Stories about Arts & Culture from December, 2023
Warm my hands: The story of a Nepali newlywed
"Now in Kathmandu, Kalpana finds that things run contrary to the narrative she had heard on repeat back home."
How one artist is attempting to change Hong Kong’s work culture
Luke Ching’s art attempts to inspire low-income workers to carry on the labour rights movement in their everyday lives.
In Turkey yet another television show finds itself in hot water
In a country deeply divided between secular citizens and pious Muslims, the show hit a nerve. The question remains whether, this time, a show can make a difference in society.
Russian musicians sing about war resistance — few people take them seriously
Through the musical project “We Exist” that premieres on December 12, anti-war artists oppose the narrative of Russian war resistance as a marginal point of view.
The rich culture of Latin American traditional Christmas food
Christmas food traditions from Venezuela, El Salvador, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador is diverse and complex. This is how the tables in the region look like during Deecember.
In Colombia, Kamëntšá women maintain their ancestral culture through music
Kamëntšá musicians Natalia Jacanamijoy and Angela Jhoana Jacanamejoy share the history and cultural significance of their music in the context of Kamëntšá cultural survival and the revaluation of ancestral wisdom.
Uzbekistan celebrates reformist Jadid movement in the new documentary
It seems the Jadids' return to the public space will be long-term with the government using their legacy as means of inspiration.
Religious minorities in Iran face cultural violence
Over the last 45 years, the Islamic Republic has weaponized textbooks, religious debates, movies, city walls, and even cemeteries to impose cultural violence, particularly over religious minorities, but it faced resistance.
Controversy surrounds Kenya's parliament ban on ‘Kaunda suits’ and African traditional attire
Social media users argue that embracing African traditional clothing is a means of seeking identity and celebrating African styles, suggesting that such a ban contradicts this sentiment.
Benjamin Zephaniah, a unique British poet with Caribbean roots and a wide appeal in a multicultural society, passes on at age 65
He became a beloved artist and performer who crossed all boundaries and sought to heal the fractured society engendered by colonialism, racism and social injustice.
Steelpan virtuoso Earl Rodney dies at 85, leaving ‘quality’ music and questions as to whether Trinidad & Tobago could be doing more to honour its cultural icons
He was always pushing musical boundaries [...] contributing to a new representation of local music in which he fused African rhythms and American funk, merged with pan and percussion.
Museum of Russian anti-war street art opens online
Russian anthropologist Alexandra Arkhipova and her colleagues have been collecting examples of anti-war street-art — stickers, graffiti, leaflets, and complex installations — for 1.5 years, from 48 Russian cities.
As Nepali villages modernize, mokha art is on the verge of disappearing
Nepal’s village landscapes were once dominated by bamboo and mud-walled houses and Tharu homes were decorated with beautiful mokha art. However, modernisation is killing this artform.
