Music, book and film reviews from the last 3 months
Between 1600 and 1900 the city of Abomey was the pride of the kingdom of Dahomey (today’s Benin). Court art developed there, in which genius, talent, and inspiration served above all to exalt the figure of the king. Dahomey, also known as the kingdom of Abomey, after the capital, occupied the south-central part of what…
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Q-pop is the Kazakh-language musical genre that is becoming widespread. A mix of western pop, electronic dance, rhythm’n’blues and hip-hop. A land where the Silk Road passes, Kazakhstan gained independence in 1990 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. A complex and multi-ethnic land – in addition to the Russians and Kazakhs, there are Uzbeks,…
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Ingoma Nshya is the country’s first female percussion troupe. Reconciliation, healing and peace are part of the group journey. We went to meet them. About 125 kilometres south of Kigali, and after an endless sequence of hills, is Huye. With nearly 320,000 inhabitants, until 2013 it housed the oldest university in the country. Here you…
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The Asheninka live in the departments of Pasco and Ucayali, which are part of the central jungle of Peru. They are estimated to be around 15 thousand people. The term Asheninka has to do with blood family and community family and means ‘Our kinfolks’. The social environment of the Asheninka is based on family, which…
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Fantasy and imagination but above all, ingenuity. 200 apprentices from different walks of life train their hands to demonstrate that magic ‘makes the impossible, possible’. It is difficult to escape illusion and optimism when you walk through the gate of the large colonial-style house that houses the College of Magic, in the Claremont district of…
Read moreBefore long, Temilade Openiyi known professionally as Tems quickly made her way into the R&B scene. Until international recognition last February. A journey that began with the song Mr Rebel. Last February, the young Nigerian singer Tems won a Grammy (the Oscars of music) for the ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ category, awarded to her for…
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Although the Asheninka, an indigenous ethnic group, who live in the central forest of the Ucayali department in the Atalaya province of eastern Peru, follow the Western calendar, they give an Amazonian meaning to each month. The year begins in January, when the waters of the rivers overflow due to the heavy rains, the tangerine…
Read moreIt is the most important event celebrated by the Chiefs and people of Ashanti in the central part of Ghana. We attend the celebration. It is a magnificent celebration centred on ancestral reverence, remembrance and acknowledgment of past kings and noble feats. It marks the sheer magnificence of the golden heritage of the Ashanti people.…
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Three interesting books for this spring. The modern world is built on commodities – from the oil that fuels our cars to the metals that power our smartphones. We rarely stop to consider where they come from. But we should. In “The World for Sale”, two leading journalists Javier Blas and Jack Farchy lift the…
Read moreThe Acholi people live in Northern Uganda. They have a rich and diverse cultural heritage. Most of it is expressed in a wide variety of rites, dance, and music. We look at Acholi traditional marriage. Marriage is still one of the biggest ceremonies among the Acholi. Preparing for a traditional marriage among the people of…
Read moreIn the film ‘Nanny’, Nikyatu Jusu’s debut horror explores the dark side of the American dream. ‘Hawa’ by Maimouna Doucouré tells all about the world of adolescents without pity. Two films that represent the new wave of contemporary Afro-descendant cinema. ‘Nanny’ by director Nikyatu Jusu is the first horror film to win the prestigious Grand…
Read moreEvery Saturday they meet in a modest place where they share their creations and subject themselves to criticism from others. They learn to express feelings, reality or their outlook on life while improving their pronunciation, bodily expression and expanding their daily references. Slam poetry (a mix of poetry recital, rap, comedy and performance) has become…
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“What we would like to achieve when we talk about peace. Peace means self-determination. Peace means biological conservation. Peace means revitalization of our culture and…
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At that time Viracocha, the creator God, looked down upon the earth. He saw it was bare, shrouded in impenetrable darkness, for daylight did not yet…
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“Young Africans are playing an active role in bringing social change in the continent. They are contributing daily to the benefit of their communities and nations…
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