Culture

South African singer Tyla clears air on race controversy, accepts being a black woman

Published

6 months ago

June 18, 2024

Grammy award-winning South African singer, Tyla, has cleared the air on a recent controversy surrounding her race as being either a coloured or a black woman.

The “Water” crooner, who made the clarification during an appearance on New York City’s Power 105.1 radio morning show, “The Breakfast Club”, hosted by controversial hosts, Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, and Jess Hilarious, accepted that she was truly a black woman rather than coloured.

During the interview, the hosts probed the singer about her racial identity as a coloured woman from South Africa, to which her management asked that she not touch on the topic.

During the last leg of the conversation which mostly focused on her global crossover and musical growth, Charlamagne switched gears abruptly from discussing Tyla’s work-life balance to her identity.

“School me on these debates that they be having about your identity as a South African Coloured person. What does that even mean?”

“I have never denied my blackness, I don’t know where that came from. I’m mixed with black/Zulu, Irish, Mauritian/Indian and coloured.

“In ‘Southa’ I would be classified as a coloured woman and other places I would be classified as a black woman. Race is classified differently in different parts of the world,” Tyla was quoted as saying.

Writing on her X handle after the interview, she said:

“I don’t expect to be identified as coloured outside ‘Southa’ by anyone not comfortable doing so because I understand the weight of that word outside SA.

“To close this conversation, I’m both coloured in South Africa and a black woman. With that being said, Asambeee,” she added in Zulu which means “let’s go.”

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Culture

Moroccan doctors stage nationwide protest in ‘Week of Anger’

Published

19 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Moroccan doctors across the country on Tuesday staged a nationwide protests in what is known as “Week of Anger,” accusing the government of ignoring their calls for reform in public healthcare.

In a public announcement on Monday, the Independent Union of Public Sector Doctors (SIMSP) said the strike action would include more walkouts from December 30 to January 5.

The SIMSP said the nationwide strike would affect all public health facilities except emergency and intensive care units to ensure that some level of care remained available.

“During this time, doctors will not be at diagnostic centres and they will also boycott administrative tasks and refuse to issue medical certificates,” the SIMSP said.

The union added that a large march is planned for December 29 in Rabat, aimed at opposing laws on strikes and pensions.

The doctors’ union noted that their demands have been ignored by the Ministry of Health.

The union stated that their requests to government has remained unanswered. It also criticized a new framework for doctors, calling it scandalous as it threatens job security and opens the door to unfair dismissals.

The doctors’ demands include extra grades for doctors beyond the current scale, higher salaries, and an end to limits on promotions.

The union also wants the government to honour agreements made in 2011, 2023, and 2024.

According to the union, the doctors are also upset with the 2025 budget plan, which they say fails to address the health sector’s funding issues, expressing concerned about plans to shift salaries from central budgets to local health groups and warning that this could lead to instability.

The union added that doctors will continue to boycott school health programmes and what they call “improvised” surgical campaigns. They insist on maintaining high medical standards while pushing for change.

Culture

Ghana’s Afua Asantewaa begins second GWR sing-a-thon attempt

Published

4 days ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ghanaian singer, Afua Asantewaa, on Saturday, began her second attempt at breaking the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest singing marathon by an individual.

The sing-a-thon which began in the early hours of Saturday, December 21, at Heroes’ Park, Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, will run until December 25, and will see the determined songstress perform non-stop, focusing exclusively on Ghanaian songs.

According to Asantewaa’s manager, Madam Gladys Osei Owiredu, the audacious initiative is aimed at showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Ghanaian music to a global audience.

Owiredu confirmed that preparations for the event had been extensive but expressed confidence in Asantewaa’s readiness to finally break the record.

“I can confirm that she is ready for the task ahead. It’s been challenging—by way of preparations—but I can say she is ready,” Owiredu said.

Asantewaa’s second attempt follows her first effort in December 2023, which fell short of surpassing the current record of 105 hours held by India’s Sunil Waghmare.

But despite the setback, her team remains optimistic about breaking the record this time with corporate sponsors including International Maritime Hospital, Ghana Gas, Nasco Electronics, and Zoomlion Ghana Limited rallying behind her, underscoring the importance of the attempt in amplifying the global significance of Ghanaian music.