Preemptive Listening review – artist’s film about sirens is buzzing with sonic ideas

The sound of sirens … Preemptive Listening.
Photograph: True Story (Photograph: True Story)

This film from the London-based artist Aura Satz is an exploration of sirens – as in the warning devices, not the mythical creatures that lure unsuspecting men to their doom. Really it’s an art film, and might have been more at home in a gallery where audiences would be able to engage with its striking images and experimental soundtrack for as long as the mood takes them. As a feature-film experience it becomes an endurance test, a battle to pay attention and concentrate for the whole thing.

It opens with a drone shot of a huge siren in the middle of what looks like a residential neighbourhood, ready to alert residents to heaven knows what threat. Over the top, a shrill, insinuating track from composer Laurie Spiegel buzzes with the nagging whine of an electronic mosquito. There are some interesting ideas here. British-Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla muses on the role of sirens in the 2011 Arab spring protests, and we learn that in Palestine loudspeakers in mosque minarets sound a siren every year on Nakba day – one second for every year that has passed since Palestinians were displaced from their homeland after the creation of the state of Israel.

Full story at Yahoo News

Controversial musician Shebeshxt remains in custody after another failed bail attempt

Lekompo musician Lehlohonolo Chauke (31), popularly known as “Shebeshxt”, will remain behind bars after the Polokwane Magistrates’ Court dismissed a bail application based on alleged new facts.

This is the controversial public figure's third attempt at obtaining bail. He has been behind bars for several months since his arrest in November 2025

This application follows Chauke's unsuccessful bail appeal on January 9, 2026, which was dismissed by the Polokwane High Court.

Full story at IOL

By Oluthando Keteyi

“Borrowing is not leprosy" — Tinubu defends raising Nigeria's debt to record ₦159 trillion

President Bola Tinubu defends Nigeria’s continued borrowing, including a $516 million loan request, stating that debt is not harmful if managed properly, as Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio rises above 50% amid economic debates.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has defended Nigeria’s continued borrowing strategy, including a recent $516 million external loan request, insisting that borrowing is a normal financial tool for development and not something to be feared.

“Borrowing is not leprosy; we just have to work hard to be able to pay back,” Tinubu said, as he justified the government’s fiscal approach to financing infrastructure and economic reforms.

By Rukayat Badmus
Full story at Pulse NG.

SZA’s Completely Sheer Jean Paul Gaultier Skirt Has Dangerously High Slit

Photo Credit: Monica Schipper/Staff / Getty Images

SZA is making headlines once again with her fearless approach to fashion. The Grammy-winning singer recently stepped out for a Vans Paris Fashion Week after-party. And her outfit was nothing short of spectacular. Wearing a re-worked vintage ensemble, she embraced a look that was both nostalgic and incredibly daring.

While SZA’s entire outfit was a work of art, the real star of the show was her Jean Paul Gaultier skirt. This piece is a masterpiece of “re-worked” fashion. It features a vibrant mix of earthy tones such as orange, brown, and tan. The skirt is made from a completely sheer, lightweight fabric that flows beautifully. It is covered in intricate, eclectic prints that give off a vintage, bohemian vibe while remaining high-fashion.

By Samridhi Goel

Full story at Yahoo News

The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder review – excavating the memories of civil war in Mozambique

Cloaked in darkness …
The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder.Photograph:
True Story (Photograph: True Story)

Lasting from 1977 to 1992, the Mozambique civil war left deep scars on the psyche of the whole nation. In his second feature, Inadelso Cossa attempts to grapple with the psychological wreckage of this harrowing period by combing through his own family history; returning to the village where he grew up, the film-maker conducts a series of interviews with his grandmother, whose testimony is rendered unreliable by her worsening dementia.

The film wavers between real and imagined truths, a liminal state echoed by the evocative cinematography. Nocturnal sequences, in which wooden sheds, grassy fields, and even Cossa’s grandmother, are wrapped in a cloak of darkness inspire a deceptive sense of calm. In the dead of night, though, the spectres of the past linger. Cossa also speaks to other historical witnesses: Macuacua and Zalina, an older couple, spend much of their screen time bickering but these domestic moments are underlined with unease. A former soldier, Macuacua was once a participant in the violence against civilians but his life now, however, is marred by poverty. In a striking scene, Macuacua holds up a tree branch shaped like a rifle and reenacts a patrol route from his youth with astonishing matter-of-factness. As his muscle memory kicks in, the past and the present collapse together to startling effect.

By Phuong Le

Full story at Yahoo News

Kanye West and his wife endorse Ikorodu Bois’ remake of the rapper’s new music video

Ikorodu Bois earn reactions from Kanye West and Bianca Censori after recreating the ‘Father’ music video in their signature low-budget style.

Nigerian recreation group Ikorodu Bois have done it again, getting their acknowledgement from the very top.

Two days ago, the group released their trademark low-budget remake of the music video for ‘Father,’ the Kanye West and Travis Scott collaboration, and West himself, along with his wife and the video's director, Bianca Censori, responded with fire emojis.

By Gift Davies

Full story at Pulse NG

Beyond the glamour: Londie London drops the mask in 'Life With Londie London'

Singer and reality star Londie London is stepping into a new chapter, and this time, she is doing it on her own terms.

Best known for taking over headlines and her time on “The Real Housewives of Durban”, she is now front and centre in her own show, “Life With Londie London”, a show described as a fly-on-the-wall reality series that follows her as she rebuilds both her personal and professional life.

Set to premiere on May 7, the show promises a more personal look at her world, from motherhood to business and everything in between.

Full story at IOL

By Nomathamsanqa Sithathu