Local Intel: Zolani Mahola
From the concert stage to the community activism that has defined her more recent career, Zolani Mahola is a much-loved thread in Cape Town's cultural tapestry. Perhaps best known as the vocal powerhouse at the front of the beloved pan-African band Freshlyground – and, of course, on Shakira's 'Waka Waka' anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup - Mahola has played a key role in defining the sound of South African music over the last two decades.
And while 'the one who sings' is still to be found on stage, lately this proud Capetonian is carving out a new chapter in life, blending uplifting music with environmental advocacy and powerful storytelling.
She has opened for B.B. King in Paris and voiced a character in Zambezia. In October 2024, she took the stage at New York's Carnegie Hall for the 30th anniversary of South African democracy. She's also involved with two major film projects, including a nature-focused collaboration with My Octopus Teacher director Pippa Ehrlich. In short, Mahola's career goes beyond labels, borders, or genres. In Cape Town, she's a voice for causes as diverse as marine conservation, music education, and gender equity. If you're lucky, you'll still find her on stage creating joy and justice through music and song.
In this exclusive Local Intel, Zolani shares the places and spaces across Cape Town where she refills her creative cup.
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The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
You need to see wild movie by Scots director that breaks all the rules
Not so, as it turns out. It's only now, a decade on, that Slow West's follow-up is preparing to make its theatrical bow after a well-received premiere at this year's Glasgow Film Festival where it was the opening film. A blend of samurai flick, chase film, historical epic and heist movie, Tornado follows the titular heroine, a Japanese puppeteer, as she and her father Fujin eke out a living somewhere in northern Britain at the end of the 18th century. Into their lives one day comes a band of brigands led by the ruthless Sugarman and his argumentative son, Little Sugar. The thieves are toting a sack of stolen gold coins, but it's when they are robbed in turn that the trouble begins for Fujin and, in particular, Tornado. A scene from Tornado by John Maclean (Image: free)Maclean's second film began life in 2016, immediately after the success of Slow West. You can't say he didn't hit the ground running. 'Having done a Western in America that to me was a little bit about immigration, I thought I could do the same for Britain – write a film where there's an African bandit, a French performer, a Japanese wanderer,' he tells me over Zoom. 'That was one idea. But then when I started the script, the heart of it started to come from father-daughter relationships. In Slow West, the thing I took from my personal life was a young Scottish boy being in love with somebody who didn't necessarily love him back, and him going to the ends of the earth for her. With Tornado, it was a father trying to teach his daughter his own Japanese culture, and her not being interested.' The process of writing the script continued into 2017 and then into 2018. When the pandemic happened it inevitably had an effect on production, but Maclean says a major issue even before then was one far more familiar to film-makers than zoonotic diseases – cash. 'I was ready to go but we just couldn't find people interested in funding it for a good while. I think it's just tough out there. You need a certain calibre of actor attached to finance films these days, and the actors have to become bigger and bigger to finance lower and lower budget films because – bottom line – people aren't going to the cinema so much.' Luckily, Maclean has never had much difficulty attracting big names to his films or identifying talents on the rise. He even managed it in his BAFTA-winning short Pitch Black Heist, which starred Michael Fassbender. It was released in the same year the Irishman won a slew of awards for his role in Steve McQueen's Hunger and first appeared as Magneto in X Men: First Class. Fassbender then returned to Team Maclean in order to work on Slow West and his co-star on that film was Kodi Smit-McPhee, who would also go on to star in the X-Men films (as Nightcrawler) and garner an Oscar nomination in Jane Campion's 2021 film, The Power Of The Dog. Things are little different this time around. The great Tim Roth plays Sugarman, Jack Lowden is Little Sugar and, for the roles of Fujin and Tornado, Maclean has cast Giri/Haji star Takehiro Hira and 22-year-old Mitsuku Kimura, who goes by the name Kōki. She may be new to acting, but by her late teens she was already a magazine cover star in her homeland, had walked the Paris Fashion Week runways as a model for Chanel, and was enjoying a successful pop career. Read more In fact Maclean had despaired about finding the right actress to play Tornado, even resorting to street castings to try to find non-actors. In the end Kōki was recommended by someone who had worked with her actor father Takuya Kimura, star of Takashi Miike's 2017 samurai action film Blade Of The Immortal. Meanwhile her mother, Shizuka Kudo, is a celebrated singer and 1980s pop star with 11 Japanese number one hits to her name. Maclean laughs as he remembers his first Zoom call with his prospective star. 'After about 10 seconds I was like: 'She's the one'.' So how big is she in Japan? 'Massive,' he says. 'She's known more as a model, but they don't know how great she is at acting – yet. And she came over here to Edinburgh and I think for the first time in her life she was able to walk around without being absolutely mobbed. People camp outside her house in Japan because her parents are so famous, so she's never had freedom. She came over here and absolutely loved it. She could walk around, didn't get hassled. She could perform and act and be creative. She's incredible. I didn't have to say anything to her, there was no direction. She just go it.' Lowden was recruited after an Edinburgh International Film Festival event at Edinburgh Castle – 'He told me he loved Slow West so I went straight back to the script and thought: 'I'm going to tweak this'' – while Maclean impressed Roth with his love of the work of British film-maker Alan Clarke. Best known for directing Scum in 1979, Clarke also made an iconic series of films in the Play For Today strand including folk horror Penda's Fen, Elephant (about the Troubles) and 1982's Made In Britain, which starred Roth as a racist 16-year-old skinhead. 'As soon as we got talking, he could see my love of Alan Clarke and that meant a lot to him.' For Maclean, meanwhile, it was a dream come true: as a student working at the Cameo Cinema in Edinburgh he had been wowed by an appearance by Quentin Tarantino in 1994 to promote Pulp Fiction. To work with the star of Reservoir Dogs made him feel he had come 'full circle', as he puts it. Japanese singer and model Kōki as Tornado in John Maclean's new film of the same name (Image: free) A shared influence for Maclean and Tarantino, both scholars of Japanese cinema, is Lady Snowblood, the 1973 film starring Meiko Kaji as a kickass assassin bent on revenge. It directly inspired the American's Kill Bill films and in Maclean's film it's a touchstone for Tornado's transformation from bored Gen Z-er into samurai sword-toting avenging angel. For the Scot, it's only one of a great many influences, however. 'When I'm writing a script I consume such a huge variety of films,' he admits. 'The most recent ones which were an influence were films coming out of Iran and Turkey. I'll always love action films, so my cinematic bedrock would Predator and Die Hard and Robocop, those sorts of films. But equally I love Tarkovsky, Bergman and Bresson ... This one was influenced by everything from touches of David Lynch's Blue Velvet all the way through to Steel Magnolias even. I watched that for some reason.' A 1989 comedy drama set in Louisiana and starring Dolly Parton and a young Julia Roberts is hard to place in Tornado's DNA. But, though the ingredients may be many and varied, it's the eventual dish which is the thing that matters – and this one has been worth the wait. Tornado is released on June 13. Since this interview was conducted The Beta Band have reformed for a tour of the UK starting at Glasgow Barrowland on September 25.
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Bizarre rise of celebs flogging their own UNDERWEAR & dirty bathwater to fuel pervs' sick fantasies
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SYDNEY Sweeney has been getting pervy fans hot under the collar after releasing limited edition bars of soap containing her bathwater. But the Hollywood star, 27, is not the first celebrity to cash-in on fans' dirtier fantasies - and PR gurus have told The Sun why it could be a genius move for her. 13 Sydney Sweeney has got fans hot under the collar selling her bathwater Credit: Instagram / Sydney Sweeney 13 Sweeney in an ad for Bathwater Bliss, her latest product with Dr. Squatch Credit: The Mega Agency 13 She has been an ambassador for the soap brand since last year Credit: Dr Squatch The Eurphoria and Anyone But You actress created her Bathwater Bliss with Dr. Squatch, who made 5,000 bars that come with a certificate saying they come from the water she bathed in. Ms Sweeney said: "When fans start asking for your bathwater, either ignore it or turn it into a soap. "It's weird in the best way." Nick Ede, branding expert, told us the actress has clearly got "a good sense of humour", adding: "I think she understands the kind of irony of her celebrity. READ MORE SHOWBIZ SO HUNG UP Sydney Sweeney shows off her long legs in new photoshoot for footwear brand "She also understands that a show like Euphoria, for instance, which is pretty sexual, will have had people fall in love with her because of her character... She is a sex symbol." Mr Ede went on to say, being a celebrity now is "all about the fans" and "getting them engaged". "In every way this is good PR," he added. Belle Delphine 13 Belle Delphine made thousands selling her bathwater before Sweeney Credit: Instagram Ms Sweeney is not even the first celebrity to be selling her dirty bathwater, with the gimmick having been pioneered by British-South African influencer and porn star Belle Delphine. The star, 25, began controversially flogging her bathwater in 2019 - and last year revealed how much she'd made from the venture. She launched Gamergirl Bath Water in July 2019 and sold out within three days. Sydney Sweeney looks incredible as she makes FOUR outfit changes in one day to promote new movie Echo Valley When she launched the product on her online store, it was going for $30 (£22) a pop and she said she managed to sell 600 in total – making $18,000 (£13,370) in bathwater sales. During an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, she said: "Obviously the sexual aspects of it also is very clickable, but where I got inspiration from it was I knew that Japan has panty vending machines." Katie Price 13 Katie Price sold framed thongs and suspenders for £350 Credit: @kpmemorabilia Former Page 3 girl Katie Price raised some eyebrows in January 2023 when she announced plans to sell off memorabilia from her time as a glamour model. This included sets of used underwear for £350 a pop, framed and signed. Speaking on an Instagram live, mum-of-five Katie shared: 'I'm putting all my old underwear and bras in frames, and signing them, because they're just hanging about, and they don't fit me the amount of boob jobs I've had.' When her pal asked if they had been cleaned, the star - who is well loved for her glamour modelling career - replied: 'Well they might want them authenticated.' Kerry Katona 13 Kerry Katona previously sold her used underwear on OnlyFans Credit: Instagram / Kerry Katona Ex-Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona earns tens of thousands of pounds a month on her OnlyFans account. But in 2022 she even began raking in cash from flogging her used underwear, with bra and knicker sets fetching up to £100 a pop. The former Atomic Kitten star joined the subscription site in May 2020 and she's confessed to being so desperate for money at the time that she couldn't even pay her rent. She charges £19-a-month for access to raunchy photoshoots and videos on her OF account. Ms Katon said in 2022: 'I've always been a grafter, I've always had my own money. I've never met anybody like me, to be honest! 'Someone who's been on every side of the coin - go into bankruptcy, become a millionaire, go into bankruptcy and become a millionaire again. Who does that?' Appearing on The Jay Hutton podcast, Kerry continued: 'I think I'm quite extraordinary and I like to give myself a pat on the back.' Brande Roderick 13 Former Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick is apparently selling her worn pyjamas on eBay Credit: EBay Former Playboy playmate and Baywatch Hawaii actress Brande Roderick appears to be currently selling her worn pyjamas, alongside an autograph on eBay for £110 ($149). The 50-year-old revealed last year how she's making "more money than ever" by stripping off on OnlyFans. She told Fox News Digital: "Me being a single mom of two boys with no financial support from their father, I have to take care of my family. "And for me, my passion and love is acting and producing. So, in order for me to do that, I have, you know, my side job with OnlyFans, which helps to facilitate my other passion of acting and producing. "So, for me, it's been really a wonderful outlet for me." Brande went on to compare her OnlyFans shoots to her Playboy work, but this time with more creative control. Scarlett Johansson 13 Scarlett Johansson with her used tissue on the Tonight Show in 2008 Credit: Getty During a chat show promotion for her 2008 film Spirit, Scarlett Johansson used a tissue twice to blow her nose. That mucus covered tissue was signed by the star, now 40, and then auctioned off on eBay where it sold for over $6,523 (£4,803). Johansson used the tissue during an appearance on The Tonight Show, explaining she'd caught a cold from Samuel L. Jackson, joking that it gave her sniffles "more value". She donated the money from the used tissue to USA Harvest, an American hunger charity. Sydney Sweeney 13 Sweeney puts on a busty display in the bath in an ad for Dr Squatch Credit: Dr Squatch Ms Sweeney became an ambassador for Dr Squatch in October last year, leaving fans hot under the collar by selling body wash while sitting in a bubble bath. In the innuendo-filled ad, Sydney swooned to the camera: "'Hello you dirty little boys, are you interested in my body... wash?" "Well you can't have it, because this isn't for boys. It's for men. This is Dr. Squatch Natural Body Wash with long lasting, natural aromas like wood barrel bourbon, pine tar, coconut castaway, and fresh falls." Her new soap - which costs $8 a bar and contains droplets of Ms Sweeney's bathwater - goes on sale next week. 'People feel connected and free to be able to speak about me in whatever way they want, because they believe that I've signed my life away, Sweeney told Variety in March 2024. 'That I'm not on a human level anymore, because I'm an actor." Annabelle Knight, Sex & Relationships Expert at Lovehoney told The Sun: 'The idea of buying soap infused with Sydney Sweeney's bath water might seem bizarre to some, but it taps into a very real and popular kink - body worship and object fetishism. "For some people, there's a thrill in owning something that's touched or belonged to someone they desire as it creates a feeling of intimacy, even if it's one-sided. "Think of it like a modern twist on keeping a lover's t-shirt or locking away a love letter. Sydney Sweeney looks incredible as she makes FOUR outfit changes in one day to promote new movie Echo Valley By Callum Wells SYDNEY Sweeney looked incredible as she made no less than four outfit changes in one day to promote her new movie, Echo Valley, in New York City. Actress Sydney, 27, turned heads in a bold red gown, with a midsection that highlighted her svelte waist and a statement skirt accessorised with a giant red bow. The Euphoria star wore her blonde locks in tumbling waves and accentuated her natural beauty with a full face of make-up. Earlier in the day, Sydney put on an equally-chic display in a black fitted waistcoat and a white miniskirt, elevating her height with leather boots. She toted her essentials around in a black leather handbag and shielded her eyes with wayfarer sunglasses. If that wasn't enough, Sydney was also spotted wearing a plaid brown jumpsuit and a giant matching tie on the same very steps of her hotel. This time, she carried a stone handbag, which coordinated with her heels. And, for her arrival at Good Morning America, the starlet put on a leggy display in a brown pinstriped blazer dress. Sydney appeared to confirm her breakup with long-term partner Jonathan Davino at the film's premiere. Speaking to The Times at the AMC Lincoln Square event, the Washington-native was asked if she was still planning her wedding to Jonathan. "No,' she replied. When pressed on whether she was now single, she answered simply: 'Yes.' The actress had been seen in recent months without her engagement ring, fuelling rumours that the couple - who began dating in 2018 and became engaged in 2022 - had quietly parted ways. At Wednesday's premiere, Sydney was joined by co-star Julianne Moore, who plays her on-screen mother in the new thriller. The film follows Julianne's character, a horse trainer living on a Pennsylvania farm, whose life is upended when her daughter, played by Sydney, arrives covered in someone else's blood. It comes as Sydney films the third - and potentially last - series of Euphoria. The explicit teen drama, which follows recovering drug addict Rue (Zendaya) as she navigates school life and relationships while narrating the lives of her school mates, has become known for its dark storytelling. Sydney shot to fame in the series as Cassie, a popular girl with painfully low self-esteem who starts an abusive relationship with her best friend's ex, the violent and uncaring Nate (played by Jacob Elordi). Despite the success of the series, by the time season three is released there will have been a four-year wait for new episodes, thanks to the massive success of its cast in other projects, the death of star Angus Cloud, and the 2023 writers and actors' strikes. As a result, writer Sam Levinson has placed a time jump, launching the troubled teenage group into adulthood. Sydney has since sparked rumours that, despite their physically and mentally abusive relationship, her character Cassie is set to marry Nate, with the actress being spotted in a wedding gown on set. 'It's also a reminder that not all kinks are overtly sexual. Many are about connection, power dynamics, fantasy, or even just fascination. "Someone buying Sydney Sweeney's bathwater soap might not be using it for anything sexual at all - they might just feel closer to her, or enjoy the taboo, playful nature of the idea. "Kinks are incredibly diverse, and they don't always fit into what we consider 'sexual behaviour'. "Sometimes, it's about curiosity, ritual, or even a bit of fun rebellion against what's 'normal.' 'If you think about it celebrity culture is full of kink-adjacent behaviour. "From people collecting toenail clippings on eBay to sniffing old concert t-shirts, this kind of thing is just a more commercial version of what fans have been doing for decades. "Sydney's just owning it - and having a bit of cheeky fun with it too." 'She understands the irony' Branding expert Mr Ede told us: "I think someone like Sydney Sweeney has also got quite a good sense of humour. "I think she understands the kind of irony of her celebrity, and she also understands that a show like Euphoria, for instance, which is pretty sexual, will have had people fall in love with her because of her character. She is a sex symbol. "People have slipped into her DMs or commented on social media posts, saying, 'Oh, wouldn't mind a bit of your bath water', you know. "It's a bit like when, years ago, when people threw knickers at Tom Jones, or asked people for their underwear, it's a modern progression of that." He went on to say: "It's got a little bit of salt burn in it, which sounds a bit strange, but it feels like that with the bath water. "It is a bit naughty, but you know we've seen it before with somebody like Gwyneth Paltrow and her famous candle that smelled of her vagina, which sold out in minutes. "Now with celebrity, it's all about the fans. It's all about actually getting them engaged, and this is a good way of connecting with them. In every way this is good PR." Mr Ede said Ms Sweeney selling her bathwater could be seen as being "quite empowering, because this has come from Sydney herself". "This is not some guy who works in a hotel and has gone into her bath and taken a jar of it and gone 'right, I'm going to sell it.' "This is somebody who's gone: 'Actually, this is quite fun. I'm going to do it. Let's see what we can do. And let's create some noise about it.'" Mr Ede said platforms like OnlyFans - previously "frowned" upon, have given content creators control "of their own creation". "They've allowed for it to happen, it doesn't feel sleazy." Asked how exactly the bathwater would've been collected, the expert said: "I don't think she had a full on bath. "Who knows whether she was singing in the bath for a while, but I'd be interested to see actually how much essence of Sydney Sweeney has gone into that soap." Referring to some of the backlash the actress has garnered on social media by the decision, Mr Ede said: "It's something that's going to follow her forever, and I don't know whether that's going to be negative or positive." He added: "Who knows? We might see some other stars dipping their toes in things that aren't just bath water. "For some talent I would say it would be cheapening their brand, but she (Ms Sweeney) has used social media to really engage her fans. It's a case of you asked for it, now here it is for you. "It's a pretty genuine attitude and I find that quite refreshing." 13 Sweeney has generated a huge fanbase through her acting and social media accounts Credit: Getty 13 Roderick appeared in a Baywatch spin off in 2000 and was also a Playboy playmate Credit: Getty 13 Price was previously a glamour model before becoming an entrepreneur Credit: Xposure
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Leader Live
England rugby captain announced as new ambassador for King's charity
The 30-year-old co-founded an artists' residency – for African, Caribbean, Southwest Asian, North African and diaspora creators – that runs at The King's Foundation's headquarters in Scotland. So far, seven Akoje Residency artists have stayed at the Dumfries House site in Ayrshire. The King aims to improve sustainability, traditional crafts and the arts through his charity that was founded in 1990 when he was Prince of Wales. Itoje joins the ranks of fellow ambassadors including footballer David Beckham, actress Sienna Miller and gardener Alan Titchmarsh. His ambassadorship was announced on Friday, and he said in a statement: 'Seeing African art find a home in rural Scotland through the Akoje Residency has been inspiring.' The London-born rugby star added: 'It has been incredibly rewarding to work with The King's Foundation during my artist residency over the past year, and I'm thrilled to build on that relationship by becoming an ambassador for the charity. 'Discovering my passion for art — and the importance of preserving the traditional skills behind it — has been life-changing for me. 'It's been a privilege to witness how the artists have been welcomed and have become part of the local community.' He co-founded the Akoje Gallery with gallery director Khalil Akar in 2023, and it exhibits at different sites across world – but is also accessible online. Its residency programme was set up in 2024, allowing emerging and established artists to stay on-site in Ayrshire and produce work inspired by the surrounding landscape. Kristina Murrin, chief executive of The King's Foundation, said: 'We have been delighted to work with Maro on the Akoje Residency at Dumfries House over the past year, so it's fantastic to formally cement his role as an ambassador for the Foundation. She added: 'I have personally enjoyed meeting the artists taking part in the residencies and seeing how they have enjoyed living and working on site at the Dumfries house estate. 'We look forward to building on this existing partnership and working with Maro to raise awareness of the importance of traditional heritage skills for artists and ensuring they are given a platform to create.' Itoje, who also captains the British and Irish Lions squad and plays as a lock, has represented England 93 times since his first call-up in 2016. He is the first English captain of the British and Irish Lions since Martin Johnson in 2001. The player was named captain of the England team in May ahead of the 2025 Six Nations.
