#Poetry is the perfect tonic

When the bug of love stings right where it feels good, there is always that sense of belonging.

We all enjoy embracing love especially during this beautiful month. It gives us that belonging even in the craziest of times.

Poetry is the perfect tonic during these tough times that we are in.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and relate. Lockdowns and social distancing have become the new norm.

One thing that has jaded souls is the power of poetry. 

The Afro Poetry Times has always made sure that the spirit of poetry is kept well and alive.

Its February 2021 edition has the perfect package to keep you entertained, relaxed and inspired. After all every good thing deserves being celebrated.

It features: 

• The romantic genius of poetry

• Ghanaian poet gets big American gig

• The big interview Egyptian poet whose tackling culture and heritage

• A debut book that's an ode to poetry

• Some competitions were you can win cash

• Some unpublished poems

• A very entertaining and erotic short story from Zimbabwe

• And lots more

Get your digital copy from PressReader – The world's leading digital press distributor. You can get it nomatter were in the world you are. Support poetry and the literary arts.

http://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/afro-poetry-times/20201201

Proud youth make abstinence fashionable. #FridayFeeling

To encourage sexual abstinence among young girls, a support group for local virgins was recently launched in Empangeni.

Hosted by local poet Imbongi kaMajola Hlabisa, the SlayTshitshi launch at Dumani Lodge was about opening a social group for girls and to give them support through their abstinence journey.

'It's about giving them support and for them to understand they are not alone but there are many other girls who chose to remain virgins until marriage.

'These girls get mocked for being virgins and are sometimes pushed to break their vows but having support from others will definitely encourage them to continue with their journey.

'Being virgins doesn't mean they are ugly and unattractive. They are normal girls and can dress and wear weaves like any other girls. We promote self-discipline and pride,' said Hlabisa.

During the launch, girls also received valuable information about personal hygiene.

Speakers included Mama Gumede of uNyakawakho Foundation and Grantham Park head girl Gugu Nxumalo.

Anele Mdoda back on TV #FridayFeeling

There is nothing more exciting this year for award-winning TV host and radio personality Anele Mdoda than seeing her only son going to "big" school for the first time.

Mdoda is looking forward to making her son's schooling days memorable like her parents did for her. 

Speaking to TimeOut about the return of the second season of Celebrity Game Night, Mdoda mentions that as much as she hated to see her son in showbiz, she is rethinking that. Her son is already a celebrity and the public just adore him.

"After visiting Los Angeles, people kept asking me if he has an agent. I have never wanted him to be in the showbiz industry but now I'm starting to think twice. My mind has to change and who knows, maybe he is my pension plan," Mdoda says.

Mdoda is also excited about Celebrity Game Night that hits the small screen on February 7 on E! Channel. Born in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, she returns with the celebrity squad Jason Goliath and Ayanda Thabethe. 

The 36-year-old show host promises a thriller of entertainment as she forces celebrities to leave their ordinary lives behind to play a series of outrageous and hilarious party games that include quizzes that will feature celebrity and popular culture.

Viewers this season can expect to be entertained by celebrities such as Minnie Dlamini-Jones, Alex Caige, Dineo Langa, Ice Prince, Boity, Maps Maponyane, Lerato Kganyago, Roxy Burger and Kelly Khumalo.

SABC finds replacement for Isidingo and it features Dineo Moeketsi

Public broadcaster SABC has found a replacement for Isidingo a year after canning the long-running soapie.

A new telenovela titled The Estate will be the successor of the daily drama.

The new show is already in production and last week filmed scenes at the Precinct Lifestyle Hub in Waterfall, Midrand, Johannesburg.

The show is being produced by Clive Morris Productions, the brainchild behind local TV dramas Isono, Broken Vows and Ashes to Ashes.

Acting SABC spokesperson Mmoni Seapolelo confirmed yesterday that the show will premiere in April.

"The Estate will debut in April 2021 and the public will be notified in due course on the exact date the show will launch on the channel," Seapolelo said.

"The show will deal with themes such as the land issue, issues of identity, truth vs lies, corruption and its consequences, secrets that refuse to remain buried and other social issues that have relevance and resonance in the current state of SA."

According to a source close to the show, three current Isibaya cast members – Sdumo Mtshali, Aubrey Poo and Linda Sebezo – have booked roles in the show.

Isibaya is set to conclude in April after eight years. Former Isidingo actor Don Mlangeni Nawa will join the trio plus former The Queen star Dineo Langa as well as ingénue Zenokuhle Maseko, last seen in The River playing Sindi Dlathu's daughter, Mbali. 

Veteran actor Clementine Mosimane – who recently appeared in Netflix's How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding – and rising star Mpho Sibeko, currently starring in Isono on BET Africa, have also scored leading roles.

#Rain mobile must introduce top up vouchers for convenience and peace of mind!

Rain mobile changed how internet works by introducing uncapped internet at a flat monthly rate. 

People intending to use Rain are required to buy a SIM card and register online. 

Many people have been using Rain Mobile in a desperate bid to run away from the exorbitant internet charges being offered by cellphone network operators.  

They have different packages to choose from with the cheapest one going for as little as R250.

But the hugest down point of Rain mobile is that one can not buy top up vouchers. 

Every transaction is done through debit cards. 

This means that those who do not have bank accounts or those with multiple bank accounts are at a disadvantage. 

For example, If the bank account registered with Rain is frozen or if one no longer uses it, then an inconvenience is born. 

When Rain was first introduced, many people thought that they would introduce Top Up vouchers but that has just remained a script. 

Top up vouchers would surely go a long way towards increasing convenience and a peace of mind for their clients. 

How to win friends in South Africa

When Ryan Adsett woke up 10 days ago in Storrington, England, he could never have imagined what the day had in store.

News had broken that Brighton & Hove Albion, the football club he fervently supports, had recalled South African player Percy Tau, who had been on loan in Belgium.

Adsett, 19, tweeted jokingly that Tau was the best player in the world, better than Lionel Messi. Within hours, he was inundated with love — and some prime banter — from "South African football Twitter".

He was even given a nickname, which translates loosely to "idiot".

"It's been incredible," he told the Sunday Times in a Zoom interview.

"I had all these people commenting, laughing and all this. And I was like, 'Oh God, I've been set up.' "

Adsett later discovered what the nickname meant, but said he accepted it in good spirit.

"Luckily for me, I got lots of followers and they are so funny.

"They were giving me a lot of love as well, sending me a lot of positivity. It was more a bit of banter and you know they're having a bit of fun.

"I don't think we expected the South Africans to be as funny as they are. It's a good bit of banter. It's class."

Here's how you can be in the next season of Steve Harvey's Family Feud South Africa

American celebrity and funny man Steve Harvey is back to host the second season of the iconic game show Family Feud South Africa and entries are open for new contestants.

The wildly popular reality series is looking for families of five to enter before 17 January for a chance to compete on the show. Broadcasting exclusively on e.tv, the 26-episode series broadcasts to millions of South Africans each week.

Harvey has been hosting the American version of Family Feud with enormous success since 2010. The show has seen exponential ratings increases under Harvey, and he is on track to become the longest-serving host in Family Feud history.

Virginia Hollis, the co-founder of marketing agency G2 connection, the company handling all brand immersion for the show, said this season was promising to be better than ever.

"We're anticipating a bigger season and an even bigger following in 2021," she said. "With KFC as headline sponsor and many opportunities for other brands to get onboard, Family Feud South Africa is promising to maintain its number one slot in that 6pm time bracket.

"Steve Harvey's introduction to SA's many cultures and idiosyncrasies last year resulted in some hilarious on set moments and we're expecting more of the same this year."

Potential contestants can enter at:

https:// rapidblue.formstack. com/forms/familyfeud with more information on the series to be found at https://familyfeud. africa/en-za/

Facebook: Family Feud Africa
Instagram: @FamilyFeudAfrica
Twitter: @FeudAfrica

The most anticipated #movies of 2021

When it comes to Hollywood, 2021 is going to be a year of superheroes, reboots and follow-ups on the big screen – and, of course, James Bond.

The Hollywood calendar of the year comes packed with big blockbusters, including Scarlett Johansson's solo superhero outing Black Widow, Dwayne Johnson adventure Jungle Cruise, Marvel's latest superhero genre addition Eternals, Tom Cruise's new Top Gun sequel and Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond, No Time To Die. 

Here are Hollywood releases lined up that are sure to excite us:

NO TIME TO DIE

The most talked-about Hollywood film not to release last year, Craig's final outing as Bond is now set to release on April 2 this year. The

25th instalment of the franchise also features Rami Malek as the new Bond villain Safin, and brings back Lea Seydoux as Dr Madeleine Swann, Ben Whishaw as Q, Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Jeffrey Wright as CIA agent

Felix Leiter. It is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.

BLACK WIDOW

Marvel Studios will finally release their solo Black Widow film, which aims to give a new twist to women power in the superhero universe.

The film brings back Johansson as Natasha Romanoff and her superhero alter-ego Black Widow as she tries to solve the puzzle of her life. The film's release, which was delayed by the Covid crisis, is set to open on May 7.

FAST & FURIOUS 9

Hollywood stars Vin Diesel and John Cena will give bromance a new spin in the upcoming Fast & Furious film, which will be fuelled by the emotion of vengeance. The saga sees the return of Justin Lin as director. The film also stars Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron. It's expected to release in the first quarter of

this year.

UNTITLED SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME SEQUEL

The Tom Holland-led film is expected to be a treat for fans. Spider-Man's new adventure will bring back Benedict Cumberbatch as the sorcerer Doctor Strange and Alfred Molina as the evil Doctor Octopus. Jamie Foxx will reportedly appear as Electro. It is scheduled for release on December 17 this year.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK

At 58, Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise will be back in his popular avatar as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick, the muchanticipated sequel of the 1986 hit Top Gun. The Joseph Kosinski-directed film co-stars Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Miles Teller and Jay Ellis. It is slated for release on July 2.

JUNGLE CRUISE

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt go on an action-packed ride in the film based on the Disneyland ride of the same name. The Jaume Collet-Serradirected film is set in the early 20th century with captain (Johnson) and scientist (Blunt) in search of the Tree of Life. It is set for release on July 30.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7

Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible 7, which is helmed by film-maker Christopher McQuarrie. It is slated to open on November 19.

A QUIET PLACE PART II

The John Krasinski and Emily Bluntstarrer was originally set to hit the big screen last March. It is now due for release on April 23. The film is a sequel to the 2018 horror winner,

A Quiet Place, which imagined a postapocalyptic world where humans fall prey to fast-moving creatures who track their victims by sound.

THE MATRIX 4

Priyanka Chopra joins Keanu Reeves in the next part of The Matrix to release later this year. The film is produced, co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski, who co-directed and co-wrote three of the previous films with her sister Lilly.

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS

Marvel's first Asian origin superhero will be introduced this year, with the Destin Daniel Cretton directorial. In the film,Simu Liu stars as the title character and Tony Leung playing the iconic comicbook villain, The Mandarin. It is slated for release on July 9.

ETERNALS

Directed by Chloe Zhao, the film stars Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani. It is about the super-powered beings,

The Celestials, and their villainous adversaries, The Deviants, in a war set millions of years ago. It is expected to open on November 5.

Lerato Kganyago's defining moment #MondayMotivation

Radio host and DJ Lerato Kganyago has been making waves in her effort to help female pupils across SA have access to sanitary pads.

The Metro FM host has kicked off her 2021 with a beacon of hope with her beauty label Flutter by LKG. The company aims to empower women across SA and eradicate "period poverty".

Taking to Instagram, the star let her fans know that she is back to the grind and ready to deliver with that LKG class!

The media personality also showed us that even though we are only a few days into the new year, this hasn't stopped her from assisting girls across SA to have access to sanitary products.

Posting snaps of her work on Twitter, the star said that the aim is to end the devastation that a lack of access to pads has had on people who menstruate.

"Millions can't afford to maintain menstrual health. We're fortunate to be able to play a role in the eradication of period poverty in SA, one home at a time," tweeted Lerato.

The star is passionate about her cause. Last year, Lerato called out people who have the platforms to speak out against the injustice of period poverty but don't do it since it doesn't fit their "aesthetics".

"Sanitary pads don't get you drunk or high, aren't glamorous or fit into the aesthetics on your page, that's why some of you think what we do is a joke. But, for millions of South Africans, it's not — period poverty is something which many struggle with as part of their lives!

"And yet is it something so easy to fix," wrote Lerato.

Idols love birds are SA's new celebrity couple

Idols SA winner Zama Khumalo and semifinalist Brandon Dhludhlu are the New Year's hottest celebrity couple.

The duo, who competed in the top 3 of the reality competition show last month, have gone public about their romance after ringing in the New Year together at Dhludhlu's hometown, Barberton, in Mpumalanga.