Music, book and film reviews from the last 3 months
Native music is very important for the cultural and spiritual identity of the Andean peoples since it is the expression of the sentiment and joy of the Quechua and Aymara indigenous communities and other cultures of the Andes. It also plays a fundamental role in their agricultural calendar. Native music is the expression of an…
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In the heart of the Rift Valley, Lake Magadi, fed by natural springs, with its warm, salty waters rich in micro-organisms, is a true natural spectacle. We visited this magic place. From Nairobi, the distance to travel is only about a hundred kilometres. It is a rather tortuous road but it’s not in the least…
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The Tassili Ajjer massif is home to the world’s largest rock art museum and incredible rock formations shaped over millions of years. And in the Hoggar Mountains, you walk between earth and sky, enveloped in silence. Southern Algeria is a treasure chest of secrets. In this remote area of the Sahara, between the geological folds…
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It is used in traditional medicine to treat and prevent a wide range of ailments. It is native to Africa and is found in grasslands and semi-shaded areas. Dichrocephala integrifolia (Family Asteraceae) is an erect or spreading, aromatic annual plant growing to an average of 40cm in height. It often branches freely at the base,…
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It belongs to the Pedaliaceae plant family and is commonly called Devil’s claw, grapple plant, or wood spider. It is a rare, highly valuable plant that is only widely spread in the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, especially in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. Harpagophytum procumbens is a perennial ground herb that…
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Contact with nature is omnipresent in the culture and the local population. The country still has a predominantly rural identity, although development and its consequences are changing the direct relationship with nature. Cultural notes. In the cities of Cambodia and, in particular, in the capital Phnom Penh, which is becoming a true modern megalopolis, the…
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Peasant communities of indigenous origin see the land not as a commodity to be consumed and exploited. But a living being integrated into their history and their identity. This is how the earth takes on a face with which to establish a relationship as a living being, as a neighbour, an ally and a witness…
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Pascoal was a soldier for 30 years and now leads the “Ano Nobo” quartet, with which he also carries on a tradition that is disappearing. We talked with him. After the military missions came the musical missions. Born in 1960, Domingos da Resurreição Andrade da Silva Fernandes, aka simply as Pascoal, his family nickname, was…
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When you look at some African art, you may wonder whether what you see is fine art or something else. African scarification is part of African art, which is mainly iconographic. In traditional African art, colours are not only used for aesthetic purposes. They have deep meanings. African art is functional, community-orientated, depersonalised, and contextualized.…
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Moving from specialised sections to the international scene. The great variety that exists in the different African filmographies. A look at Senegalese cinematography. We talk about it with Senegalese Fatou Kiné Sène, former president of the African Federation of Film Critics. Kiné Sène’s interest in cinema began in her childhood. “Every Wednesday, films were shown…
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The Ayoreos are an ethnic group that live in the eastern part of Bolivia. They number about 4,000 and live distributed in 29 communities. The name “Ayoreo” means “true men”. It refers to their way of life as hunters and gatherers. A glance at their wedding celebration. The celebration of marriage is not as rigidly…
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It is not easy to make music in Iran today. And yet, in a country where social, religious and political tensions intersect with women’s and new generations’ anxiety for renewal, music also carries a crucial weight to convey ideas, demands, desires for freedom and brotherhood. In recent years, the music scene of what was once…
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In Burkina Faso, the ‘Mother of the Sahel’ brings education and hope to forcibly displaced children. As conflict forced thousands of children to flee to the…
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As the sun sets over the stony plateau of Mexico, a beautiful white flower opens its corolla among the blade-like thorns of the Cereus Nycticalis: it…
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With the highest percentage of her population made up of youth, Africa is a bed of opportunities for growth and prosperity. The African youth are a…
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