Stories about Arts & Culture from March, 2020
After being kidnapped and threatened, Mozambican YouTuber has his channel suspended
In early February, he was kidnapped for 24 hours, before he was freed by the police. A self-proclaimed prophet named Joe Williams is suspected of ordering the kidnapping.
Kenyan star runner Eliud Kipchoge says 2020 Olympics postponement is ‘shocking but noble’
Olympic superstar Eliud Kipchoge was looking forward to competing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. But the postponement makes sense to him. "We live in a world of uncertainties," he said.
Musicians in East Africa rush to produce ‘corona’ songs — even as the industry falters
As COVID-19 sweeps through Africa, musicians have taken a hit with canceled concerts, festivals, tours and interrupted studio time. Yet, they have risen to the challenge by composing catchy tunes.
Forty years on, a locked-down El Salvador remembers the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero online
The archbishop was shot by a death squad at the start of El Salvador's civil war, becoming an iconic figure in the struggle against human rights violations in Latin America.
The Mexican engraver reviving the magical imagery of Chiapas
Mexico has a prolific tradition of printmaking, its defining visual characteristics having endured from pre-Hispanic times into modernity
Local power play ends the reign of northern Nigeria's emir of Kano
Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II used his privileged voice to confront 'the evil forces of feudalism' that have kept Northern Nigeria 'in bondage for so long'. But this cost him his throne.
Trinidad & Tobago's traditional Carnival characters offer women sexual healing
Onika Henry, a licensed and trained sex educator, counselor and expressive arts teacher, combines her teachings to explore female sexuality and sensuality through Carnival.
As Uzbekistan thaws, the Uzbek language spreads its wings
A political thaw is underway in a nation eagerly going online — providing the perfect opportunity for the Uzbek language to thrive in new and unexpected ways.
Japan resurrects ‘Amabie’, an ancient supernatural creature, to fight COVID-19
"Was there a monster that was loved so quickly in such a short time?"
‘Being an activist is just a side-effect of being an artist': An interview with Chinese-Australian cartoonist Badiucao
Badiucao made headlines in 2019 when he revealed his identity in a documentary released on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. Filip Noubel caught up with the artist in Prague.
New call for the release of Kurdish poet İlhan Sami Çomak jailed in Turkey for 26 years
Recently, a new campaign has been gaining ground to draw attention to one of the country’s longest-serving political prisoners.
‘Linguistics is in everything’ from astronomy to everyday life, says this linguist from Trinidad & Tobago
"Trinbagonians are connected through a shared linguocultural history and present — we don’t have to constantly define or explain or substitute our words in our conversations."
In shooting for the stars, this Trinidad & Tobago linguist highlights how language connects us
[The names are] "the linguistic manifestation of the clash of Amerindian, African, European and Asian cultures which led to the Creole language and culture."
Nepal postpones international events as fear of COVID-19 intensifies
As the Coronavirus continues spreading across countries worldwide, the Government of Nepal issued an appeal not to organize any large meetings, conference, festivals, gathering and any other events.
This chief hopes Yorùbá speakers adopt his newly invented ‘talking alphabet’
Writing Yorùbá in Latin script may soon become a thing of the past as one Yorùbá man, Chief Tolúlàṣẹ Ògúntósìn, has invented a writing system to encode the Yorùbá language.
From Sweden to Mexico, indigenous people explain why their languages are disappearing
The Nordic regions of Europe are thousands of kilometres away from Mexico or Peru, but both witness the destruction of their native peoples' identities