talent in fiction and inviting us all to consider the why is it that the people and places we hold closest are so often the ones that drive us to madness? Themes: Mythology, Afro-fantasy, Sacrifice, Bravery Summary: When the streams suddenly run dry in Ani Mmadu, the people know it is time to atone for a sin that goes back to the very beginning of their world, the consequence of one woman’s rebellion against the all-powerful and unforgiving, jealous god. To avert this catastrophe and for the waters to flow and nourish the farms again, the people must send an Aja—a child chosen by the Oracle—into the Forest of Iniquity, to atone for that great Sin. It falls on young Adanne to save her people this time. But the Ajas sent into the dreaded forest tend never to return. Is Adanne the long-awaited one who will buck the trend and end her people’s suffering? Don’t Answer When They Call Your Name is an extraordinary novel bursting with kaleidoscopic worlds and beings. It is a feat of the imagination from a born storyteller. Themes: Friendship, Identity, Politics, Power, Integrity Summary: Ego, Zina and Eriife were always destined to be best friends, ever since their grandmothers sat next to each other on a dusty bus to Lagos in the late 1940s, forging a bond that would last generations. But over half a century later, Nigeria is a new and modern country. As the three young women navigate the incessant strikes and political turmoil that surrounds them, their connection is shattered by a terrible assault. In the aftermath, nothing will remain the same as life takes them down separate paths. For Ego, now a high-powered London lawyer, success can’t mask her loneliness and feelings of being an outsider. Desperate to feel connected to Nigeria, she escapes into a secret life online. Zina’s ambition is to be anyone but herself; acting proves the ultimate catharsis, but it comes at the cost of her family. And Eriife surprises everyone by morphing from a practising doctor to a ruthless politician’s perfect wife. When Ego returns home, the three women’s lives become entwined once more, as Nigeria’s political landscape fractures. Their shared past will always connect them, but can they – and their country – overcome it? Themes: Home, Friendship, Grief, Loss, Ambition, Hope Summary: In Makoko, the floating slum off mainland Lagos, Nigeria, nineteen-year-old Baby yearns for an existence where she can escape the future her father has planned for her. With opportunities scarce, Baby jumps at the chance to join a newly launched drone-mapping project, aimed at broadening the visibility of her community. Then a video of her at work goes viral and Baby finds herself with options she could never have imagined - including the possibility of leaving her birthplace to represent Makoko on the world stage. But will life beyond the lagoon be everything she's dreamed of? Or has everything she wants been in front of her all along?

The Beautiful Game is a 2024 sports drama/comedy film that stars Micheal Ward as Vinny, who is enlisted by Mal (Bill Nighy) to join the England squad for the Homeless World Cup in Rome. We sat down with Sheyi Cole – who plays the hilarious and endearing Jason to discuss his process in preparing for the role, his love of music and finding people who champion you. Q - How would you best describe the film? “I would use words like, heartfelt, encouraging, exciting and thrilling. It's just about human resilience and giving people a second chance through football”. Q - Having just seen it, I would completely agree. The essence of teamwork and diversity in struggle really popped out. What did you do to get into character for a role like Jason? “I played a lot of football. That was kind of like the first thing. We had football camps. So, pre-Rome, and during the weird time of COVID, we were actually kind of like doing football training over Zoom.” Sheyi laughs briefly when reminiscing about this online process. To note, this movie was filmed back in 2021. He continues… “We had Mike Delaney, who's an amazing football choreographer, giving us drills to open up our bodies to be able to be comfortable with the ball. For me, like, there wasn't like one thing that I did to open up Jason, I think through Frank's writing, it was quite easy to see how Jason is as a character. So, it was easy for me to kind of like read and actually kind of attach myself. … The world was already created for me. All I had to do as an actor is make that believable. Bring the reality of the situation to life.” Q - Can you speak to me a little more about the artistic process for you and how that ties in with this film? “…big up Thea [Sharrock] for allowing me to be myself and bring shade to the world of Jason. There were things that I saw in the script that for example, there’s a scene that Jason becomes quite flustered and tense whenever he is around Rosita (Cristina Rodlo) because he has a crush. So, it's just stuff like that, as an actor and as an artist that I was able to bring to the table. A lot of what Jason would do, I feel like I’d do myself to be fair, so it was great to combine my own imagination and artistic interpretation with my own personality.” Q –. I’m conscious to find out more about your origin into acting. More so how the transition or combination between singing and acting happened for you? (Sheyi initially started his career as a singer) “My uncle was a musician and he trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama himself - piano. So, the link for me was already there, it's kind of in my bloodline. My grandma, she ran a nightclub in Nigeria! So naturally, the entertainment world has always been something that we've been into...” "And I think also being an only child, it's very easy to be bored and so you need to find things to fill your time – and that was covers for me. So, I used to do a lot of musical covers when I was younger, from Ed Sheeran to Dells to, to John Legend, like my go to karaoke song was Ordinary People! …Later I realised that being in a more conventional school wasn't really it for me. I needed to be surrounded by people that also wanted to be creative, and that's when I came across the Brit School. Originally, I wanted to go in and apply to be part of the music strand...I then realised, I would have a lot more fun, involving myself in theatre, where just having raw talent didn’t feel like I had a disadvantage. So yeah, it was a simple and easy kind of transition for me, just to be in a space that kind of elevates and kind of like champions your individuality." We laugh for some time after this, discussing how interesting his creative family was in comparison to typical depictions of the Nigerian heritage we both share. When prompted about how he found himself with his current agent, Sheyi’s eyes lit up so I was interested to learn more... Q – Can you tell us a little about how your origins, specifically the National Youth Theatre and getting your first break? “The NYT for me was a place to be surrounded by like-minded people and to build a group that I could talk and create with. Post training, you get added to an opportunities list and that was how it started for me. I emailed Sarah Council one of the casting assistants and I said, "hey, I would love to audition for this role." She was super direct and sent me the link to send a tape in. …Whilst I didn’t end up getting the role, the ins and outs of that process gave me greater understanding and put me in the rooms of people that I’ve maintained relationships with. Sarah then really pushed for me to get an agent after this. She gave me a list of agents, we worked our way through it together and this lead me to my now agent Zoe! This process happened six years ago and it meant so much to me." Q – What has it been like for you to grow in these past six years with your agent? “It's great when someone knows who you really are before, all of the amazing things kind of like have happened in your life.” “…she grounds me, she encourages me when I get in my head, she's the first person to put me on the straight and narrow and just be like, "hey, remember how you got here in the first place?”" Q - I asked Sheyi about how he felt knowing that the Homeless World Cup had such an impact on so many lives. Specifically, the fact that the members of Team South Africa in the film, had all personally played in the Homeless World Cup themselves. “Because we know that this story is bigger than us as individual actors, that we know that we had a responsibility to uphold. I think for me I just wanted to represent myself, the team and the film in the best possible light”. Q – It would be great if you could shed some light on your experience with working with someone as legendary as Bill Nighy on this production? “Just to give you an idea of mine and Bill's relationship, like he's saved on my phone as 'Uncle Bill'. He's so smooth, I call him a smooth operator.” Sheyi laughed when reminiscing about how Bill would be singing and dancing in between takes – Marvin Gaye included! “What I learnt from him is to really to work from a place of relaxation. He’s someone that doesn't want to overthink everything, that loves to go from instinct. You'll be having a conversation with him, they’ll call action and it’s like BANG in character”. Q – Who would you love to work with in the future? “Colman Domingo”. Said with absolutely zero hesitation! “I admire him and his journey in that it didn't come to him straightaway. He's had to do a lot to get to where he is. I've been really blessed to meet to meet him, and he is as stylish and lovable as he seems. And I just love him as a craftsman. He really takes time to really investigate his characters, and every single role that you see him do, you will see a differentiation between his work and his characters. Q - Speaking of range, is there any genre you’d love to dip your feet into? “I'm a big superhero nerd. I won’t disclose how many times I cried at the end of some of these Marvel films but just know that tears were shed! It's mad because obviously Tom Holland went to BRIT School as well, so to see his journey from then to now being Spider-Man is mad, but so inspiring. Hopefully I can do the work and become a Miles Morales.” Quick Fire (we tried) question round: Q – Is there anyone on the rise, other than yourself, that people should keep their eyes on? A – Niyi Akin and Josh Tedeku (both currently starring in show Boarders) Both for the talent level and also the energies they have on screen. Q – Chelsea to win the Champions League, or Nigeria/England to win the World Cup? A – I’d have to choose winning the World Cup, purely because Chelsea have already won the Champions League – twice (humble brag). Q – TV series or film? To be in, and to watch? A – Films to watch for sure! But I’d love to be a regular in a series – even though I love being in films. A TV series can be series 1 to 6 and so with that you get the character development perspective where you can see the growth in your character. Q – Planner or Not a planner? A – Not a planner! I feel like I’m really spontaneous. Q – Delete your favourite song or delete your favourite movie? A – I’d delete my favourite song because I could go into the archives or the studio and create something similar based on what I liked about it! This interview has been edited for clarity The Beautiful Game is available to watch now on Netflix UK.

It’s the fourth month of the year and the beginning of Spring. The clocks have gone back, and the days are longer. The bursts of rainfall are getting less and less frequent (touch-wood) and hope is in the air. But even if you’re not as optimistic about the seasonal change as I am, you know what we always have? That’s right, cinema! I’ve pulled together my top picks for April, and we’ve got a bit of everything; action, thrills, laughs and more. So have a look and get some dates in the diary-I’ve seen a couple already, and I promise you won’t regret it. 5th April – Monkey Man The start of the month sees the directorial debut of Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel, with the former Skins man starring as the lead also. Produced by Jordan Peele, the film is set in India, and follows an anonymous man who aims to seek revenge against the corrupt leaders involved in the murder of his mother. It’s a stellar debut from Patel, with a pacey storyline, beautiful cinematography and an almost entirely Asian cast that is refreshing in Hollywood. The film keeps you on your toes from the jump, and covers themes like Indian socio-politics, power and grief, alongside the action and thriller filled storyline. A must-see to start off your April. 12th April – Civil War Keeping with the “slightly dystopian but eerily similar to our current lives” theme, Alex Garland’s Civil War follows a team of journalists in America as they attempt to survive and document a time where the government has become an extremist dictatorship. The film is said to be a look, not at how a country encourages self-destruction, but what happens to the country when it does. Having premiered at SXSW last month, it received positive reviews from critics, with a performance by veteran actor Stephen McKinley Henderson (from Fences, Manchester by The Sea, Dune) heralded as “phenomenal”. 19th April – Book of Clarence The eagle-eyed amongst you will spot that this film featured in my January roundup, but there was a last minute decision to shift the UK release date back to April. The film follows a down-on-his-luck man living in A.D. 33 Jerusalem, who hatches a plan to capitalise on the rising popularity of Jesus Christ. The film has a stacked cast, with LaKeith Stanfield as the lead, alongside Omar Sy, Anna Diop, Michael Ward, Teyana Taylor, James McAvoy and Benedict Cumberbatch – to name a few. Having had its premiere last year, I’ll be honest – the reviews have been mixed. But I think that the cast has enough talent to hold their own, and that’s enough to see what the film is saying in cinema this month. 26th April – Challengers The end of April sees the release of the much-anticipated Challengers, directed by Luca Guadagnino, a filmmaker who is renowned for creating films that centre complex sensuality and prioritise stunning visuals. If both the steamy trailer, and his previous outings (Call Me By Your Name, Bones and All) are anything to go by, Challengers will fit right into Guadagnino’s filmography. The film stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist as the leads, and follows Tashi, a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach, navigating her current marriage to a tennis champion, and his rivalry with her former boyfriend and best-friend. According to iMDB, the film’s genres span across romantic drama, sports film and comedy, and initial reviews have been glowing, both of performance and story. 29th March on Netflix- Afàméfùnà Netflix recently added Afàméfùnà- a feature-length film directed by Kayode Kasum, starring Stan Nze and Alex Ekubo. It is a compelling and tender exploration of the Igbo Apprenticeship system; a practice where young men are sent to live with older and much more established businessmen to learn the trade. If the early reception is anything to go by, then this film promises an acting masterclass and a high-stakes story. That’s all I have for you this month folks, but in my humble opinion, it’s a great little mix. They’re also weekly releases, with a must-see film being released every Friday throughout April. So really, there are no excuses –find a friend, or go solo (it’s the best, trust me), and enjoy the beautiful art-form. Until May!

The church is to R&B what radioactive waste is to superpowers: the nexus for great R&B singers' origin and lore. It tracks historically; from the accentuated vocal runs that convey heightened emotion, to heavy use of rhythmic instruments (e.g. drums and tambourines), music of the church has been the foundation for Gospel and Blues, which eventually evolved into R&B. Even as the genre grows and develops, the foundation of the choir (whether through participation or proximity) seems to set apart the good from the greats. Whitney Houston, Usher, Brandy, John Legend, Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin are just some of the R&B greats born from the choir. Joining this esteemed catalogue are two artists that not only draw inspiration for their careers from the church and its sounds, but also started their friendship there at the age of four. Georgia natives Xavier Omär and ELHAE just happened to be in the same congregation, where they bonded over the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle suspenders they both were wearing. And you can guess how the Ninja Turtles got their powers… The two have since progressed into contemporary R&B standouts. Xavier through his merging of gospel and other early musical influences like Coldplay, Arcade Fire, John Legend and Kanye; and ELHAE leaning further into preferences for electronic and hip-hop, incorporating the essence of his acronym name (Every Life Has An Ending) into a specially blended sound he has cultivated over time. Alongside their individual successes, their friendship would go on to blossom into a bond that not only materialises in musical collaborations (like the very well received Favourite) but also feels like a consistent source of support amidst a dynamic music industry. It’s really interesting that you started on similar paths, and then diverged. And ELHAE you said that you learned a lot in terms of putting a song together from Xavier’s knowledge. So, Xavier, what would you say that you learned? Xavier: He had a tenacity that I thought I had, and then when I saw him, I realised I didn't. I have a very core memory of him staying over at our house when we were maybe 14 or 15 and I was trying to show him how to make beats on this specific keyboard. Once I showed him the ropes on how to handle it and I went to bed. I came back downstairs the next morning and he was still going. I'm sure you went to sleep at some point, or maybe not, knowing you now. So it was seeing that fire in him. It wasn't necessarily structural things that I learned as much as I was just watching him and saying, okay, maybe I'm not going for it as much as I think I am. Because I would never stay up all night. ELHAE: I think I just saw that he was further ahead and felt like I needed to catch up. I felt like his skill level was just miles away from where I needed to be. I used to listen to some of the songs he was writing back then; the cadence, the lyrics, and concepts. Even today. The way his mind works when it comes to creating. I just needed to put in my 10,000 hours and continue grinding and just make sure that I was working on my craft as much as I could every day. And I really was working on something every single day, and I would have something to show every day as well. It wasn't always good- no one's great immediately. But you work on it and work on it and work on it and eventually it will pay off. Xavier: And it has stayed that way to be honest. The amount of music he has put out since 2010 as ELHAE has been insane. ELHAE: Yeah and I don’t release as much these days. I have conversations with him about the output and he always reminds me that because I did so much, it’s okay to take time too, you know, experience life. And just come back when I’m ready. Speaking of ‘coming back’, [ELHAE] released Forgotten Flowers last year. And it's also been a while since [Xavier] released with b l u r r. So, it's clear that you guys take time in between your projects to chill and decompress. What does that look like for the both of you? Xavier: I don't really know that there's a specific thing to do as much as that right now life demands that I be a husband and father. I also want to be in a community so I'm at my church making sure that I'm accountable there. But at the same time, I want to make sure that I don't feel like I'm in the same spot I was the last time I made music. To be completely honest with you, that's kind of how I felt with b l u r r. I was making music and I wanted to put it out but I didn't have a clear vision, which is why I called it b l u r r. In the cover image, my head is covered but I’m riding a bike, it's like I gotta move forward in life, but I don't know what's going on ahead of me right now. I do the majority of my music by myself in my house. I'm the writer, I think of the arrangements- I just work with the producer on the record. But I just needed to get around other people and live more experiences in life before I bring people a full project. I'm in the middle of that right now. So it's not like I'm not going to drop for another X amount of years, but I just have to deal with new emotions. What have I learned from my marriage that I didn't know before? And how can I put that into my next records? Life just demands me to play particular roles right now and bring a new perspective from that role. ELHAE: I think on a darker note, I struggle with anxiety. I have conversations with [Xavier] daily, about putting stuff out and being judged for it. And that's something I've dealt with the last couple of years, since leaving Atlantic Records. I mean, a real ELHAE fan would be blown away by how many amazing things are in my hard drive, but I just don't put them up. My answer to why is often that I'm still working on it. I'll be working on something for months. Would you say you’re a perfectionist? ELHAE: It's a flaw, but I'm trying to get out of that this year and actually, you know, put my foot down and try to get things done. It’s been just over a year since you went independent, what advice would you give to other artists that have gone independent or are on the same path? What have you learned from this year as well? ELHAE: For me, I was lucky enough to reach the audience that I started on SoundCloud. And from there, I got my deal with Atlantic and then eventually Motown Capitol. And then went independent. So I don't know what it means to be completely independent, like, start from ground zero. If you want to talk to me about independence, then that’s SoundCloud 2015 - that was real independence. I don't know what's gonna happen, I'm gonna put it out and just hope for the best. And I think that's what I would tell people today, just don't hold on to it. Put it out. I had something I did called Dreamland Fridays where I’d put out a song every Friday and from there came Halfway Love and Situations. A lot of the early ELHAE fans love those. It's clear from this conversation that both of you are fans of each other's music. What would you say is each other's favourite song? Xavier: Oh Imma go with You because it was only you as the writer in full emotion. Somewhere between Her and Aura, that’s a moment in time I loved from you. ELHAE: So when I was depressed? [laughs] Xavier: Aura wasn’t depression. Her definitely was though. I’m actually going to go into All Have Fallen- I love Hartley Bridge. I’ve mixed it with Drake’s Pound Cake in the past, and it goes crazy. ELHAE: My favourite songs of Xavier’s are Protect, Deep End, Like I Feel too. When you are touring, do different cities/countries react to your music differently? You mentioned how you don’t perform Protect as much because people don’t hit you up for it. How much do your setlists change when you're in different places? ELHAE: My setlist rarely changes. But obviously, we can see insights of who's listening to what and what has the most streams so I’ll go off that. There are some songs that we just enjoy performing and I’ll do those regardless. But yeah, the streams play a big factor in that decision. Xavier: It plays a role to a degree but just because a song was streamed less, does not make it less important to a crowd you're about to perform in front of. It's a guessing game sometimes. But there are songs that you know for sure are going to work and I can't leave the building if I don't do this one. And other times, you're just kind of seeing how people react. Keep the type of city in mind, because Philly's gonna react differently than Seattle. San Fran is gonna react differently than Atlanta. ELHAE: There's songs too for me that I know people would love to hear, but I don't like them anymore. So I don't do it. Xavier: Yeah, it's also how far removed you are from the record. Some people have life changing experiences to my song Poison, and I never really liked that song to begin with. And so it's like, the song can still help somebody but like I'm never performing that. What about UK crowds? How do they respond? Xavier: For me, up until two weeks ago, this was the crowd no matter what. And Johannesburg just beat y'all. There were more of them. They sold out. And they beat y’all in terms of energy. But prior to that, every time I came here, this was the crowd. London just cares more. ELHAE: I’ll second that. I mean, I've had multiple sold out shows here. They just care so the energy is always great here. We just like good music here! So you've worked with UK talent before so ROMderful on Smile, and Mnelia is opening for you guys on the NEVERDREAM Tour. What’s your opinion on the UK music scene, particularly R&B. Xavier: There's a lot of artists and I'm not gonna be able to remember everybody's name, but I'm getting taught a lot and I'm just finding a good amount as well. There’s Shae Universe, Bellah, Mahalia. I’ve been learning about BenjiFlow; we were just listening to Odeal; Nippa’s great; Kadeem Tyrell. ELHAE: There's a lot. Ya’ll have a lot of talent out here, it’s crazy. Xavier: I love the way that it's become more apparent in recent years. I think in the past with R&B, the assumption has been that if it's not American, then it's not authentic. But honestly, just be black. [laughs] That’s usually the precursor or the requirement to begin with. But no, obviously not, but if you are black, and you want to, you're probably going to do it really well. It's very easy to argue that the UK R&B scene has become better than American R&B, especially right now. That’s controversial Xavier: Yeah but that’s an argument you could make and that's fine. And I would love for it to stay that way, one country does not have to be so much far above the other ones. Like, is the music good? Because at the end of the day, it's under one umbrella of the genre. ELHAE: It's pushing the genre forward and encouraging conversation around R&B which is great. You guys have mentioned that there are a lot of features and that you're starting to make more music together. Is this leading up to anything in particular? Xavier: Yeah, it’s leading up to friendship [laughs]. Nah it's not a secret, we've told people that we're working toward an EP. ELHAE: I think when we put out Favourite, we didn’t expect the reception that it got. Queen Latifah, Chris Brown, we got all these people’s attention. Why is that surprising? ELHAE: I’ve talked to him about this. We take time away from the genre and just music in general for a long time. And for us to just throw something out there and see what happens, I don’t know. Like he hadn’t dropped anything. Xavier: Yeah I hadn’t done anything. Elhae: And I dropped earlier that year. But I think sometimes I forget the influence or further along I really am. Xavier: That don’t bother me at all. ELHAE: Yeah he’s very confident. His last album was in 2020. Like he doesn’t care- Xavier: No, I care ELHAE: Yeah but I’m just the one constantly thinking about that type of stuff. So, when I see those reactions it makes me think “oh you’re good at this, I’m good at this, we’re going to be fine.” Yeah I’d say where you both are is testament to how good you are Xavier: Yeah, I mean to set the scene for that particular song; Favourite. Not the song itself, but the video that made the rounds. I was like, hey, we need to do something to get the song up. We were literally in the hallway where the green room is and we just walked down that hallway and shot a couple of things. And then we put it up. So it wasn't like we poured our heart and soul into it. We thought we needed something to represent the song and we have us, so let’s just use what we have. And so to see the people that it reached, and the people that love the song now, I think that was probably the surprise. My last question to both of you is, what is something that both of your fans would be shocked to hear about either of you guys? Xavier: I don't have any intel that they'd be shocked about because he's not super closed off. In fact he’s pretty open with what he likes and doesn’t like. But just the fact that this man has 800 songs on the hard drive seems enough. I don't know what the idea of perfection is to him. But like, dang. I think that’s something they should know. ELHAE: You share with your fans so I don’t know that there’s anything they don’t know. Like you talk about wrestling all the time, they know how much you love that. I don’t know that there’s anything they’ll be shocked about Xavier: I don’t make music a whole lot. ELHAE: Yeah, that’s true. Xavier: With my music, there will be a season where it's time to be productive and then there's a time to step away. I make a whole lot in my productive time, I will say that, but the majority of my year, I'm not locked in the studio trying to force music to happen. I really believe that when it's time you don't gotta force as much. I did half of If You Feel in less than two weeks. I did eight sessions in LA and in five of them, we did four songs and I never had to go back and change anything in those sessions. And then I came home and did six more. ELHAE: That’s insane. Xavier: It was just time. And I still have to work to figure out when it's time, but I'm just not gonna be in the studio 9-12 months a year. There’s other things to do. There's other ways to create as well. So yeah, that might be the thing. I just don't be in there a whole lot. ELHAE: I think another thing people don't see is how you are as a father. You don’t present that publicly but I see it you know and I think it's admirable. And we’re best friends so obviously I see the personal stuff too but it's just cool to know that he's just a human being at the end of the day. Doesn't let it go to his head even though he just left 1000 People in Johannesburg. Xavier: 2000 actually [laughs] ELHAE: [laughs] I thought he was humble.

Kwoli Black has a calmness about him that juxtaposes his new EP, ‘CAN I SPEAK?’ With a co-sign from Kojey Radical, having opened for the MOBO-nominated musician on his UK tour, Kwoli is letting his fans know he’s back in the studio and that big things are coming this year. “The project was the cheapest form of therapy I’ve ever had,“ Kwoli tells The Floor Mag. ‘CAN I SPEAK?’ lays it all on the line, tackling themes like imposter syndrome, familial relationships and self love. For Kwoli the project was born out of a desire to be honest with his fan base and not necessarily make something that felt palatable upon first listen. In creating a project that sounded different Kwoli knew that he had to get longtime friend and producer JSTRINGS in on the action. Working together in the studio they fine tuned ‘CAN I SPEAK?’. “I feel like he knows parts of me that my mum probably doesn't even know, which is kind of crazy.” Kwoli states, regarding the process of working with his longtime collaborator and friend. And JSTRINGS isn’t the only collaborator on the project. After meeting Karl Benjamin’s “missus” at Rachel Chinouriri’s birthday party Kwoli connected with Karl Benjamin. “I hung out with him a couple of times. Heard some stuff and I was just like, “let's just have a session”, Kwoli explains passionately. At the same time he was working on fun, braggadocious track Pretty. “I needed someone who could really hit a note. So we did a session. He put his flavour on it.” And with a few more tweaks, Pretty was born. The accompanying music video is set in a barbershop. Kwoli and Karl are getting their hair done, firing lyrics like “I’m so cool. I’m so fine. I’m so perfectly divine” at the camera. It’s fun, showcasing Kwoli’s range and vision for the visuals that accompany his tracks. They’re purposeful and fun. Kwoli and BINA, skit on the Can I Speak video, unpacking Kwoli’s anxieties which trickle through the EP. On the flipside, Kwoli enlisted friend BINA, “Big Beenz” to come on board the personal track Son Down. “It's a very personal song that weighed very heavily on me until I got it out.” He states on creating the track which speaks to having an absent father and as a result wanting to be a better man. “When [BINA] came in and put the hook on it. It was perfect. It was done.” Kwoli is very obviously an artist who enjoys community. From perfecting songs with JSTRINGS in the studio to discovering BINA at a show and deciding that she had to be a part of his most vulnerable track on the EP. Kwoli doesn't hesitate to widen his circle creating opportunities for those he admires. Creating ‘CAN I SPEAK?’ has allowed for Kwoli to stretch himself and his capabilities. Already musically gifted, Kwoli played the guitar when he was younger and has since picked up the piano. The goal? “To be able to perform live. They put out a piano and it’s my moment to shine. Dave, who? Yeah me!” He exclaims jubilantly. Being able to contribute to the production process is something that Kwoli wants to achieve for sure, and picking up an instrument is way into that process. The EP is produced in studio but if Kwoli had to strip back one of the tracks and get acoustic with it? “There's a song on the project called Blow, which is like an alternative Hip Hop, Rock mash up. It sounds crazy, right?” “I think this and Imposter are probably the most emotive songs on the project. I think that will be very interesting to hear it stripped back. Maybe with an acoustic guitar or piano and just me rapping and talking.” The first part of a much larger body of work, Kwoli Black’s ‘CAN I SPEAK?’ is a project to shake up the scene and make you look at yourself a little deeper. ‘CAN I SPEAK?’ is out now on all good streaming platforms.

Tura is a Tanzanian multi-disciplinary artist based in Dar es Salaam whose medium ranges from painting, installation and live performance. Her work is evocative and rooted in her experiences of isolation, womanhood, emotion and rural/urban environments. In her most recent exhibition at Alliance Francaise, a multi-layered veil of mosquito nets hangs in the center of the room while a video of her performance art plays on a loop on a projected wall. “I rarely know what I mean in my art, I just make what I feel,” she says of her work. In the piece titled, “Existing and Living II,” a lone figure sits on a levelled block surrounded by a wide expanse of dusky colours. It is part of a series about living and existing in different spaces and the emotions that come with growth. Tura’s work often features themes of loneliness, isolation, sadness but she is averse to being labelled as a mental health activist. “I do believe in having these conversations, but I also want to be clear that I do not have the answers. I want my work to steer dialogue” she says. Growing up in Morogoro, a mountainous, lushy green city in eastern Tanzania, Tura did not know she was into art. Her surroundings did not feature art and she was not convinced that she could make a livelihood with the profession. The environment she grew up in became claustrophobic and she was motivated to study abroad to get a change of perspective. In 2015, she attained a government scholarship to study in Algeria. While there, she experienced overwhelming feelings of isolation and culture shock. “I went to study chemical and processing engineering, a degree I did not wholeheartedly want to do and my social life was difficult, I felt I could not find people I could relate to.” Tura channelled this desolation into an experimental art practice, where she played with different materials to explore what she was experiencing. Since then, she has come a long way.  Her most recent exhibition was a milestone event. “Mwanangu Kua Nikutume” was hosted at Alliance Française in Dar es Salaam with exceptional attendance and positive reception of the art. “I felt the exhibition was a challenge to the idea of Tanzanian parents’ and societal expectations of work. I wanted to communicate that I can just be me and others can too.” Funding from international development partners can set an expectation for African artists to “educate” their community on social and health issues. As a result, artists often feel the need for their art to be didactic, particularly around issues of reproductive health, infectious disease or education. In one of Tura’s pieces, a torn piece of mosquito net drapes over the canvas where she has painted in dark brown and green tones. “There is the temptation to say that this piece and other pieces featuring mosquito nets - known in Kiswahili as chandarua - are about malaria and health prevention but the truth is that my mother was a nurse and it was her job to wash and launder the mosquito nets we used at home”, Tura recalls. Everyday experiences make up the bulk of her practice rather than an overarching aim to educate a community and offer concrete conclusions. “I see the nets as portals. I see them as an opportunity to play around with ideas I have”. Lingering in the unanswered areas of her art and practice allow for interesting conversations and more questions, the most frequent one being, “what does your art mean?”, a question she never truly knows how to answer. Tura’s whimsical exploration is a luxury that other Tanzanian, and African, artists often do not have. The Tanzanian art scene is largely defined by bright colourful paintings of maasai, wildlife and caricatured black bodies - often for the consumption of foreign tourists. Tura’s art work is worlds apart from this form - her paintings are often muted, earthy colours with abstract figures and materials such as coffee and soil from her surrounding environment. By refusing to conform to these expectations of community educator or tourist-pleasing artist, Tura’s practice adopts a novel convention where she is led by feeling and instinct. The reaction is one of evocation where she invites the viewer to be actively engaged, asking themselves questions and musing in the liminality of her paintings, performances and installations. Beyond exploration, collaboration is another central pillar of Tura’s work. In 2022 she was involved in a residency with refugee artists in Germany. Hearing and sharing stories with other women motivated Tura to take an interest in the medium of water. “We have different ways of using water - advances in being able to move across water is what brought colonists to this part of the world and now thousands of people cross water for a better life. I personally go to the ocean every day, water is a very powerful medium for me.” Collaborating with other women motivated Tura to build a platform for women’s voices to be heard. Her art has a strong gendered dimension and through her craft she aims to show the resilience of women. According to UN Women statistics “only 33.3% of legal frameworks that promote, enforce and monitor gender equality, with a focus on violence against women are in place.” As a result, Tanzanian women are often failed by legal systems and experience severe marginalisation in areas such as commerce, health and social settings. Tura’ work addresses this harsh reality in a more subtle way. “I do not set out to be a feminist artist or mental health artist even though these experiences influence my work. Once you label yourself as something it is difficult to be accepted and listened to without the pre-conceptions of what those things are to someone.” This approach allows for dialogue around topics that may be harder to have in everyday settings. In addition, Tura’s rising talent as a female artist shows that women can take up space and engage in these discussions without shame or fear. Tanzanian women are often expected to be submissive and if allowed to be in spaces not to be overconfident and loud but motherly and at most, stern. Being expressive and experimental is a challenge to this expectation and her work embraces the possibility of shame and of being misunderstood. It is this vulnerability and courage as a female artist that makes Tura’s work both tender and compelling. Her work also speaks to the human condition, not just women. In her piece, “Existing and Living V,” the gender of the subject is undefined. A figure stands with their back to the viewer, there is a melancholic air around them. In her work, Tura is also passionate about exploring the experiences that affect people beyond gender. By addressing universal themes Tura hopes that viewers can connect to her work and ask themselves questions that may help them work through their own issues. When asked about community, Tura’s answer is very clear. “The community I want to reach are people who want to be vulnerable. I understood myself more when I let myself be more vulnerable and I want my art to do that for others”. Decolonising the mind Tura’s practice also features conversations around heritage, colonialism and traditional healing. While in Algeria, Tura was influenced by the strong coffee culture and began experimenting with it. As a result her work is defined by grainy textures and earth-like tones due to the use of coffee as a painting material. “I started using coffee when I was in Algeria as it was so common and was one of the few things available to me when I started testing out my art practice.” Her resourcefulness adopted a different meaning when contextualised in her home environment. In Tanzania, coffee is a significant aspect of Swahili culture with small porcelain cups of coffee sold by street vendors and on corners under shady trees. However, the commodity also has a darker history related to colonial production. Tanzania experienced German colonialism from 1885-1918 but experienced proto-colonialism from as early as the 1840s. During this period, the German colonial state was intent on developing an export colony that would bring significant economic gains. Coffee was one of the chief commodities produced during this period and planting schemes were forcibly enforced. This long history of foreign rule marked by legacies of violence, subjugation and resistance inspires Tura to delve deeper. “I am interested in looking into where we came from and what we had before [colonialism]. We pray to gods that do not understand us - we do not use plants that our forefathers and foremothers used for medicine. I want to learn about the past, ancestors and our history to better understand myself.” The environment is a central character in this history as well. Inspired by her childhood in Morogoro and a recent residency under MAZI where she reconnected with the natural surroundings and engaged elders in the community, Tura draws on indigenous knowledge systems. “Taking a break from the chaos of Dar es Salaam and escaping to Morogoro allowed me to reflect on the importance of heritage and the wisdom of elders. During my residency, I recorded conversations I had with one elder, Mzee Said, who taught me about different crops and the history of Morogoro.” These recordings feature as voices that she plans to incorporate into her work or simply draw inspiration from. By listening to elders, Tura was reminded of her grandparents, in particular her grandmother, whose singing features in her work. This ode to ancestral wisdom highlights the importance of intergenerational conversations and the growth that comes from honouring indigenous knowledge. Tura’s personal history is an important thread of her work. Drawing on her own memories evokes emotions that other people can connect with. In one of her pieces, a series of bathing loofahs, known in kiswahili as madodoki, are stuck together and bound by thin white rope. Next to the installation is a rippled thin sheet with the imprints of footsteps. Playing with materials that have significance to Tura allows her to shape meaning and bring people into conversation. “I use soil, the songs my grandmother used to sing, sticks and whatever comes to me in my work.” Tura explains. Through these materials, she can engage with recurring themes of identity, womanhood and solitude. It is not always for her work to be understood, she goes on to explain. “My parents came to the exhibition and they did not understand all the pieces but they would sometimes point at something and say, ‘hey, that reminds me of that moment’”. It is this mixed experience of familiarity and novelty that Tura’s art evokes in viewers. By combining a deeply personal history with materials that Tanzanian audiences may be able to relate to but in a completely different context is what makes her work both exciting and relevant. Tura’s blossoming art practice cements her as a Tanzanian artist to watch but also as a crucial facilitator of key conversations. “I want to show that art can be accessible. The only way to make people understand [art] is to be confident and comfortable, that way people get it more.” Tura explains how taking a leap of faith into the unknown taught her to embrace uncertainty and a practice that requires daily interrogation and experimentation. In hearing how others interpret and connect with her art, Tura leans into gaining new perspectives on a practice that she is building constantly. Community response and engagement thus plays an important role in her approach. By blending her practice with conventional art practices such as an exhibition in an art gallery and performances in public spaces, Tura engages the community in various ways. She uses language that people can identify with but that is also deeply personal. From her grandmother’s songs to being ordered around by elders, Tura is keen to show that sometimes subverting hierarchical structures whether parental or societal can be freeing. Art can be a powerful tool to engage with these themes of community pressure and the expectation to follow a charted path by showing the many potentials that one can just be. Tura’s practice is an exciting example of an East African artist leaning into the harder questions that may not have clear cut answers but are of the utmost importance to the community she is a part of.

“They never had a pretty girl from Joburg, See me now, and that's what they prefer”, says South-African superstar Tyla on “Jump” — track 9 of her debut, self-titled album. She isn’t exaggerating. The 22-year old singer-songwriter, who has been dubbed the princess of Popiano (a hybrid between Pop and Amapino) is single handedly, putting Johannesburg, and South Africa, on the map of Pop music. In the past year alone, Tyla has already changed the trajectory of African music history with her worldwide phenomenon “Water”. The song, released in November 2023, initially went viral on TikTok, thanks to the infectious South-African Bacardi choreography, that had everyone and their mama, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, twerking in an attempt to replicate the dance. Water eventually earned Tyla the award for “Best African Music Performance” at the 66th Annual Grammy Award, making her the youngest African artist to win an award. She is also the first South African soloist in over 55 years to chart in the Billboard 100, and highest-charting African female soloist ever on the chart. It may seem as though her crossover into Pop music is due to the virality of Water on TikTok. Yet a close inspection of her musical journey, from her debut “Getting Late” in 2019, to present day, reveals that Tyla’s success is not simply luck. It’s the payoff of a well-oiled Pop machine, with all the necessary components to ensure her artistic development and subsequent success. This includes the backing of major label Epic Records, as well as a team consisting of her managers, choreographer, stylist and dedicated producers and songwriters. In Tyla’s own words, “she always knew that things were going to work out eventually”. The album is a three year project in the making, and this effort speaks volumes as soon you hit play. The tracks were handpicked from a legion of 130 songs, which she recorded during this period, before the 14 tracks made the final cut. Each song is so well-written, produced, and vocally delivered, that it’s difficult to choose a standout performance. With the songs “Safer’, to “No.1” featuring Tems, “Butterflies”, and “Priorities”, the album majorly contains positive messaging about self-love, which is both timely and necessary, considering how modern dating is rife with toxic standards, mostly at women’s expense. This is particularly endearing and affirming for her audience that majorly consists of young girls and women; a reminder to decenter men and prioritise their needs and goals. The conceptual song “ART” captures why songwriting is one of the album’s strengths and thereby deserves special recognition. Tyla teamed up with songwriters AriPen Smith, Imani Lewis etc, who also co-wrote “Water”. With poetic lyrics, enhanced by metaphors like, “I’m your centrepiece, make the canvas speak”, the song crafts vivid imagery about being a lover’s muse. The song is a work of art in itself- it reads just as well as it sounds. The album's most innovative moment arrives with “Jump,” which is decorated by surprising features from Gunna and Skillibeng, and a refreshing blend of Afro Diasporic influences from Amapiano, to Dancehall and Rap. Here, she switches up her usually leisurely flow, to a rap inspired cadence that commands you to get off your feet and dance. With summer fast approaching, the song is sure to be the soundtrack to cookouts and braais, and could potentially be the albums next viral hit. Tyla's first full-length project is certainly a feat, but there is definitely room for improvement. It’s clear that the album’s features were strategic, rather than purely based on creative chemistry. To increase Tyla’s global outreach, and potentially tap into the Latin American music market, “On My Body” features Mexican American artist Becky G. The song is a solid effort of the formula of African musicians collaborating with Western acts for commercial interests. But this same formula was a clear misfire, in the “Water” remix featuring Travis Scott, who didn’t add any interesting contribution to an otherwise perfect track. Tyla’s album could have been more effective within the Amapiano, or South African music’s world-building potential, if she shared the stage with more South African acts. For instance, a Water remix by Amapiano legend DBN Gogo or an R&B duet featuring powerhouse vocalist Shekhinah. With Tyla’s postponed World Tour around the corner, it would surely be a missed opportunity if she does not elicit the support of another rising star in the global ranks like Uncle Waffles as an opening act, instead of a more established Western artist. Credit must be given to the legendary Afrobeats acts who paved the way for modern African artists like Tyla to break into the mainstream. Yet Tyla offers something different we have not seen from her seniors whose superiority complexes have seen them distancing themselves from their roots. For instance, Wizkid, who recently refuted being categorised as an Afrobeats artist saying, “I’m not afro anything bitch!”, while Burna Boy remarked that the genre “has no substance”. Instead, Tyla is eager to represent Amapiano, and make “her home proud” while also lending visibility to other African artists who she believes “need more attention”. She is charming, consistent, polished and determined, which will ensure a lasting legacy that cannot thrive on talent alone.