Stories about Arts & Culture from June, 2016
Macedonian Youth Speak Out About Freedom of Expression Through Mini-Videos
"The important thing for the youth to understand is that you do not let them mute you, no matter what."
An Argentinian Animator Reimagines the Game of Thrones Title Sequence for the Real World
"I saw the intro and the first thing I thought of was making an adapted version for my country".
Nature, Gender Identity, and Other Things You Learn Filming a Documentary in Mexico on the Banks of the Usumacinta River
A Spanish documentary filmmaker followed two members of a El Remolino community, whose stories involved personal journeys, struggles with nature, and grappling with their own sexual identities.
A Syrian Family in the US Creates Art and Music That They Couldn't Back Home
President Obama is falling short on his pledge to accept Syrian refugees. But some Syrians already have visas and are living in the US, not as refugees, but as professors.
For a Short Time, Documentary ‘Humano’ Is Free to Watch Online in Celebration of the Incan Sun Festival
"Humano" follows the quest of a young man in search of answers about the human condition in the Peruvian Andes.
Censorship Continues in Myanmar as Government Blocks Screening of Film Critical of the Army
"If Myanmar genuinely wants to address human rights abuses, culture, art and media should be encouraged to bring truth, painful stories and wrongdoings—both past and present—into the open."
Tanzanian Musician and Activist Maembe Vitali Arrested and Released
"You are not a soldier, you are not a rebel, they should understand that you are just a fighter... Yes, a fighter of a noble cause."
The Savory Treat of the Dragon Boat Festival and the Aunties Who Make Them
Many Taiwanese Americans rely on “aunties” — vendors who sell bah tsang through informal networks — to get their fill.
The Wild World of Telegram Stickers
It’s Friday and today we’re going to write about stickers—not just any stickers, but the stickers that have been flooding the instant messenger app Telegram for the past year.
Tajik Facebookers Make Persian Poetry Political
"I left, because now there is no place for love there. I left, because there was no use in staying there. I left, because oppression and pain crossed all lines."
Who Was Jalaluddin Rumi, and Whose Rumi Is He?
As Hollywood unleashes a Di Caprio-coloured plot to appropriate the life of a famous Persian poet, older battles over his legacy are coming to the boil.
Climate Change Threatens Qoyllur Riti, a Festival That Mixes Catholic and Indigenous Beliefs in Peru
The Peruvian celebration of Qoyllur Riti shows the religious syncretism typical of the region, but it's being threatened by climate change.
Ramadan in Sri Lanka Is More Than You Think
Although Sri Lanka has grappled with divisions along ethnic and religious lines, in challenging times citizens do come together to help each other, casting aside their differences.
Following Complaints, Singapore Removes Same-Sex Kiss Scene in Les Misérables Production
"It is nothing more than a triumph of ignorance and hysteria over common sense and sober reflection."
The Less Sleek, More Timeworn ‘Bits of Tokyo’
'Bits of Tokyo' is a Twitter photo blog devoted to capturing the minute details of surviving postwar life in Japan.
Israelis React With Outpouring of Support for LGBTQ Community After Orlando Massacre
"It doesn’t matter exactly which religion made him hate us to death...It’s always the fear of those who are different, those who challenge the existing order."
A Joint Photo Exhibition Between Greece and Turkey Brings These Neighbors Closer Together
They believe that peace and friendship is the best way to overcome problems and that art, especially photography, is a medium that can bring people closer together.
‘There Are Increasingly More and More Positive, Strong and Motivating Representations of Black Women’
The author interviews American filmmaker, scholar and activist, Beti Ellerson.
Iranian Singer Habib Mohebian Memorialized on Social Media
"Even after an artist passes on, his art lives on..."
A Grandmother and Granddaughter in India Are Making Beautiful Media Together
"The whole world is learning, why should I not learn? I have a lot more to learn. It is important to walk along with the world."
Colorful, Human-Powered Rickshaws Rule the Road in Bangladesh's Capital Dhaka
"...aside from the sound of car-horns, the constant sonic backdrop is a chorus of tinkling bicycle bells and the tin carcases of empty rickshaws rattling over the uneven roads."
