TwitterFacebookInstagram

Culture

Music, book and film reviews from the last 3 months

The Growth of Fashion in Africa.

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…

Read more

Colombia. Music that Heals and Reconciles.

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…

Read more

Mali. The Art of Painting with Clay.

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…

Read more

Bolivia. The Festival of the Chacobo Community.

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…

Read more

Nigeria. The Egungun Cult among the Yoruba People.

The Yoruba people are one of the largest in West Africa; they live in southern Nigeria and Benin. They have developed a refined culture, at the centre of which is a religious world rich in symbols, mythologies, and ceremonies. One of the most characteristic aspects of the Yoruba religion is the masks. One of these…

Read more

Music. Vietnam. Between Tradition, Pop and Rap.

For the Vietnamese people, music has always been of great importance. A tradition with millennia of history behind it and a present perfectly integrated into international pop trends. As a land of conquest for the great planetary pop stars – Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and the most popular Korean BTS –  but also…

Read more

The Role of Masato in the Peruvian Amazon.

Masato is the typical and preferred drink of the Asheninka, the Shipios and other indigenous groups of the Peruvian Amazon. Masato is a fermented drink based on yucca, which is a big tuber also known as cassava, its ancestral name is piarentsi. In some regions of South America Masato can be prepared with other ingredients such as corn or rice…

Read more

Music. King Ayisoba.

Kolongo is a musical genre that takes its name from a two-stringed lute of the Frafra ethnic group, between Burkina Faso and Ghana. Among its main performers is King Ayisoba, a Ghanaian musician. The artist has just released Work Hard, one of the best African albums of recent years. In Africa there is one great…

Read more

Peru. The Ashaninka Ancestral Wisdom. Their Sensory Awareness.

An indigenous ethnic group, the Ashaninka live in the central forest of the Ucayali department in the Atalaya province of eastern Peru. The children learn not only from practice but also through feeling and listening. The Ashaninka children do not learn through theory but by daily practice from an early age: the boys still barely…

Read more

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

It is one of the indigenous festivals in Ghana celebrated by the Anlo people of Southern Ghana to commemorate the escape from the region of Notsie in Togo to their present abode in the Volta Region of Ghana between the 14th and the 15th centuries. Hogbetsotso is a festival that reminds the Anlo people of…

Read more

Literature. In Memory of Ama Ata Aidoo.

In novels and plays, in politics and in university classrooms. A lifetime of fighting for Pan-Africanism and women’s rights. A model artist and activist for multiple generations. On May 31, Ama Ata Aidoo passed away; an African postcolonial writer, feminist and activist who played a very important role in the cultural history of the continent…

Read more

Peru. The Time to the Asheninka.

What is the importance of time to the Asheninka, an Amazonian people of western Peru? Let’s find out. In the Amazonian world, time is marked by elements that can be stars, plants, animals, and others. The day is marked by the sun. The sun is what largely determines the conception of time and consequently the…

Read more

Advocacy

Mongolia. Batmunkh Luvsandash. A Steward of the land.

Determined to protect his homeland from mining, Batmunkh Luvsandash’s activism resulted in the creation of a 66,000-acre protected area in Dornogovi province in April 2022,…

Read more

Baobab

The Nyanjira smile.

Once upon a time, there was a girl of enchanting beauty. Her name was Nyanjira. She had soft, smooth skin and a very sweet smile that…

Read more

Youth & Mission

Pope Francis to Young People. “¡Hagan lío!”

During his pontificate, Pope Francis has placed young people at the centre of his pastoral attention, recognising them as key players in building a better future.…

Read more