Lifestyle news in brief

Food

Calling all chilli-chomping champs

The Great East Coast Chilli Festival’s third edition takes place on April 26 2025 at Northwood Crusaders Sports Club, Durban North. A champion competitor ate almost 50 dangerously hot Carolina Reaper chillies in Cape Town earlier this month. “We’re excited to present a festival that not only celebrates Durban’s vibrant culinary culture, but also unites food lovers, chefs, entrepreneurs and industry leaders,” said Nick Papadopoulos, the festival’s founder. He said the festival was a celebration of “community spirit and cultural creativity”.

Tourist attraction

Making conservation fun for children

WildED, which provides conservation education, and Wild Alliance Africa, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to protecting the planet’s biodiversity, have launched an interactive Ranger Guide booklet for the Crocworld Conservation Centre. “The Ranger Guide was a way for us to provide youngsters with real value when visiting the park. It provides additional information and activities to do at Crocworld, deepening their knowledge and experience even beyond their visit,” said Wild Alliance Africa founder Russel Symcox.

Documentary series

Penguins uncovered

Years of filming, often in extreme conditions, have provided new insights into the extraordinary challenges endured by penguins for a documentary series called Secrets of the Penguins. The three-part series is voiced by US actor Blake Lively and hosted by National Geographic explorer Bertie Gregory. He said filming, which included 274 days on the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica, home to about 20,000 emperor penguins, as well as in locations from Cape Town to the Galapagos Islands, led to discovering “new penguin secrets”. Reuters

Television

Sci-fi show reflects current reality

For actor Diego Luna, Season Two of the Disney Plus series Andor, based on the Star Wars franchise, correlates with real-life sociopolitical issues that go beyond the show. “It’s so pertinent today,” said Luna, who plays the show’s lead, Cassian Andor. The series was about a community taking control and having the responsibility to be active citizens, Luna said. “It’s always a beautiful reminder.” The second and final season of the series follows the adventures of rebel agent Cassian Andor as numerous characters come together to create the Rebel Alliance. Reuters