Stories about Ideas
‘Houses yes, shacks no': The housing project that came out of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution
Influenced by collective housing projects, the process involved architects, social workers, and the general population. Among the mottos of the period was "Houses are for the people. Down with exploitation"
Some Caribbean podcasts to tune into on International Podcast Day
After a somewhat slow start, Caribbean influencers began to embrace the format over the past decade, as Internet usage in the region increased — and many have established regular audiences.
Research indicates that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs a law on media ownership transparency
For a large number of online media in Bosnia and Herzegovina, information about ownership structure, funding sources, and employees is completely unknown.
Regional Award honoring Milan Mladenović highlights creativity of young rock bands from former Yugoslavia
The five finalists of Milan Mladenović Award contest include young performers and bands, representing the avant garde of contemporary music in the region of former Yugoslavia, chosen by an international jury.
Why is most scholastic research never read by those it most benefits — and can we change it?
"A broad corpus of research in [scholarly] journals were often only accessible to the very scholars that were already part of the echo chambers within which I was conversing."
World Steelpan Day acknowledges Trinidad & Tobago's national instrument, while a new film on panyards shows its power and potential
After Trinidad and Tobago passed a Bill to make the steelpan the country's national instrument, the film “Panyard Universe” looks at where panyard spaces have the power to take us.
Dear international left: Stop telling Venezuelans what to think
While their intentions to defend a Latin American movement are understandable, their silence years later on the egregious human rights violations in Venezuela is painful.
Chinese social media users call this age “The Garbage Time of History”
A new buzzword, “the garbage time of history”, has gone viral on the Chinese internet after the suspected suicide of a 30-year-old female investment bank worker.
Workplace Burnout Syndrome is finally being recognized in Bosnia and Herzegovina
As of January 1, 2022, Workplace Burnout Syndrome is a recognized occupational disease in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
After Hurricane Beryl, how can St. Vincent & the Grenadines recover beyond materialism?
In Beryl's aftermath, the Grenadine islands were reported as “flattened,” “apocalyptic,” “erased,” and “devastated,” words synonymous with erasure and the cornerstone trendy lingo of global disaster management and recovery efforts.
How data shapes political narratives amid the 2024 super-elections
"The age of data might seem like a modern concept, but the notion of using information for political advantage has a long history."
Maja Milinković: The musician blending Portuguese fado music with Bosnian sevdah
Sixteen years ago, singer-songwriter Maja Milinković first heard Portuguese fado music (meaning ʻfateʼ in Portuguese). She has since become a pioneer in introducing this musical genre to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Why small islands need their own Marshall Plan
The Fourth UN Conference on Small Island Developing States will negotiate a 10-year agenda that requires an unprecedented financing package to meet the existential scale of the challenge being faced.
Jelena Milušić and Merima Ključo: Balkan soul expressed through music
Combining the specific counter-alto singing with accordion enables two musical ladies to give new life to cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from XIX century lyrical poetry to Sephardic Jewish folk songs.
Sevdah: The perfect marriage of preservation and innovation
Sevdalinka (also known as sevdah) is the folk musical expression characteristic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has taken deep roots in the musical cultures of several other Western Balkans countries.
A museum in Cambodia offers a safe and healing space for people traumatized by war
"We have learned that Cambodian young people are looking for meaningful possibilities to participate in their own future."
Music activism as a form of social resistance
Halldor Kristínarson runs a music journalism blog, Shouts - Music from the rooftops, that highlights underrepresented musicians and music activists from around the world.
One man is trying to save a language in Bangladesh with only six native speakers
Currently, only six people, all aged over 60, can speak the ethnic Renmingtca language well. If they die, the language and culture will be lost from Bangladesh.
A platform tries to map the reduction of artistic freedom in Brazil
The idea arose following the boycott and closure of the Queermuseu exhibition in 2017 in Porto Alegrel. On social networks, conservative groups protested against the exhibition.
Could the Caribbean bridge the gap between culture and sustainability?
Tobago’s thriving culture, which includes farming and food festivals, is one example of the intersection of creative industries and concepts of sustainability like eating local and growing one’s own food.
Exploring migration, belonging and the meaning of home in Sri Lanka
At an arts exhibition in the Sri Lankan capital, multidisciplinary artist Firi Rahman portrays the agony of Slave Island residents who face the threats of gradual gentrification.
