Culture and Media

An interview with Moldovan novelist Iulian Ciocan Moldova lies on cultural, linguistic, and geopolitical faultlines. Until 1991 this eastern European country of around three million was part of the Soviet Union, where Russian was considered the language of prestige. Upon…

By R.W. Anton It came out of nowhere, a throbbing, aching, thunderously obnoxious pain in the bottom right half of my jaw. As I was biting down on a delicious grilled chicken sandwich that I’d purchased from the deli just…

By Jhon Sánchez Jaime Manrique lives around the corner of the AIDS monument in the West Village. As soon as I entered his apartment, I saw the poster of the book-cover of “No One Writes to the Colonel” by Gabriel García Márquez,…

Orchestral musicians from 30 countries, led by Maestro Shlomo Mintz, team up for globe-spanning performance in support of the UN Refugee Agency’s COVID-19 appeal. More than 50 musicians from around the world are contributing their talents and time to a…

As one ‘liberator’ vanishes from sight, another is on the rise The buildup to the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, marked earlier this month, has exacerbated a longstanding row about how contested historical figures should be…

The start of the presidential elections campaign in Belarus was marked by a harsh crackdown on journalists and bloggers. Analysts and human rights activists believe that the authorities will go on with repressions. A wave of arrests of journalists, bloggers…

A belief in far-fetched ideas that help us make sense of crises ultimately feed regressive and right-wing politics. By Sonali Kolhatkar A mysterious new video documentary, slickly produced, and offering answers to the coronavirus pandemic, has been viewed millions of…

On this show we speak with Lauren J. Sharkey, author of Inconvenient Daughter. As an immigrant from South Korea, adopted and brought here as a two-month old baby, she faced the classic stereotypes and discrimination. Lauren talks about the process…

A propaganda video addressing the country’s “back wave” triggered a backlash Chinese officials are keen to make the country’s younger generation feel fortunate for what it has, and it isn’t difficult to see why. The post-90s generation is the least…

Many new phrases have entered our vocabulary as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. “Zoom fatigue” refers to the mental exhaustion associated with online video conferencing. We can change how we interact on video calls with adapted social…