Stories about Arts & Culture from June, 2023
The healing love between Indigenous women
"The freer we are as individuals, the freer we are as a people."
Ukrainians flooded social media with memes as Wagner Group marched toward Moscow
"I must give credit to the General Staff," one user wrote in a viral Facebook post. "The counteroffensive started, indeed, in an unexpected place."
Celebrating feminist joy: The power of a collaboratively built playlist
"Whether you need a little dose of queer feminist fire or seek a soundtrack for your own resistance, this playlist stands ready to uplift and speak truth to power."
Chişinău hosted the largest LGBTQ+ march in the history of Moldova
The march this year focused on advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Moldova to have their marriages legally recognized.
A small dictionary of ‘Cha Bubo,’ a vernacular from Butembo in the Democratic Republic of Congo
In addition to the national languages in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cha Bubo is a specific linguistic entity spoken in Butembo, in Nord-Kivu province
In Turkey, a TV show ‘Metamorphosis’ pushes state propaganda
Actor Can Nergis, who stars as Bayramli looks suspiciously similar to Kavala and the series's plot follows the life of Kavala except built on the false narrative.
From Hong-Kong to Central Europe and back: Interview with Prague-based activist Loretta Lau
Central Europe is aware of the situation in China-occupied Tibet, but less so about Hong Kong. Byt one Hong Kong artivism performer is determined to change this.
‘Manifesting my struggles in my painting’: An interview with Iranian artist Zeynab Movahed
Her work communicates the ongoing fight for equal rights in a country that can be described as a “gender-apartheid” state, despite the fact that a large number of its women are highly educated.
Tajikistan's government adds another colossal building to its tally
Tajikistan building all these buildings is all the more striking given the fact that it is the poorest country in Central Asia.
Central Asian leaders sigh with relief as Erdoğan wins presidential elections in Turkey
After a cooling off in the relations in the 1990s and early 2000s, the blossoming of cooperation between Turkey and Central Asia has come under Erdoğan’s rule.
Little Mariupol in exile in Dnipro, Ukraine
The hope of those from occupied Ukrainian lands lies in the people who are ready to rebuild everything — even if it means starting a humanitarian center in another city.
Can poetry in translation reimagine a free Belarusian–Ukrainian bridge?
Belarus is a victim of and a tool for Russia in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Can poetry and translation establish a fragile bridge between Ukraine and free Belarusians?
The origins of Brazil’s national jersey and its changing symbolism 70 years later
Soon after Brazil's defeat by Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup, the Brazilian national team wanted to change its kit. A 19 year-old man was responsible for the design that became one of the most iconic in world sport.
Challenges of independent filmmaking in Indonesia
Since 2019, Annisa Adjam, a director, producer, and writer from Indonesia, has independently produced short films ranging from experimental and virtual reality (VR) to documentaries, fiction, and animation.
Kyrgyzstan's YouTube sensation, D Billions, kicks off its global concert tour
D Billions, which stands for billion smiles, has already reached its ambitious goals of putting a smile on billion people's faces through their YouTube videos.
How I ended up despising my mother tongue in Ukraine
Attempts to explain our position to war supporters in Russia failed in the first months of 2022, and using Russian now evokes the trauma of that total non-understanding and aggressive denial.
Understanding divisions in Turkey one award at a time
Dizdar's feminist speech did not sit well with supporters of the ruling government or its members.
Reporting from ‘the roof of the world': How Pamir Daily News works in Tajikistan
"I am sure that through such channels the decision centers receive a lot of things that they would never have been told through their official channels."
Hadda Ouakki: The enchanting Amazigh voice that moved the Atlas Mountains and soothed the Atlantic Ocean
Hadda's unwavering commitment to art, despite personal sacrifices, showcased her remarkable ability to harness and modulate her voice in a time when sound effects were still unfamiliar.
‘The task of achieving transitional justice in Taiwan remains unfinished': Interview with writer C.J. Anderson-Wu
Taiwanese translator turned anglophone writer C. J. Anderson-Wu explains in an interview how the need to convey Taiwan's experience of military dictatorship made her pick English as a creative language.
