The art that changed me during the pandemic

As part of the BBC World Service festival, South African comic Tumi Morake speaks to global stars and listeners about the art that’s inspired them during lockdown.

The actor Dr. John Kani is an icon to many in South Africa and beyond. He is best known from his work in films such as Black Panther and The Lion King, and plays such as Sizwe Banzi Is Dead. When Covid-19 first broke out, he still had two weeks left in a sold-out London run of Kunene and the King, his play about the legacy of apartheid. He tells Tumi how its sudden cancellation affected him and how his passion for South African jazz has kept him going during lockdown.

At the start of the pandemic, artist and activist Rose McGowan relocated to Mexico, which also happens to be the home of her favourite artist, Frida Kahlo. She reveals how Frida’s paintings have helped her heal from the trauma of Hollywood fame, and how they’ve inspired her to pick up her paintbrush once again.

While many comedians have been kept away from the stage for the past year, comic Rose Matafeo was lucky enough to perform stand-up in her native New Zealand. She shares the challenges of writing and performing stand-up during the pandemic, and how a literary classic has given her hope for a glittering post-pandemic social life.

Plus we hear from our listeners in Cuba, Uganda, Vietnam and beyond about the art that has changed them during the pandemic.

Presented by Tumi Morake

Produced by Lucy Wai, Anna Bailey, Lucy Collingwood, Mpho Lakaje and Jack Thomason.

(Photo: Rose Matafeo. Credit: Andi Crown; John Kani. Credit: Ruphin Coudyzer; Rose McGowan. Credit: @rosemcgownarts; Tumi Morake. Credit: Kevin Mark Pass/Blu Blood Africa)