Worldcrunch
July 6, 2024 at 11:10 a.m. Frida Kahlo was a renowned Mexican artist known for her distinctive and vibrant self-portraits. She was born on this day in 1907. Kahlo is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. What was Frida Kahlo’s childhood like? During her childhood, Frida contracted polio, which left […]
Once defined the most homophobic country in the Balkans, Kosovo’s queer community is now calling for more recognition and consideration from the authorities. But numerous obstacles remain.
Tourism has become big business in Medellín, Colombia, but it also be fueled the city’s worst sociocultural traits and encouraging drugs and abusive sex work. With new laws and bans being put in place, is change afoot in “the City of Eternal Spring”?
A government plan to build a series of highways that pass through centuries-old cemeteries in Cairo has sparked public backlash in recent years, as the Egyptian capital must measure itself against both places like Dubai and Manhattan..
Ahead of Notre Dame Cathedral’s reopening in December 2024, a proposal by President Macron to replace six 19th-century stained glass windows with new panels has sparked outcry. Yet stained glass is not new to controversy in France, where even Matisse, Chagall, Garouste and Soulages have managed to unite the sacred and the contemporary.
From Aya Nakamura in France to Selena Gomez in the U.S., pop stars are collaborating more and more with Nigerian artists like Rema or Burna Boy. Les Echos looks into into how Afrobeats went global — and where it’s going.
Camels’ resilience to climate change and increasingly sought-after milk make them more and more attractive for intensive farming in the Middle East. But this shift could prove detrimental to both the environment and the region’s traditional camel herding.
Netflix’s latest anime adaptations Avatar: The Last Airbender and One Piece have received positive reviews from fans and critics — exceptions in a long line of live-action failures. Why is it so difficult to get it right? And are Western fans too harsh?
Updated March 25, 2024 at 12:40 p.m. Aretha Franklin was born on this day in 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee. The American singer, songwriter, and pianist was often referred to as the “Queen of Soul”. What are some of Aretha Franklin’s most famous songs? Some of Aretha Franklin’s most famous songs include “Respect,” “Chain of Fools,” […]
Israel’s war on Gaza could be seen as “a cultural genocide,” which targets Gaza’s history, the Palestinian cause and traces of those who lived in the strip. That will have consequences that would last for centuries.
The late Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author’s sons have published his draft novel Until August against his will. Yet no work of art is ever really finished. And excerpts and fragments are suited to our anxious times.
The “pearl of the Black Sea” was the scene of the single Ukrainian military victory in 2023, when the country broke the maritime blockade imposed by Moscow. But, as a third year under the bombs begins, the first cracks appear among the port city’s residents, who are torn between weariness, anger toward Ukraine’s leaders and an insatiable passion to live a full life.
Oscar-nominated ‘The Zone of Interest, tells the’ story of the Auschwitz commander in surprising ways, but fails to address the true inhumanity of Nazism, says Die Welt’s film critic.
The nomination of three non-English films at this year’s Academy Awards reflects demographic changes in the movie industry and within the Oscars’ institutions themselves.
The release of “En agosto nos vemos” as a posthumous novel by Gabriel García Márquez would have horrified Colombia’s Nobel laureate, who had described it as useless and wanted it to be “destroyed.”
Breakdancing will make its debut as an Olympic sport at this summer’s Paris Games. Les Echos meets with French dancers of various styles and from different generations, all passionate about this hip-hop dance form.
An exhibition of Indian commercial posters from the 1920s to the 1960s at Le Méridien in New Delhi offers a “time capsule” into the rapidly evolving society of that time.
The phenomenon of retranslation is both paradoxical and inherent in every culture but it’s also a true source of vitality for literature, as well as pleasure for the readers.
The visiting American writer pieces together how the French culture of comics (bandes dessinées) mixes with their deepening love of Japanese anime’.
Some movies portrays a character’s bisexuality as a temporary identity, a stop on the journey towards “true” homosexuality, mirroring the biphobic idea that it is not a “real” sexuality in itself.
We’re renouncing books to gorge ourselves on digital imagery and short texts. If we continue like this, ditching the written word of the past, we may soon become fitting descendants of the cringing, timorous masses of the dark ages.
Neville Tranter and Nikolaus Habjan, global stars of the puppet world, are performing in Berlin. Their caustic satire about Austria is definitely not for kids. It shows why hand puppets are not only hot right now, but they’re also incredible actors capable of convening the magic of theater at its utmost.
Bookshops’ shelves display an increasing number of books with a smaller number of pages. Data seems to confirm that books with more than 400 pages are increasingly becoming a rarity. Why are shorter books being published, and what does that tell us about how we engage in our free time?
From setting new rules, imposing tolls and fines, local officials in some of the world’s most desirable tourist spots are trying to figure out the right balance to keep visitors coming without ruining the environment, or the experience.
It’s not easy coming out to your family as gay or transgender, nor for every family to accept it, especially in conformist societies like Latin America’s. But, unlike decades ago, today families can seek out sensible information and professional help to avoid hurting their children.
From Reggaeton and Dembow to Dancehall, Latin hip hop and others, Spanish-language music makes up almost a quarter of the charts on a global level.
How daily life continues in this city in eastern Ukraine of 1.4 million, which has been shelled by Russia throughout the nearly two-year war.
Burkina Faso’s production of local chicken, nicknamed “bicycle chicken,” has been declining in recent years, with the traditional delicacy being slowly replaced by a cheaper imported version.
Born in Madrid but working around the world, art collective Boa Mistura explores creativity as a powerful force to inspire dialogue and transform urban environments into canvases of hope.
The practice of gift giving exists in every culture in the world, and has for as long as recorded history. What does it tell us about the nature of human society?
From South African lunch culture to the Mexican instant noodle market, a look into how people from around the globe are adapting to rising food prices and the cultural shifts occurring throughout the culinary world.
Thanatology or the study of death has entered Italian academia, led by the University of Padua, which is taking an interdisciplinary approach to our fascination with mortality.
New research reveals the emergence of “grassroots capitalism” in North Korea, disproportionately through women. It provides a cautionary tale in the most unlikely of countries for patriarchal societies everywhere: underestimate women at your peril.
In the West Bank, a quieter form of oppression has been plaguing Palestinians for a long time. Their olive groves are surrounded by soldiers, and it’s forbidden to harvest the olives – this economic and social violence has gotten far worse since Oct. 7.
Censorship in Russia has increased rapidly over the last couple of decades, especially since their invasion of Ukraine. Russian rap, which has often challenged the politics and society of Russia, has become even more censored than before, even causing some rappers to emigrate.
Opera has played with ideas of gender since its earliest days. Now the first openly trans performers are taking to the stage, and operas explicitly exploring trans identities are beginning to emerge.
Women bodybuilders are rare in a society that prefers them thin, soft — and fully clothed. But with sports, gold-medal winners like Rajani Shrestha are helping inspire change.
Taiwanese, though under the weight of a far more powerful neighbor, have the tendency to idealize Israel and fail to create a self-definition beyond the island nation’s anti-China image.
In the wake of India’s landmark decision to reject marriage equality, the authors suggest that the way forward for the queer community, perhaps, is not to insist on a right to marry but to challenge laws that put marriage over other forms of familial and kinship bonds.
Mali’s “mysterious city” welcomes a new class of students trained in looking after ancient books. From conservation to digitization of these works, a colossal task awaits them to preserve this endangered heritage and the secrets they contain.