Arts Archives - The World from PRX

Arts Archives - The World from PRX episodes:

• 04.04.2024

  Out of Eden Walk: Cyprus

  National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek tells host Carolyn Beeler about his first stop after having walked through the Middle East. On Cyprus, he found beaches with baking European tourists, a busy port city and a checkerboard of olive groves and...

  
• 04.03.2024

  Sudan Tapes Archive preserves music across decades and continents

  Sudanese American Haneen Sidahmed is digitizing cassettes tapes of classic Sudanese songs dating back to the 1960s. In the process, she's created a music archive called Sudan Tapes Archive. Reporter Hana Baba, of station KALW and the podcast, "The Stoop,"...

  
• 04.02.2024

  What rhymes with isosceles triangle? This French math teacher has the answer.

  Antoine Carrier, a middle school teacher in Bordeaux, southwest France, stays up late many nights, pen in hand, crafting math rhymes. Online, tens of thousands of kids know him as A’Rieka, the rapping math teacher.

  
• 04.01.2024

  Brazil remembers the 1964 coup and victims of the dictatorship

  Brazil is remembering the 1964 coup that began on March 31 that year. The event 60 years ago sunk Brazil into a brutal 21-yearlong dictatorship that would last until 1985. Today, the country is still grappling with the meaning and...

  
• 03.26.2024

  ‘Our joy is limited’: A subdued Purim in Israel during wartime

  Jews around the world just celebrated the holiday of Purim, which is said to mark the survival of Jews in ancient Persia. In Israel, it is known for being a raucous holiday with parties, costumes, sweets and drinking. But for...

  
• 03.22.2024

  'Imaginary Amazon' exhibition counters negative stereotypes through contemporary art

  University Art Gallery at San Diego State University has just unveiled an exhibit, "The Imaginary Amazon," featuring works by contemporary artists, many of them Indigenous inhabitants of the forest. The artists' intent is to address some of the stereotypical Western...

  
• 03.19.2024

  ‘What crime have we committed?’ Ghana’s LGBTQ community braces as anti-LGBTQ bill may turn into law

  Lawmakers in Ghana recently passed a bill that could lead to a severe crackdown on LGBTQ activities that have many people worried. Ghana's president is under pressure domestically to sign the bill into law, but could face economic consequences if...

  
• 03.18.2024

  10 years ago, the Sunflower Movement pushed Taiwan away from China

  March 18 marks the 10-year anniversary of a movement that changed Taiwanese politics for a generation. The Sunflower Movement saw hundreds of students occupy Taiwan’s Legislature — demanding that lawmakers reconsider a trade deal they were about to ratify with...

  
• 03.12.2024

  Can endangered languages be saved? This new book may have the answer.

  New York City is home to over 700 languages, but some will soon cease to exist. Is there still time to save them? The World’s Carolyn Beeler talks to linguist and author Ross Perlin about his new book, “Language City:...

  
• 03.08.2024

  ‘Oppenheimer’ film ‘fails’ to show devastation of atom bombs in postwar Japan, critics say

  ‘Oppenheimer’ is expected to win big at the 2024 Academy Awards. But one point of controversy is that the director did not depict any images of the devastating aftermath of the dropping of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki....

  
• 03.08.2024

  Out of Eden Walk: Paul Salopek traverses the Arabian Peninsula via Saudi Arabia

  The World's host Carolyn Beeler talked with National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek about his experiences walking through different parts of Saudi Arabia as a part of his "Out of Eden Walk" project.

  
• 02.29.2024

  Jewish American delis: A story of culture, community and survival

  Food is, of course, an important part of culture. A new exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois, is exploring the role delis have played in Jewish culture and history. In America, many delis were...

  
• 02.27.2024

  Women's camel racing team takes an ancient sport back to the future

  Camel racing is an ancient sport. There are records of races on the Arabian Peninsula that date back to the 7th century. These days, it's still hugely popular, with robot jockeys and cash prizes. But a new team is taking...

  
• 02.09.2024

  Renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa is remembered as 'graceful,' 'supernaturally' gifted

  Seiji Ozawa, who led the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) for nearly three decades, died this week in his home country of Japan. The World speaks to Brian McCreath, who broadcasts the Boston Symphony Orchestra on WCRB in Boston, about Ozawa's life...

  
• 02.09.2024

  New book explores the life of psychiatrist and writer Frantz Fanon

  Since the latter half of the 20th century, the influence of Frantz Fanon has been felt in fields as distinct as psychiatry and postcolonial studies. A new book explores the "revolutionary lives" of the psychiatrist, writer and anti-colonial rebel, whose...

  
• 02.02.2024

  Miami’s Little Haiti: What is lost when a community is displaced?

  The Haitian population of Miami has remained unchanged since the beginning of the century, with about 30,000 people. But little remains of the neighborhood that Maria and Viter Juste founded in the 1970s that came to be known as Little...

  
• 01.29.2024

  International Guitar Night shows off diverse styles and sounds from across the globe

  The World’s host Marco Werman previews two of the artists who are featured as part of the 24th annual edition of International Guitar Night touring North America.

  
• 01.25.2024

  'It's an act of resistance': Haiti's jazz festival opens in Port-au-Prince despite security challenges

  This week, jazz fans in Haiti will once again gather for the 17th annual PapJazz Festival. The event draws enthusiasts from across the island, as well as international jazz aficionados. Festival organizer Milena Sandler says the gathering in Port-au-Prince is...

  
• 01.23.2024

  ‘I’m here to fight for democracy’: Tens of thousands protest against the far-right in Germany

  The AfD, or Alternative for Germany, has been around for over a decade and has significant public support. But there's been widespread protests against them since news broke that AfD members had met with neo-Nazis to discuss mass deportations from...

  
• 01.19.2024

  'Religious triumphalism': A grand Hindu temple opens on a controversial site in India

  On Jan. 22, a temple of Lord Ram will open its doors in Ayodhya, in northern India. The temple stands where the Babri mosque once existed, before it was torn down by a Hindu mob. The occasion marks a victory...

  
• 01.19.2024

  In Istanbul, the classic ‘Turkish breakfast’ comes under fire for food waste

  Turkey is famous for its elaborate breakfasts, featuring a huge spread of a wide variety of foods that can take hours to eat. Critics say the traditional breakfast is indulgent and leads to food waste. Others say it’s part of...

  
• 01.18.2024

  ‘Birds are everywhere!’ Women bird guides in Uganda set a global example

  Birdwatching is a rapidly growing and lucrative part of the tourism sector worldwide, but women make up a very small minority of professional guides. Uganda Women Birders, a bird guide club, is revolutionizing the industry by encouraging and supporting women...

  
• 01.17.2024

  All-women Estonian quartet brings ancient folk music to the forefront

  The small Baltic nation of Estonia is experiencing a folk music renaissance, with young musicians bringing traditional songs and instruments to the forefront in an attempt to reassert a unique Estonian identity and keep the country’s ancient heritage alive.

  
• 01.16.2024

  Surrogacy advocates fear pope’s position will create stigma

  Commercial surrogacy is banned in many European countries. In the US, the laws vary from state to state. The pope wants to see the practice outlawed worldwide.

  
• 01.11.2024

  The humble origins of the ubiquitous ‘climate stripes’

  When Ellie Highwood was crocheting a blanket as a baby gift in 2017, she wanted to make something that would mean something to the baby's climate-scientist parents. She ended up making a "global warming blanket." And she never could have...

  
• 01.11.2024

  ‘Dining with the Sultan’: A unique exhibit explores the fine art of feasting in historic Islamic lands

  A new exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art takes visitors on a journey to explore food and art through the Middle East and beyond. It includes recipes by an Iranian American chef dating back to 10th-century Baghdad...

  
• 01.03.2024

  How the oud brought this Palestinian American musician closer to their culture, family and history

  For Palestinians in the diaspora, staying connected to their ancestral home and making sense of the politics in the region has long been a challenge. Meklit Hadero, host of “Movement,” a series on music and migration, spoke with Clarissa Bitar,...

  
• 12.29.2023

  A newly launched news channel in Iraq tries to preserve the ancient Syriac language

  Al-Iraqiya news recently started a Syriac-language broadcast in an attempt to preserve the ancient language, which derives from Aramaic, the original language of the Bible and Jesus. They are based in Baghdad. People at the network and in the Iraqi...

  
• 12.26.2023

  The writer who published a satirical magazine while hiding in a Dutch home during WWII

  From 1943 to 1945, Curt Bloch, a German Jew, published the magazine “Het Onderwater Cabaret” from a crawl space in the Dutch home he was hiding in. His work is being featured next year in an exhibit at the Jewish...

  
• 12.18.2023

  German circus meets the Big Apple

  New York’s Big Apple Circus is collaborating with a famed German circus this year, giving the annual show a distinctly European flair. Jeff Lunden reports on the mind-boggling juggling, the clowns and the poetry.

  
• 12.11.2023

  Film festival makes its way through Ecuador's Amazon by boat

  For the past few weeks, a floating film festival has been plying the waters of Ecuador's Amazon region. The films are transported aboard a solar-powered boat. It stops in Indigenous communities along the rivers, sets up a projector, and shows...

  
• 11.27.2023

  'A link with my ancestors': Britons reconnect with Jewish roots for EU passports

  Since the Brexit vote of 2016, hundreds of thousands of Britons have applied for citizenship of European countries, allowing them to continue to work and travel freely while holding onto their British passport. Thousands have been able to acquire passports...

  
• 11.22.2023

  The first Cuban tres players at Berklee

  The national instrument of Cuba, the tres is gaining some attention in the US. For the very first time, Berklee College of Music in Boston admitted two students of Cuban tres this year.

  
• 11.21.2023

  New book taps into the cultural history of eyeliner

  For centuries, eyeliner has been seen as a staple, and often the only beauty item some women and men wear. In culture journalist Zahra Hankir's latest book, "Eyeliner: A Cultural History," readers learn how eyeliner isn't just some superficial beauty...

  
• 11.20.2023

  'Existing and resisting': Black quilombo communities fight for land, rights in Brazil

  Monday is Black Consciousness Day in Brazil. It falls on day of death of Zumbi dos Palmares, the leader of Palmares Quilombo, a community of runaway slaves and their descendants, in 1695. There are still thousands of quilombos across Brazil,...

  
• 11.16.2023

  A food writer celebrates the tastes of her hometown: Lagos, Nigeria

  New York Times food writer Yewande Komolafe grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. When she moved to the US in her late teens, she recreated her favorite dishes by memory. Now she celebrates her home town's cuisine in her new book:...

  
• 11.15.2023

  College football hype can be lost in translation for international students

  If you're not from the US, football and its traditions can be bewildering. To help their international students, many universities now offer a crash course in the rules, scoring and, of course, fight songs. Shannon Young reports from football-crazed Boulder,...

  
• 11.15.2023

  In Argentina, ‘Swifties Don’t Vote For Milei’

  Just days before the presidential elections in Argentina, Taylor Swift fans wanted to make sure their voices were heard. Pink posters with the caption: "Swifties Don't Vote for Milei” were spotted all around the country’s biggest stadium, where the pop...

  
• 11.10.2023

  American World War II doctor in Italy captures scenes of wartime beyond the front lines

  Lt. Col. Manuel E. Lichtenstein was a doctor in southern Italy during World War II. He met with top generals and won prestigious awards. Stories about his three harrowing years there were passed down in his family. But an old...

  
• 11.09.2023

  Saving Ukraine’s cultural heritage with a click

  Since the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been bombing uniquely Ukrainian cultural sites. Preservationists are using "photogrammetry" — the act of deriving precise measurements from taking overlapping photos and rendering them in three dimensions. Dina Temple-Raston, the...

  
• 11.02.2023

  Roman Catholic Church remains inconclusive about reforms for women, LGBTQ after monthlong meeting wraps

  More than 450 church leaders from around the world came to the Vatican in early October to debate this and other questions during the latest synod, a monthlong meeting to discuss the church’s future. Their conclusion: more research is needed.

  
• 10.27.2023

  Spanish musician María José Llergo turns roots into wings with ‘Ultrabelleza’

  ​​​​​​​The Spanish artist María José Llergo has just released her first full-length album, called “Ultrabelleza.” Her voice carries the legacy of flamenco, the traditional music of her homeland, but on this new record, her roots have turned into wings, allowing...

  
• 10.26.2023

  Zimbabwe's stone sculptors struggle to keep carving

  International art collectors purchased many of Zimbabwe's massive stone carvings. But buyers stopped coming in 2000 after conflict over land reform policies led to violence. Some sculptors are still trying to keep their art alive.

  
• 10.26.2023

  How this Cambodian American singer found her voice

  Chhom Nimol is the lead singer of the band Dengue Fever, based in Los Angeles, California. In this installment of “Movement,” a series on music and migration, we hear from Nimol about how she found her singing voice.

  
• 10.25.2023

  This Spanish hip-hop star is stepping into global music

  Ever heard of Celtic Trap? It’s not exactly a thing yet, but it might be soon thanks to C. Tangana in the mix.

  
• 10.24.2023

  ‘Happiness is in your hands’: Young Jain women continue to renounce the world

  The Jain religious community in India makes up less than than 1% of the population. A steady number of them — even children — are renouncing the material world to join Jain monasteries.

  
• 10.19.2023

  For ‘dinosaur music,’ prehistoric instruments set the tone

  Musicians Anže Rozman and Kara Talve invented prehistoric instruments to help transport viewers back in time for the BBC series, “Prehistoric Planet.”

  
• 10.16.2023

  'The cosmovision of our ancestors': Panama witnesses first solar eclipse in 25 years

  Saturday’s solar eclipse cut across the western United States, dipping down into parts of Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. It was Panama’s first eclipse in 25 years and it came at an auspicious time when scientists are promoting an...

  
• 10.13.2023

  Australians ready for a historic referendum recognizing First Nations people

  On Oct. 14, Australians will vote on a referendum that would officially recognize First Nations people for the first time and establish an advisory body called Voice to Parliament.

  
• 10.13.2023

  ‘Walking soccer’ trend in Spain keeps people of all ages in the game

  Soccer is a sport with lots of contact – and injuries. But imagine the game played much slower. In Barcelona, “walking soccer” allows soccer lovers of all ages to continue playing the game.