“The award-winning Broadway musical Fela! celebrating the life of late Nigerian afrobeat legend Fela Kuti will be staged in his home country in April, … The performances are set to take place at an upscale hotel in Lagos, but organisers say they want to hold one show at his family’s iconic New Afrika Shrine club.”
Tag: 02.28.11
In Egypt and Tunisia, Banned Books Begin to Reappear
“A number of highly political titles censored by the regime of ousted Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali are now returning to the country’s bookshop shelves. … Anecdotal reports are also emerging of once suppressed titles appearing for impromptu sale on street corners and newspaper kiosks across Egypt.”
Strike-Plagued Detroit Symphony Loses Entire Percussion Section
“When the Detroit Symphony Orchestra strike finally ends, the orchestra will have to march to the beat of an entirely new set of drummers. All three of the percussionists in the orchestra have announced plans to leave.”
Group of Art Writers Declare ‘Strike’ Against Huffington Post
“In their announcement, the writers listed two primary demands: that a pay schedule be proposed and initiated for all contributing writers and bloggers, and that paid promotional material no longer be posted alongside editorial content.”
Will E-Books Ever Look As Good As a Handsome, Eye-Catching Paperback? (Yes.)
“As more and more of our reading moves onto hand-held screens, then publishers and booksellers will have to find increasingly imaginative ways of tempting us to buy, or rather, download them. … Also, to state the obvious: screens do not mean the end of images.”
In Germany – Plagiarism And The Context In Which It’s Committed
A defense minister in Germany can apparently get away with plagiarizing his dissertation, but a bakery employee can get fired for stealing a pastry. That, says highly respected German academic Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, is a double standard.
Iran Threatens Boycott Because Of “Hidden Message” In Olympics Logo
“Iran has threatened to boycott the London Olympics unless the organisers replace the official logo, which Tehran claims spells out the word “Zion”. The logo, a jagged representation of the year 2012, has been said by its critics to resemble many things, from a swastika to a sexual act, but the Iranian government argues it represents a veiled pro-Israeli conspiracy.”
Academy Award Nomination Boosts Market For Banksy
“In the month since the nominations were announced, Banksy’s art has already shown signs of a price bump. Analysis provided by the art-price monitor, artnet, of the ten most recent sales of Banksy works shows that prices were on average 25 per cent higher than the highest estimate put on the work by auction houses.”
What Would It Take For London To Have A Berlin Philharmonic?
“This visit has asked of audiences: what would it take for London to field an orchestra as great as this? An orchestra in the international super-league, as excellent as those of Berlin and Vienna; an orchestra that defined the cultural identity of London, a source of pride way beyond its regular audiences? The answer partly lies in its musicians.”
What Will Be Modern Dance?
“Every company has its dedicated supporters and fans, but across the board the field is struggling to broaden the appeal: Modern dance is going through an existential shift.”