To the latest news from the feuilleton department.
Author Dangarembga sentenced to six months probation
Tsitsi Dangarembga in court in Harare.
(dpa) A court in Zimbabwe has sentenced multi-award-winning author Tsitsi Dangarembga to six months’ probation, suspended for five years. In addition, the writer has to pay a fine of 70,000 Zimbabwean dollars (around 190 francs), as Dangarembga’s husband told the DPA.
The court also passed the same verdict on Damgarembga’s co-defendant, journalist Julie Barnes. Barnes and Dangarembga, who received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 2021, are accused of public incitement to violence, breach of the peace and bigotry in their home country.
The trial against Dangarembga has dragged on for two years. It is about issues that Dangarembga, who is married to a German, has been campaigning for in books and films for decades: discrimination, human rights, persecution and corruption.
Dangarembga took to the streets a good two years ago to advocate reform of corrupt institutions in Zimbabwe. She was arrested, released on parole shortly thereafter, and was charged in September 2020. The anti-corruption court in the capital Harare, before which the writer had to justify herself, reports directly to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Dangarembga appeared before the court a total of 32 times.
Sexual harassment at the Bern Ballet Ensemble
Research in the ballet ensemble’s environment is said to have revealed various transgressions by the rehearsal director.
In the ballet ensemble of the four-sector theater in Bern, the rehearsal director is said to have sexually harassed dancers. This is reported by the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” in today’s Swiss edition. It’s about inappropriate advances, verbal sexual harassment and physical assault. In spring 2021, a dancer complained in writing to the management about the behavior of her superior. In another letter, all the dancers in the ensemble at the time showed their solidarity with her.
Bern Ballet then commissioned an external consultancy to conduct an investigation. The sample supervisor was given two months’ leave during the investigation. According to “Zeit”, the investigation report came to the conclusion that there had been verbal harassment. The suspicion that there were also physical assaults cannot be substantiated, it is said. After the investigation was completed, the head of the sample was warned, but allowed to return to his place of work. After he came back to the company, he was initially reluctant, but after just a few weeks he behaved incorrectly again, say the dancers.
Rapper Coolio is dead
Coolio rose to fame in the 1990s.
(dpa) The American rapper Coolio, who became known in the 1990s with the hit “Gangsta’s Paradise”, is dead. According to his manager Jarez Posey, he died in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon (local time), the broadcaster “CNN” reported. According to TMZ.com, Posey said the musician collapsed at a friend’s house. The cause of death was initially unknown. The Grammy winner was 59 years old.
The rapper’s sudden death sparked consternation in the music community. “Peaceful journey brother,” wrote drummer and rap musician Questlove on Instagram. This is “sad news,” rapper Ice Cube posted on Twitter. He himself witnessed Coolio’s rise to the top of the industry.
This is sad news. I witness first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. Rest in peace @Coolio https://t.co/vCeyn08Vsi
— Ice Cube (@icecube) September 29, 2022
Coolio started his career in Compton, California, a borough of Los Angeles that hosted a number of big West Coast rappers like Dr. Dre or Ice Cube spawned. The musician, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., landed a number one hit in 1995 with “Gangsta’s Paradise”. The song, which was also featured on the soundtrack of the film “Dangerous Minds”, earned him a Grammy. Coolio also had success with songs like “Fantastic Voyage” and “I Remember”. He has also appeared in TV series and films such as Batman & Robin and Dracula 3000.
The rapper had repeatedly run into trouble with the law for illegal possession of drugs and weapons. He was also on trial in Germany in 1998. At that time he was sentenced to six months probation and a fine for being an accessory to robbery and assault.
Wanda keyboardist Christian Hummer is dead
Christian Hummer helped shape Wanda’s music.
(dpa) Christian Hummer, the longtime keyboardist of the Austrian band Wanda, is dead. The musician died after a long, serious illness, his four colleagues announced on Monday evening on the group’s official Instagram and Facebook pages. The sad news to fans came just four days before Wanda’s new studio album was released.
The indie rock band Wanda, known for songs like “Bologna” or “Bussi Baby”, was founded ten years ago and has since established itself as one of the most well-known Austrian acts in Germany and Switzerland.
“There are no words that can do justice to this loss,” the band wrote of Hummer’s death. «Christian was a gifted musician and a wonderful person. His enthusiasm for music and his devotion to people made him so endearing.”
Rihanna performing at the Super Bowl
Rihanna is set to perform in front of an audience of millions in February.
(dpa) Rihanna is supposed to imitate superstars like Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Prince: The 34-year-old singer from Barbados is the star of the halftime show at the upcoming Super Bowl LVII in the NFL. This was announced by the National Football League on Sunday. The Super Bowl is scheduled for February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.
The Grammy winner posted a photo on Instagram showing her hand holding a football. Fans reacted enthusiastically, in just a few hours the post had already collected over three million likes. The NFL posted the photo on Twitter.
Music icon Rihanna (“Umbrella”) is also a big earner through her cosmetics line (“Fenty Beauty”) and her underwear brand. The singer and her boyfriend, American rapper Asap Rocky, became parents for the first time in May.
The NFL final is one of the biggest TV events of the year in the USA. An appearance at the star and advertising spectacle is considered the highlight of a musical career. Last February, 120 million people in the United States saw the show by music stars Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar in Los Angeles. For the first time, she was completely dedicated to hip-hop, R&B and rap. The performance won three Creative Emmy Awards.
Documenta in Kassel ended after 100 days
A poster of the Documenta 2022 in Kassel.
(dpa) The Documenta in Kassel has come to an end after 100 days. The world’s most important exhibition for contemporary art alongside the Venice Biennale was overshadowed by ever new allegations of anti-Semitism.
Already at the beginning of the year, the first voices were raised accusing the Indonesian curator collective Ruangrupa and some invited artists of being close to the anti-Israel boycott movement BDS. Shortly after opening in mid-June, a work with anti-Semitic imagery was discovered and dismantled. Even after that, works with anti-Jewish stereotypes were discovered, which triggered sharp criticism and calls for the documenta to be canceled.
The Documenta attracted a large number of visitors – even if, according to interim managing director Alexander Farenholtz, the number was around 15 to 20 percent below the record value of the previous event.