Stories about Arts & Culture from July, 2021
The essence of LeRoy Clarke, Trinidad and Tobago's master artist who died this week
"The art of being LeRoy Clarke is a discipline, cultivated by an artist equally inspired and terrified of the society that has hammered his art into existence."
Hong Kong Pro-Beijing camp finds fault with Olympic badminton player's black outfit
In Hong Kong, the hottest topic about the Tokoyo 2020 Olympic Games in recent days has been badminton player Angus Ng Ka-Long’s monochrome black outfit.
The French government’s U-turn on regional languages
A new law passed in May 2021 has reignited the debate around France's regional languages
The “ticket to happy life” politics of Indian marriages in the context of dowry-related violence
The recent death of 24-year-old medical student Vismaya Nair in the Indian state of Kerala has sparked widespread outrage and renewed discussions over dowries and domestic violence in India.
Street art protest in Kazakhstan becomes routine
Since Nazarbayev’s resignation in 2019, new protest movements in Kazakhstan have chosen street art as their preferred tactic. In this case, the target is a public utility hut in Almaty.
‘Courage is accumulative,’ said director of Hong Kong protest documentary at 2021 Cannes Festival
"This is a paradox, only if I stay in Hong Kong I can enjoy freedom, a freedom to overcome fear."
These African animators are saving their native languages using cartoons
Animation is an effective way of teaching young Africans life skills and languages that are often not taught in schools, as most African governments adopt official languages while discouraging native ones.
Will an award-winning animated film about a Czech woman in Kabul change how Czechs perceive Afghanistan?
A Czech animation movie won a major award for depicting a love story between a Czech woman and an Afghan man. But can this movie change perceptions about Afghanistan?
‘Ring de bell’: Brother Resistance, who mainstreamed Trinidad & Tobago's rapso music, has died
"It's a long, long time now we fighting for freedom […] I come with my bell just to second the motion, rock the rapso riddum.”
India mourns Dilip Kumar, the ‘tragedy king’ of Bollywood
Dilip Kumar was among the most legendary actors and producers of the Indian Cinema Industry. He worked on over 60 films over six decades and is mourned by many.
Turkey's spectacular city statues — a thing of beauty or an architectural failure?
Across the country one may find statues of garlic, a rooster, meatballs, local desserts, walnuts, pottery, and much more, symbolizing whatever that province is famous for.
Malaysian artists and activists face probe over a short film depicting police brutality
"These ongoing harassments against activists, journalists, and artists attempt to silence our voice and deflect the public pressure on the prevalent cases of custodial death in the past few months."
By gathering knowledge, volunteers step in to save and revive the Macedonian music industry
Vasil Buraliev, the founder of the biggest publicly available nonprofit database about music from North Macedonia, talks about challenges of digital activism to promote cultural values.
Tintin in Bangladesh…. only in the artist's imagination!
A Bangladeshi cartoonist is drawing nostalgic memories of the European comic book "The Adventures of Tintin" through his fan art "Tintin in Bangladesh" — with a local twist.
Roma musicians discuss inclusion in larger Czech community
Do the Roma musicians face prejudicial attitudes and discrimination based on their origin in Czechia?