Stories about Arts & Culture from January, 2022
‘Rehmat’ or ‘zehmat'? Learning to cope with the trauma from rain in a Pakistani metropolis
In Karachi, where monsoon season often means days without electricity, flooded roads and property damage, is rain truly a "rehmat" (blessing) from nature or a "zehmat" (misery) for city dwellers?
A 2019 Kazakh song about Nur-Sultan reads like news commentary in January 2022
A three-year old song describes in prophetic tones the violence that rocked Kazakhstan in January 2022 and speaks about the state of mind of many Kazakhs.
Erdoğan and the AKP's war with art and culture
In the years since the ascent to power, President Erdoğan's, ruling, Justice and Development Party (AKP) has slowly taken under its control much of the country's art and culture scene.
The Soviet Union existed for 70 years, but don’t expect to find it as a location in the world of comic books
Only a handful of mainstream comics published during the existence of the Soviet Union actually take place within its borders, and those that did often promoted stereotypes.
Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier, whose representation of Black people in film helped change racist perceptions, dies at 94
"So much is made of him being the first Black male actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor in 1963 [...] but his legacy is so much greater..."
‘The king is passing’: Narrie Approo, Trinidad & Tobago's oldest Black Indian masquerader, dies at 94
Narrie Approo had a lifelong love and respect for Trinidad and Tobago's sacred Carnival traditions, which he expressed most passionately through his portrayals of Black Indian mas.
Disputed reality: ‘Bombtrack’ and Peru's internal armed conflict
"The band portrayed the Shining Path as rebelling against the 'Yankee capitalist system,' but many Peruvians remember the organization as the protagonist of a dark period when people awoke fearing never returning home."
Trinidad and Tobago loses three musical treasures at the start of 2022
The oldest living calypsonian, a beloved soca parang artist, and a pioneer of kaiso jazz music have all passed away, leaving Trinidad and Tobago the poorer for it.
Understanding monsoon culture in Nepal
Nepali Sanskritist and scholar Gautama Vajra Vajracharya explains his studies on the Vedic frog hymns, and the meaning of the name of Vasudeva, father of Hindu deity Kṛiṣhṇa.
Indians give Chinese places hilarious names after China renames 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh
As China renamed 15 places in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, Indians on Twitter responded by renaming Chinese places with Indian names.
Out of darkness, hope: A New Year chat with Jamaican artist Richard Nattoo
From graffiti-type designs for Jamaican buses to paintings of figures that wrestle with despair, young artist Richard Nattoo is interested in pushing boundaries to learn more about the human condition.
