Showing 1 - 10 of 34
Currents of change
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 13/03/2024
» The Venice Biennale is a prestigious international cultural exhibition. This year, 15 Southeast Asian artists are set to contribute to its 60th edition and showcase their talent at the exhibition "The Spirits Of Maritime Crossing". The exhibition will be held at Palazzo Smith Mangilli Valmarana which will open to the public after being closed for 12 years for this momentous event.
Southern museum eyes multiculturalism
News, Published on 31/07/2022
» The Museum of Islamic Cultural Heritage and Al-Quran Learning Center will provide a window to the far South as a multicultural melting pot through the pages of the holy text, observers say.
Rediscovering forgotten grooves
Life, John Clewley, Published on 05/01/2021
» Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia and the country's most populous city has a long history as an important Indian Ocean port connecting traders. As we saw with my recent review of the first international release of popular Djibouti music, The Dancing Devils Of Djibouti by Groupe RTD on the Ostinato label, ports at the western edge of the Indian Ocean region played a crucial role in developing popular genres of music.
Look for the light
Life, John Clewley, Published on 01/09/2020
» Record Store Day arrived on Saturday a little more subdued than in previous years. The one-day event, which began in 2008, normally drops on a Saturday in April but with the Covid-19 pandemic the date was delayed; two further dates -- Sept 26 and Oct 24 have been added so that independent record stores can generate some much-needed revenue.
Mighty Malagasy grooves
Life, John Clewley, Published on 18/08/2020
» Madagascar, which lies just off the coast of East Africa, is in the furthest western part of the Indian Ocean. It's important to understand how contemporary Malagasy (the name for all things from Madagascar, including the language) music was shaped by the cultural flows from the Indian Ocean and from continental Africa.
Blurring the boundaries
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/07/2020
» The summer festival season has been cancelled as have many major sporting events. Under the current Covid-19 measures, some events like the Notting Hill Carnival in London, which is usually held at the end of August each year, have gone online. Sound systems and steel bands will still perform live but revellers will only be able to enjoy them online.
Shake Djibouti
Life, John Clewley, Published on 07/07/2020
» Djibouti, officially known as the Republic of Djibouti, is one of continental Africa's smallest countries. It has a population of less than a million spread out across an area that is just over 23,200km². For most people outside this part of the Horn of Africa, the city is known for its position as a bustling port, strategically located at the point where the Gulf of Aden meets the Red Sea.
An enduring commitment to oceanic preservation
Life, Published on 12/06/2020
» Dubbed as a mini Galapagos, Fregate Island lies in the easternmost of the granitic Inner Islands of the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean.
A whole different sonic vibe
Life, John Clewley, Published on 09/06/2020
» Sega is the traditional and popular music of the island of Mauritius, which sits in the vast Indian Ocean; some call sega the blues of the Indian Ocean but I think of it as the soundtrack to the sea.
Global genius honoured
Life, John Clewley, Published on 14/05/2019
» The summer festival season kicks off in Europe, Japan and North America early next month, with many bands from developing countries joining the festival circuit. There are lots of festivals that celebrate musical diversity, which is, I believe, important in these times of rising intolerance and xenophobia.