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Culture

African art and sense of beauty.

When you look at some African art, you may wonder whether what you see is…

01 Nov 2024

African Cinema. Looking to the future.

Moving from specialised sections to the international scene. The great variety that exists in the…

01 Nov 2024

Bolivia. The Ayoreos. The Wedding, Celebration full of cultural symbols.

The Ayoreos are an ethnic group that live in the eastern part of Bolivia. They…

01 Nov 2024

Music. Iran. Overcoming barriers.

It is not easy to make music in Iran today. And yet, in a country…

01 Nov 2024

Uganda. Ngabi Clan the King’s Massage Therapists and Herd’s men.

Buganda Kingdom is found in Central Uganda and it’s the largest and oldest traditional kingdom…

01 Oct 2024

Sudan. Art against war.

Marked by decades of political instability and conflict, Sudanese artists narrate the complex reality of…

01 Oct 2024

Herbs & Plants. Combretum molle. A source of medicinal mumuye…

It has been used in traditional medicine since time immemorial for the treatment of a…

01 Oct 2024

Music. Apple Music’s list no African artists.

Apple Music's latest list of the 100 greatest albums of all time has excluded any…

01 Oct 2024

Herbs & Plants. Bridelia micrantha. A robust medicinal plant.

It is a small to medium semi-deciduous to deciduous tree up to 20m in height…

01 Sep 2024

Literature.Three women talk about their Sudan, bitter and divided.

In A Mouth Full of Salt, Sudanese writer Reem Gaafar traces the country's recent history…

01 Sep 2024

Music. Tiken Jah Fakoly. The star of African reggae.

With his latest work the Ivorian artist, who has lived in Mali for years also…

01 Sep 2024

The Sahara. In the Shade of the Tent.

The tents of the desert inhabitants are a concentration of technologies, the use of materials…

01 Sep 2024

Herbs & Plants. Ageratum conyzoides. A remedy for myriads of…

It is an erect, branching, soft, slightly aromatic, annual herb with shallow fibrous roots. The…

01 Aug 2024

Musica. Indonesia. Ngartini and her guzheng.

A dreamy and very sweet sound which immediately evokes Asian panoramas and tranquillity. Music that…

01 Aug 2024

The Jacaranda. Floral Magic

When southern spring blooms, the streets of Harare and Pretoria are tinged with purple and…

01 Aug 2024

The importance of African Names.

In many African cultures, one cannot call directly the name of a person whose rank…

01 Aug 2024

Puerto Rico. Dancing in circle.

If you take a walk at sunset along the northeastern beach of Puerto Rico at…

01 Jul 2024

Music. Aziza Brahim sings Sahrawi time.

Her sixth album, Mawja, returns to traditional sounds, reconnecting the Western Saharan artist with the…

01 Jul 2024

The Bird that Colours the Zambezi River in Red.

When the flocks of the carmine bee-eater arrive in the Zambezi Valley, at the height…

01 Jul 2024

The African Dance. The celebration of the life.

In traditional Africa, dance is more than entertainment. It is a celebration of life. This…

01 Jul 2024

Mali. Ten years of the Amazons of music.

The music of the Amazones d'Afrique, a collective of female musicians started in Mali in…

01 Jun 2024

Peru. The Feast of the Sun.

June 24th marks one of Peru's main holidays: Inti Raymi, in the Quechua language, which…

01 Jun 2024

Uganda. Ker Kwaro. The Guardian of Acholi culture.

A cultural institution representing the Acholi chiefs. Their rules for society today. The Acholi are a…

01 Jun 2024

Cameroon. Children are a blessing for the pygmies.

Akas pygmy men spend a lot of time with their children. The attention and affection…

01 Jun 2024

Ghana. Living Art in Tamale.

In recent years the inhabitants of this northern city have witnessed the birth of innovative…

01 May 2024

Ivory Coast. The three rivers.

The two ethnic groups of the Agni-Baulé  in Ivory Coast have developed a particular cosmogony,…

01 May 2024

Uganda. The King. Looking for a wife.

The marriage of the Kabaka of Buganda renews his royal status. We look at how…

01 May 2024

Music. The soul of Madagascar.

Malagasy music is a rainbow of vivid colours, cheerful and full of rhythm. A mix…

01 May 2024

Music. The Tinariwen. Beyond fear.

The music of the Malian group has the traits of blues, rock, world and traditional…

01 Apr 2024

Egypt. Pigeons, what a passion.

In the shade of the pyramids and minarets of Cairo, the tradition of pigeon and…

01 Apr 2024

Nike, ambassador of contemporary Nigerian art.

Recycled material reigns supreme in Nike's modern art galleries in Lagos and Abuja. It brings…

01 Apr 2024

History. Ancient Urbanisation.

Although colonization contributed to its urban development, Africa had already experienced the flourishing of cities…

01 Apr 2024

The Long Journey of Shea Butter.

From the savannahs of Africa to the global cosmetics industry, we reveal the secrets of…

01 Mar 2024

Guinea-Bissau. Getting married.

The Manjak people are an ethnic group living in Guinea-Bissau. They number about 100,000 and…

01 Mar 2024

Morocco. The challenge of culture.

Over the last ten years, fourteen museums have been opened. A cultural strategy that aims…

01 Mar 2024

Music. Palestine. Sounds of a wounded land.

A mix of traditional music with the modern musical styles of pop rock and hip-hop.…

01 Mar 2024

Equatorial Guinea - The Mekuyo clown.

The Ndowe people of Equatorial Guinea live along the banks of the Rio Muni. Of…

01 Feb 2024

Music. Morocco. A Rainbow of Sounds.

In a mix of ancient traditions and echoes of cosmopolis, Moroccan music fascinates with its…

01 Feb 2024

Bolivia. Elegance in traditional Chacobo dress.

The Chacobos are an indigenous people living on the banks of the Benicito River in…

01 Feb 2024

Madagascar. Water from Baobabs .

In Madagascar, large centuries-old trees become cisterns to cope with the growing shortage of water.…

01 Feb 2024

The Sahel. The Elegance of Nomads.

For desert shepherds, elegance and grace are antidotes to the desolation and hostility of the…

01 Jan 2024

Brazil. The Magic Dance.

The marambiré is the most authentic African ritual of all Amazonia. Its rhythm is similar…

01 Jan 2024

Nicaragua. El Güegüense. A People's Resistance.

A Nicaraguan mask play that defies the arrogance of the powerful with style and creativity.…

01 Jan 2024

Leadership in African Culture. Between Fear and Respect.

African traditional political leaders cover both the temporal and the religious spheres. They represent the…

01 Jan 2024

Ghana. ‘Dipo’ Puberty Rites: Transitioning into Womanhood.

The Dipo rite is an integral part of the Krobo culture. Over the years it…

01 Dec 2023

Tanzania. Maasai Colours.

Red and black are two of the fundamental colours in the Maasai culture and symbolize…

01 Dec 2023

The meaning of the sacrifice in the African culture.

Every religion has some form of sacrifice. In fact, sacrifice is the most universal of…

01 Dec 2023

Bolivia. The Q’Owaku Ritual.

The Q'Owaku ritual is performed as a blessing for workers or builders in the cities…

01 Dec 2023

The Growth of Fashion in Africa.

If there is a sector in Africa that is giving great satisfaction not only to…

01 Nov 2023

Colombia. Music that Heals and Reconciles.

In Colombia, the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra has brought together the victims of armed conflict and…

01 Nov 2023

Mali. The Art of Painting with Clay.

The Groupe Bogolan Kasobané, from Mali, revolutionized the art scene in their country when they…

01 Nov 2023

Bolivia. The Festival of the Chacobo Community.

The Chacobos are a small indigenous people living on the banks of the Benicito river…

01 Nov 2023

Nigeria. The Egungun Cult among the Yoruba People.

The Yoruba people are one of the largest in West Africa; they live in southern…

01 Oct 2023

Music. Vietnam. Between Tradition, Pop and Rap.

For the Vietnamese people, music has always been of great importance. A tradition with millennia…

01 Oct 2023

The Role of Masato in the Peruvian Amazon.

Masato is the typical and preferred drink of the Asheninka, the Shipios and other indigenous…

01 Oct 2023

Music. King Ayisoba.

Kolongo is a musical genre that takes its name from a two-stringed lute of the…

01 Sep 2023

Peru. The Ashaninka Ancestral Wisdom. Their Sensory Awareness.

An indigenous ethnic group, the Ashaninka live in the central forest of the Ucayali department…

01 Sep 2023

Ghana. ‘Hogbetsotso’, a Festival of the Exodus.

It is one of the indigenous festivals in Ghana celebrated by the Anlo people of…

01 Sep 2023

Literature. In Memory of Ama Ata Aidoo.

In novels and plays, in politics and in university classrooms. A lifetime of fighting for…

01 Aug 2023

Peru. The Time to the Asheninka.

What is the importance of time to the Asheninka, an Amazonian people of western Peru?…

01 Aug 2023

Iraq. A Book to Live Again.

The young Yazidi Janan Shaker Elias has opened a bookshop in a village on the…

01 Aug 2023

Music. The Boom of the Afrobeats.

The music industry is experiencing the fastest global growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (+34.7%). The Spotify…

01 Aug 2023

Ghana. Sacred Golden Stool.

The most important and sacred Asante stool is the ‘Golden Stool’. It represents the authority…

01 Jul 2023

Peru. The Rite of the Ashaninka Ancestral Medicine.

To a large extent, the ancestral medicine of the Ashaninka, an indigenous Amazonian ethnic group…

01 Jul 2023

Nigeria. Osun-Osogbo, the Last Sacred Forest of the Yoruba.

Northeast of Lagos (Nigeria), near the city of Osogbo (also spelled Oshogbo), the last sacred…

01 Jul 2023

Sara Raymi. Feast of the Sun, Andean New Year’s Day.

On 21 June, the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, Andean cultures celebrate the new…

01 Jun 2023

Netflix. African Folktales, Reimagined.

It is a series of six short films produced by Netflix made by young directors…

01 Jun 2023

Ecuador. June Festivals.

During the month of June, various traditional festivals are celebrated, including Inti Raymi, thanksgiving to…

01 Jun 2023

Benin. The Artists of Abomey. ‘The Oral Historians’.

Between 1600 and 1900 the city of Abomey was the pride of the kingdom of…

01 Jun 2023

Music. Sounds of Kazakhstan.

Q-pop is the Kazakh-language musical genre that is becoming widespread. A mix of western pop,…

01 May 2023

Rwanda. The Power of the Beat.

Ingoma Nshya is the country's first female percussion troupe. Reconciliation, healing and peace are part…

01 May 2023

Peru. The Asheninka Cultural Identity and Spirituality.

The Asheninka live in the departments of Pasco and Ucayali, which are part of the…

01 May 2023

South Africa. Much More than Tricks.

Fantasy and imagination but above all, ingenuity. 200 apprentices from different walks of life train…

01 May 2023

Music. Tems, the Rebel.

Before long, Temilade Openiyi known professionally as Tems quickly made her way into the R&B…

01 Apr 2023

Peru. The Asheninka Calendar.

Although the Asheninka, an indigenous ethnic group, who live in the central forest of the…

01 Apr 2023

Ghana. Akwasidae, an Ashanti Festival of Rich Cultural Heritage.

It is the most important event celebrated by the Chiefs and people of Ashanti in…

01 Apr 2023

Books. Spring Reading.

Three interesting books for this spring. The modern world is built on commodities – from the…

01 Mar 2023

Uganda. Acholi Marriage. Not before Sunset.

The Acholi people live in Northern Uganda. They have a rich and diverse cultural heritage.…

01 Mar 2023

Cinema. Irreducible Women.

 In the film ‘Nanny’, Nikyatu Jusu's debut horror explores the dark side of the American…

01 Mar 2023

DR Congo. North Kivu. The Word that Sets you Free.

Every Saturday they meet in a modest place where they share their creations and subject…

01 Mar 2023

Bolivia. Anata. The Aymara Carnival.

The Anata festival -  Anata in Aymara means game - is of pre-Hispanic tradition. It…

01 Feb 2023

Music. Mdou Moctar. The Sounds of the Desert.

From the golden sands of the Sahara Desert to the renowned world of music festivals.…

01 Feb 2023

Ghana. Adowa, the Unique Dance Style of the Ashanti.

It is one of the most popular and unique dance styles practiced in Ghana. It…

01 Feb 2023

Ch'alla. Rite of Thanksgiving to Mother Earth.

It is a rite of gratitude of the native Andean peoples towards Pachamama (Mother Earth),…

01 Feb 2023

Cinema. African Queens.

Black Panther: Wakanda forever and The Woman King have sparked interesting debates both in the…

01 Jan 2023

Ali Birra, Icon of Oromo Music.

For over fifty years he has been the voice of this ethnic group of Ethiopia…

01 Jan 2023

China. Lantern Festival.

Religion, philosophy, legends, imperial politics, and folklore – these are the ingredients of one of…

01 Jan 2023

Music. Kalush Orchestra. Mamma Stefania...let me hear your voice.

In May, with their song ‘Stefania’, they easily won the latest Eurovision Song Contest and…

01 Dec 2022

South Africa. Zapiro, a Graphic Humourist.

Through his cartoons, Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro) has been campaigning against apartheid since the 1980s. He…

01 Dec 2022

Mexico. Between Art and Popular Religiosity.

Mexican folk art is present in all aspects of community life. During the civil (and…

01 Dec 2022

South Africa. Creativity that Transforms the World.

Soweto Theatre is a community space where new generations of artists are forged from historical…

01 Dec 2022

Africa. Death as a Rite of Passage.

The meaning of the rites of passage in Africa culture. ‘The funeral rites express the…

01 Nov 2022

Ethiopia. The Circus, Art that Gives Dignity.

Through circus art, Kine Circus helps boys and girls in danger of exclusion to find…

01 Nov 2022

Music. Stromae, the Master of pop.

A heart that beats to the rhythm of Africa Paul Van Haver was born in…

01 Nov 2022

Morocco. Rabat. Capital of Lights.

‘City of Lights’, as Rabat, the administrative capital of Morocco, is called. The name is…

01 Nov 2022

The Birthplace of the Rainbow.

Victoria Falls is one of the best known and most spectacular sights in Africa. Its…

01 Oct 2022

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Culture Archive – summaries

Peru. The Asheninka Minga.

The Asheninka, are an indigenous ethnic group that lives in the centre of the forest in…

01 Oct 2022, Culture October 2022

Music. Lido Pimienta. To the Rhythm of Cumbia.

Mention Colombia and one immediately thinks of cumbia: a rhythm, an atmosphere, a dance, a way…

01 Oct 2022, Culture October 2022

DR Congo. Dancing to the Rumba Rhythm.

The rumba is a typically Congolese rhythm. This popular music, which crossed the Atlantic Ocean during…

01 Oct 2022, Culture October 2022

Peru. The Ayahuasca Ritual: the Gateway to the World of…

The ancestral Andean Amazonian wisdom is transmitted through songs, mythological stories, and the narratives of the…

01 Sep 2022, Culture September 2022

Herbs & Plants. Steganotaenia Araliacea. The Carrot Tree.

It is a multipurpose medicinal plant and can be used, in particular, to treat pneumonia, asthma,…

01 Sep 2022, Culture September 2022

Africa. The Sound of Drums.

Drums play an important role in the life of African people. Traditionally, drums represent the soul…

01 Sep 2022, Culture September 2022

Music. Ustad Saami. The Fascination of an Ancient Mystery

“The world calls me Ustad, the teacher, but I personally feel I am a Shagird, a…

01 Sep 2022, Culture September 2022

Herbs & Plants. Euclea natalensis. An important medicinal plant in…

It is an important and frequently used medicinal plant in tropical Africa. It can be used…

01 Aug 2022, Culture August 2022

Books. Summer Reading.

Three interesting books for this summer. Why is Africa still perceived as a country when there are…

01 Aug 2022, Culture August 2022

Music. Houeida Hedfi. In the Rivers of the Soul.

Sounds with an unmistakably Arabian and Middle Eastern flavour, the sort of music that passionately involves…

01 Aug 2022, Culture August 2022

Nollywood in Netflix Sauce.

The Blood Sisters miniseries has disembarked on Netflix. Filmed during the pandemic by Biyi Bandele (Half…

01 Aug 2022, Culture August 2022

Congo. Sapeur. An Extravagant Identity.

On the trail of men and women who dress luxuriously without being rich. Weekend dandies convinced…

01 Jul 2022, Culture July 2022

Peru. Birth among the Asheninka. An Offer to the Big…

The Asheninka live in the central forest of the Ucayali district in the Atalaya province, in…

01 Jul 2022, Culture July 2022

Herbs & Plants. Cola Acuminata. The Beverage Flavouring Plant.

It is an evergreen tree, native to tropical Africa especially West Africa. It usually grows to…

01 Jul 2022, Culture July 2022

Mexico. The people of the sacred rains.

The people of the rain, Ñuu Savi, in the Nahuati language of the Mestizos, live in…

01 Jul 2022, Culture July 2022

Peru. Marriage. An Agreement Between Two Families.

Marriage is related to the continuation of the family and the community among the Asheninka, an…

01 Jun 2022, Culture June 2022

India. Phulkari, floral work.

The folk art of phulkari, that represents the tradition and culture of Punjab, is now regaining…

01 Jun 2022, Culture June 2022

Mozambique. Bazaruto’s enchanting waters.

Off the southern coast of Mozambique, there lies an uncontaminated paradise of six islands surrounded by…

01 Jun 2022, Culture June 2022

Uganda. Luwombo, a Traditional Dish Cooked in a Banana Leaf.

Among the Baganda people living in the area north and northwest of Lake Victoria in south-central…

01 Jun 2022, Culture June 2022

Peru. The Asheninka. Mijado, the Time for Sharing.

By the word mijado this indigenous people, living in the rainforests of Peru, refers to the…

01 May 2022, Culture May 2022

Circus Zambia. A Chance to Change the Situation.

The colours of the walls, the little flags decorating the entrance, the large open space where…

01 May 2022, Culture May 2022

Archaeology and History in the Sahara / A Journey to…

In Mali seeking the ancient capital of the Tuareg. It was once one of the most…

01 May 2022, Culture May 2022

Bolivia. Socavon, Life is a Joyful Dance.

The pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of Socavon, in Bolivia, is a process of…

01 May 2022, Culture May 2022

African Alphabets. A Great Cultural Heritage.

Africa is probably the place in the world where oral tradition has had the greatest influence…

01 Apr 2022, Culture April 2022

Mexico. The Monarch Butterfly.

When we talk about the monarch butterfly, we touch on legend, mythology and the history of…

01 Apr 2022, Culture April 2022

Herbs & Plants. Markhamia lutea. A Powerful Medicinal Plant.

An effective treatment for skin infections, sores, and itches. Its common name is Nile tulip. It…

01 Apr 2022, Culture April 2022

Uganda. Bulungi Bwansi Brings People Together.

In the past, it was community work in which everyone was involved in the Buganda kingdom.…

01 Apr 2022, Culture April 2022

Peru. The Maloca, a Large Communal House.

Maloca means communal house, it represents the unity of the Asheninka community, an indigenous people living…

01 Mar 2022, Culture March 2022

Guatemala. Devotion to Saint Simón.

He never existed, yet his faithful are many. Saint Simón is the fusion between the unrecognised…

01 Mar 2022, Culture March 2022

The Third Way of African Philosophy.

The Mozambican, Severino Elias Ngoenha, the main exponent of African philosophical thinking in Portuguese-speaking Africa, tells…

01 Mar 2022, Culture March 2022

Herbs & Plants. Aerva lanata. A Diverse Medicinal Herb.

The continent of Africa is endowed with plenty of important medicinal plants. One of such plants…

01 Mar 2022, Culture March 2022

Narrative African Voices in Print and on the Web.

A panorama of the newspapers founded by African intellectuals who gave and are still giving a…

01 Feb 2022, Culture February 2022

Music. Mina, ‘the veiled rapper’.

Everything was against her. Aminata Gaye - Mina ‘the veiled one’ is her stage name -…

01 Feb 2022, Culture February 2022

South Africa. Second-Hand Books Take Over the Johannesburg Literary Market.

Johannesburg, often associated with skyscrapers, insecurity, crime, begging, and in some areas, difficult access to basic…

01 Feb 2022, Culture February 2022

DR Congo. Forging New Talents.

In the Congolese capital, as in the rest of the country, cultural spaces are almost non-existent.…

01 Feb 2022, Culture February 2022

Ethiopia. Maqbasa. Name-giving.

One of the greatest feasts among the Guji - an Oromo ethnic group - is that…

01 Jan 2022, Culture January 2022

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Advocacy

Sister Rosita. Four Decades of Refugee Advocacy.

When asked how a farmer’s daughter who became a Catholic nun ended up as one of Brazil’s most influential refugee advocates, Sister Rosita Milesi, 79,…

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Baobab

Kalulu and the Great Spirit of the Forest.

Vusi was an honest man and a hard worker. He had cleared a large piece of moorland and turned it into a beautiful fertile field. He…

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Youth & Mission

Towards World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul with the courage…

On 24 November, the Solemnity of Christ the King, on the occasion of World Youth Day in the Particular Churches, in St. Peter's Basilica the traditional…

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