Music, book and film reviews from the last 3 months
It is an important plant for medical use. But it is also used to make furniture and ink. Acacia, commonly known as paperbark thorn or paperbark acacia, is a small to medium-sized tree native to tropical Africa, in the north to Ethiopia, and in the south to countries including South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. The…
Read moreWhen most people think of Mexican food, the first thing that comes to mind may be chili peppers and fiery hot dishes that threaten their taste buds. Although chilis are essential in Mexican cuisine throughout the country, they are not necessarily added for spiciness. More often than not they are used to enhance flavour. Many…
Read moreMusic and dance in Latin America has much of what is African. An example: the Tango. The Tango was invented in the slums of European immigration in Buenos Aires a century ago; closely tied to an instrument such as the bandoneon (a musical instrument of the reed and bellows family, inspired by the concertina and…
Read moreThey are seers and traditional healers with a vast knowledge of medicinal plants, spells and fetishes. They represent an example of moral integrity. Today they enjoy a high position in Malinke society, especially in the rural environment. African societies have always lived in a close relationship with the world of visible powers and that of…
Read moreYoung Senegalese artist Ina Tiam takes fashion shoots in places covered with rubbish and plastic around the capital Dakar, to denounce the degradation of the city. Her pictures of young and attractive girls dressed in expensive clothes, but surrounded by plastic, garbage and all kinds of waste, have gone around the world. However, that is…
Read moreAfrican cuisine offers a wide range of dishes of great flavour and variety. Food is an occasion for gathering together, for celebrating and sharing. A short culinary journey across the continent. The famous couscous, a dough made with hard grain or millet, semolina and rice, flavoured with butter and served with sheep, chicken or fish…
Read moreIt is commonly known as Jamun or Jambul. It is a multipurpose tree which is highly valued for its medicinal uses, edible fruits, strong heavy timber and good fuelwood. Its use as a source of medicine is dated back to thousands of years ago. Syzygium cumini can grow up to a height of about 30m…
Read moreThe plant is commonly found distributed in the Sub-Saharan Africa. It is widely gathered from the wild and used locally in traditional medicine. Aspilia Africana C.D. Adams (Family Asteraceae) enjoys a folk reputation in African traditional medicine due to its unique ability to treat numerous disease conditions. The plant is commonly referred to as the…
Read moreIt took almost four decades for the people of Nigeria to rediscover one of three lost original copies of this picture of Princess ‘Tutu’ painted by artist Ben Enwonwu in 1974. The painting which had become part of Nigerian history was found in a flat in London and sold at auction last month for more…
Read moreThis singer from the South Pacific of Colombia has liberated from ostracism the lullabies of her land, Timbiquí. Music and songs, the legacy of their ancestors is preserved. When she was a young teenager, Nidia Gongora joined a band named Canalón of Timbiquí. This contemporary group plays Afro-Colombian folk music that is typical of the…
Read moreThe roots of puppet shows in Africa are as old as the myths and legends. Today, they are used very much in education but also as a way to condemn political power and corruption. According to a myth of the Ibibio people of south-east Nigeria, the puppet theatre was born in the land of the…
Read moreAlong the centuries, food and plants coming from America, and in particular from Mexico have given a great contribution to the Mediterranean diet. The first people to bring back information about the food and plants of the Americas were early explorers and conquistadors, some of whom showed a special interest in the vegetation of the…
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“We want to create a federation of international journalistic organisations that collaborate in this effort, starting from the global South,” says Filipino journalist and 2022…
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Once upon a time, there was a leopard. He had a huge walnut tree that was full of nuts. Stingy as he was, however, he forbade…
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Three young Comboni missionaries from three continents share their vocation stories and missionary experiences. Fr Victor Cunanan Parungao from the Philippines reflects on 15 years of…
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