The Cultural Frontline

Tumi Morake’s comedy confronts tough areas from discrimination to poverty, corruption to inequality. Her fearless performances have seen her both lauded and severely criticized. In 2018 she became the first African woman to have her own stand-up show on Netflix but she has also received threats for her work which highlights the continuing inequalities of modern day South Africa. Reporter Mpho Lakaje speaks to Tumi about using comedy to make her voice heard.

At the start of the coronavirus lockdown comedy duo Jess Salomon and Eman El-Husseini swapped their New York apartment for a remote cabin in the Canadian wilderness. For the Cultural Frontline they share a postcard with their views on the events taking place back in the USA.

Making an audience laugh is tricky at the best of times, but lockdown has made it much harder. Comedians Bright Okpocha AKA Basketmouth and Prashasti Singh tell us about the brave new world of producing comedy for social media, and discuss the future of the industry in Nigeria and India.

Has a comedian, a musician or a sports star ever changed the way you see the world? Have they made you stand a little bit taller or feel that little bit more confident as you take on life’s challenges? The Iranian-American comedian Maz Jobrani reflects on the impact of his idol and inspiration the boxer, Muhammad Ali.

Presented by Tina Daheley

(Photo: Tumi Morake. Credit: Kevin Mark Pass/Blu Blood Africa)

In Hong Kong thousands of demonstrators have been protesting against a controversial new security law announced by the Chinese government, a law which many state is used to suppress political opponents in mainland China. From a rooftop in the city, one Instagram photographer tells us why he is taking pictures of this crucial chapter of history.

Have you ever wondered what happens on the other side of the wall, in the home of a neighbour? Gail Albert Halaban is known for just that, taking photos of her neighbours and capturing what life is like next door. She speaks to the BBC’s Mugabi Turya about how her photography is bringing neighbours together during the coronavirus lockdown.

Medellin was once considered the most dangerous city in the world. But what is it like now? Photographer Santiago Mesa’s images of contemporary civil unrest and gang violence reveal the Colombian city through the eyes of one of its citizens. Santiago Mesa tells us how he uses his camera to tell stories of real life in Colombia now.

Plus the Washington Post’s Deputy Director of Photography Robert Miller and the photojournalist Marvin Joseph share their experiences of covering the continuing Black Lives Matter protests.

Presented by Mugabi Turya

(Photo: Protesters in Hong Kong. Credit: Ivan)

The Cultural Frontline explores how America’s artists and cultural voices are responding to the death of George Floyd and the protests that have followed.

Telling the stories of black life that don't get told anywhere else. That’s the mission of The Nod a hugely popular American podcast presented by Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings. Tina Daheley speaks to Brittany and Eric about the death of George Floyd and confronting the pain felt by black Americans.

It’s not just in the United States where the Black Lives Matter movement has been staging protests. In Toronto, Canada the artist and activist Ravyn Wingz shares their experience on taking a stand against white supremacy and using performance as a means of expression and escapism.

What is like to be a photojournalist caught on the front line of protest? The Washington Post’s Deputy Director of Photography Robert Miller and staff photojournalist Marvin Joseph talk about the framing of the global protest movement, Black Lives Matter and the power of images to tell stories of black lives in America.

When Michelle Obama first posted about the tragic death of George Floyd, she chose to post her tribute alongside a portrait of George by LA-based artist Nikkolas Smith. The post and painting have since gone viral with over one million likes on Instagram. We speak to Nikkolas about his work and why he paints portraits of victims of police brutality.

Presented by Tina Daheley

(Photo: Protests following the death of George Floyd. Credit: Salwan Georges/Washington Post)

At a time when many art galleries have closed their doors, Berlin’s König Galerie has released an app that allows you to experience an exhibition like never before. German artist Manuel Rossner tells Tina about his project Surprisingly This Rather Works and the infinite artistic possibilities of the virtual world.

We head to South Africa for a house party with a difference and discover how a new pop culture phenomenon is bringing parties directly to the homes of music lovers during lockdown.

Can you put on a fashion show without models? Or create a product line with no real materials? One group trying to answer those questions are Digi-Gxl, a collective of international women, trans, inter sex and non-binary digital artists. Two of their artists talk to the BBC’s Sophia Smith Galer about creating work in the world of 3-D art, design and animation.

What is it like to feel isolated and left out in the cold? In her interactive show called Elision performed remotely from her living room in Glasgow, the Icelandic artist Gudrun Soley Sigurdardottir explores otherness and ideas of belonging. She tells Tina how as an immigrant living in a post Brexit climate of division and disconnection, her light hearted attempts to stay warm and connected in her performance, take on a deeper meaning.

Presented by Tina Daheley

Image: Manuel Rossner, Surprisingly This Rather Works, Exhibition view

He’s been hailed as one of the world's greatest cartoonists and the creator of war reportage comics. The artist Joe Sacco talks to Tina about the political power of the graphic novel and why he’s telling the story of the indigenous communities of the Canadian North West in his latest book, Paying the Land.

The Indian comic book and graphic novel writer Ram V explores the clash of cultures and what happens to a country when it is colonised, though the mythology of vampirism, in his series These Savage Shores.

Swedish comic book artist and activist Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom shares the story of her adoption from South Korea in the graphic memoir Palimpsest. She speaks to the BBC’s Karl Bos about her childhood experiences of racism, her search for jer birth parents and why the ethics of adoption can be far more complicated than people think.

Plus how’s the sounds of your world changed during lockdown? The sound artist Nick Ryan shares the sounds we’ve received from our listeners during the coronavirus lockdown.

Presented by Tina Daheley

Image: Joe Sacco

Vietnamese American author Monique Truong presents an examination of the female perspective of the Vietnam War, through the prism of art.

Featuring American artists who were at the vanguard of the opposition to the war, along with women who shared the same experiences as Monique - born in Vietnam during the conflict, who experienced the war first hand and whose lives were changed forever - this programme explores five decades of protest art, offering a female perspective on the fallout of a conflict that virtually defined the 60s.

More than 3 million people (including over 58,000 Americans) were killed in the war, and more than half of the dead were Vietnamese civilians.

Image: A piece by Tiffany Chung (Credit: Tiffany Chung)

A deftly woven tale of love and inequality for a Filipina transwoman living under the radar in New York. The director Isabel Sandoval talks to Tina Daheley about her new film, Lingua Franca, a personal and politically charged insight into racial discrimination and immigration in 21st-century America.

The Brazilian rapper and musician Edgar speaks to the BBC's Frank McWeeny about a life of struggle and inequality in the favelas of Sao Paulo, and why he is making music that reflects politics and sexuality in Bolsonaro’s Brazil.

Iranian poet and writer Golnoosh Noor discusses her new collection of short stories The Ministry of Guidance, which explores queerness and sexuality in Iran. She tells Tina why she wants to challenge the often simplistic mainstream narratives about Iran, to give a more nuanced depiction of a complex country.

Plus the South African writer Jamil Khan writes a letter to his younger self reflecting on the journey he has taken to being open about his sexuality.

Presented by Tina Daheley

Image: Isabel Sandoval

What makes a great story? Perhaps it’s the characters, a gripping plot, or a narrative that helps us understand the world we live in. The award winning writer Karen Lord tells us what really goes into writing fiction and she shares an extract from her recent short story ‘The Plague Doctors’, a dystopian tale of social inequality exposed by a future pandemic. ‘The Plague Doctors’ was published as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's anthology Take Us to a Better Place.

Sci-fi meets forbidden love in a novel that spans centuries and continents. That’s just one of the descriptions used to describe the critically acclaimed novel, The Old Drift. Its author Namwali Serpell talks to the Cultural Frontline about three moments in her life that shaped her as a storyteller.

Plus Amy Brady, the writerof climate fiction column Burning Worlds, on why sci-fi offers us the opportunity for both immersion and escapism.

Presented by Nawal al-Maghafi

Image: Karen Lord

Nick Ryan is an artist who has dedicated himself to the exploration and understanding of sound – and he wants to hear what you hear. Nick talks to Nawal about his ambitious project to collect the sounds heard by people around the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

Have you seen the videos of famous songs with the lyrics changed to fit lockdown or of people desperately trying not to touch their faces? We’re being inundated by Coronavirus internet memes responding to the global pandemic and being shared on social media. Technologist and writer An Xiao Mina sheds light on the ins and outs of meme culture.

Would you be tempted to have a cute pet-like device in your home? Or would the idea of it having cameras for eyes or being operated remotely by a stranger put you off? Samanta Schweblin’s new novel Little Eyes follows characters from around the world as they interact with these fictional machines. The Argentinian author tells us why she wanted to explore the sinister side of technology in her new book.

Plus Charlie Brooker, the mastermind behind the hit TV series Black Mirror, on how his love for video games changed his life.

You can contact The Cultural Frontline and send us your sounds from lockdown. Just email us at [email protected]

Presented by Nawal al-Maghafi

Image: Sound artist Nick Ryan

A man comes out of isolation and walks in a trance through the centre of Shanghai, marvelling at an empty shopping mall and the changes he sees around him. It sounds like a news report but it’s actually the plot of an eerie sci-fi short story written by Chinese author Chen Qiufan (also known as Stanley Chan) last year. He speaks to Tina about his new work and life imitating art in science fiction.

Image: Chen Quifan