Music, book and film reviews from the last 3 months
For desert shepherds, elegance and grace are antidotes to the desolation and hostility of the environment. Their cult of beauty has an identity value that hides profound social implications, as demonstrated by the significance of the turbans and Saharan makeup. Although they live in the desert or arid lands, the Tuareg and the Peul, nomads…
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The marambiré is the most authentic African ritual of all Amazonia. Its rhythm is similar to that of the candomblè, whose costumes, musical instruments, coloured ribbons and rhythm are reminiscent of African heritage. It is a display that goes back to the time of slavery. It has been celebrated for almost two centuries and is…
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A Nicaraguan mask play that defies the arrogance of the powerful with style and creativity. An extraordinary portrait of non-violent resistance. It is an essential part of Nicaraguan culture. The January wind cuts a path through the peaceful town of Diriamba, 45Km from the capital Managua. Diriamba owes its name to Cacique Diriangen, the legendary…
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African traditional political leaders cover both the temporal and the religious spheres. They represent the exigencies of the ancestors before the community of the living and the exigencies of the same community before the ancestors. This double responsibility before the people and before the ancestors confer on them both authority and power. The Congolese philosopher…
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The Dipo rite is an integral part of the Krobo culture. Over the years it has been used to inculcate useful values into adolescent girls as they prepare to assume their marital responsibilities. The Krobos are part of the Ga-Dangbe ethno linguistic group and they are the largest group of the seven Dangbe ethnic groups…
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Red and black are two of the fundamental colours in the Maasai culture and symbolize God’s two main traits. Red depicts anger and benevolence, and black (or dark blue) the sanctity of a person or object. Above all, they invoke God himself as Papa Jai Orok (the Black father) and they ask him to cover…
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Every religion has some form of sacrifice. In fact, sacrifice is the most universal of all rituals. Most rituals imply an offering and quite often a blood sacrifice. A blood sacrifice is a displacement of mystical forces made possible by God himself, thanks to the intercession of a spirit, divinity or ancestor and the mediation…
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The Q’Owaku ritual is performed as a blessing for workers or builders in the cities of Bolivia. But what does q’owaku mean? What is the difference between the q’owaku of the ancient Andean communities and the ritual of the bricklayers of the city of Cochabamba? Let’s find out. The q’owaku is an ancient ritual of…
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If there is a sector in Africa that is giving great satisfaction not only to the economy (and therefore to the GDP) but to the image of a continent rich in creativity, this is the fashion sector. An industry, that of fashion, a source of pride for those who work in it, for Africans on…
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In Colombia, the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra has brought together the victims of armed conflict and various armed groups to learn music, create a choir and compose songs. Through music, they are healing the scars left by fifty years of war. Luz Mery González Caicedo, who died last August, was one of the women whose soul…
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The Groupe Bogolan Kasobané, from Mali, revolutionized the art scene in their country when they abandoned Western painting techniques and, for the first time, applied to contemporary art a traditional Malian technique, Bogolan, which uses clay to paint on fabrics. The word ‘Bogolan’ in the Bambara language means ‘made from the earth’. It refers to…
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The Chacobos are a small indigenous people living on the banks of the Benicito river in the northeast of Bolivia. They organise festivals at the time of cassava and corn harvest. One of the members of the community is given the task to organise the festival, he is supposed to personally invite each man of…
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Two young leaders from the A’i Cofán community of Sinangoe in Ecuador led a movement to protect their people’s ancestral territory from gold mining. Their leadership…
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Because there was a famine in the land, the spider and his family grew thinner and thinner and hungrier and hungrier. In his desperation, the spider…
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Leaving the Church does not mean abandoning the faith; moving away from the faith does not mean giving up one's spirituality. Even though they are leaving…
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