Arts, Culture & Media

The sword of the Royal House of Avis on a stylized cross decorates the 56-meter high Monument to the Discoveries by the Tagus river in Lisbon, Thursday, March 30, 2023. 

Vatican rejects Doctrine of Discovery after years of pressure from Indigenous activists

The 15th-century Doctrine of Discovery provided the legal basis for the colonial-era seizure of Native lands. Sociology professor Cora Voyageur, who is also a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, joined The World's host Carol Hills to discuss the significance of the Vatican's repudiation of the doctrine.

Vatican rejects Doctrine of Discovery after years of pressure from Indigenous activists
Two players from Boston bruins and Montreal Canadiens hockey teams talk to each other on the ice

Montreal Canadiens superfans brace for historic record to be smashed

Montreal Canadiens superfans brace for historic record to be smashed
portrait of nun reading a musical score

The astonishing life and music of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, the Ethiopian nun who has died at 99

The astonishing life and music of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, the Ethiopian nun who has died at 99
The Kyiv Pesherska Lavra, the Monastery of the Caves, in Kyiv, Ukraine, ornate cathedral, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s the heart of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.

Divisions among Orthodox church communities widen amid war in Ukraine

Divisions among Orthodox church communities widen amid war in Ukraine
A bronze standing Shiva statue is unpacked at the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh after being returned to the kingdom in March 2023.

Looted relics returned to Cambodia receive monks’ blessings

Looted relics returned to Cambodia receive monks’ blessings
demonstration

Vietnam draft dodgers who settled in Canada have influenced some of its small towns for generations

Tens of thousands of young American men went to Canada to avoid being conscripted to fight in Vietnam. Some Canadians welcomed them, while others wanted nothing to do with these "hippies." But many of those who stayed — and half of them did — would go on to be leaders in their communities as politicians, environmental activists and teachers and have a lasting impact on Canada's small towns.

Vietnam draft dodgers who settled in Canada have influenced some of its small towns for generations
Haitian Musician and Voudo priest Erol Josué has a new album titled Pèlerinaj, which includes songs like “Rén Sobo,” “Ati Sole” and “Palave Maria" that invoke Voudo goddesses and saints.

Erol Josué’s new album Pèlerinaj highlights Haiti’s Vodou tradition and the artist’s own pilgrimage

The 18 tracks on "Pèlerinaj," or “pilgrimage” in Haitian Creole, are a mix of sacred Vodou chants and traditional Haitian rhythms with funk, jazz, rock and electronic music.

Erol Josué’s new album Pèlerinaj highlights Haiti’s Vodou tradition and the artist’s own pilgrimage
tram in Kolkata with dancers

India's tramway turned 150. But it’s on its last legs.

​​​​​​​Kolkata's 150-year-old tram system is limping along. It's down to just two lines and there is little political will, or room in the city's crowded streets, to bring the streetcars back to their former glory days. The tram does have a small but loyal band of supporters who want to keep it alive.

India's tramway turned 150. But it’s on its last legs.
two women

Faith and family sustain this Kyiv family in wartime Ukraine

Sasha Shulyahina was 38-weeks pregnant when Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February 2022. Motherhood and her faith continue to sustain her through a year of war.

Faith and family sustain this Kyiv family in wartime Ukraine
A visitor takes in the painting “Red Sunset," by Mariupol painter Arkhyp Kuindzhi. 

Art historians debate identity of iconic Mariupol painter

Arkhyp Kuindzhi is a revered artist who was born in the Russian empire. He was from Mariupol, which is now part of the modern Ukrainian state, sparking a debate among art historians: Should he be considered a Ukrainian or a Russian artist?

Art historians debate identity of iconic Mariupol painter
staff in lobby area

Prominent Afghan news organization reports on life under Taliban rule from Maryland 

The investigative newspaper Etilaatroz opened a new newsroom in an office building in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC.

Prominent Afghan news organization reports on life under Taliban rule from Maryland 
Singer Gloria Estefan performs at the Statue of Liberty Museum opening celebration at Battery Park, in New York, May 15, 2019.

Gloria Estefan is set to be the first Hispanic woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

She's already won numerous awards and has been a pioneer of Latin music.

Gloria Estefan is set to be the first Hispanic woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
In this Wednesday, June 29, 2011, photo, Henrik Holgersson puts a shoe on his son.

Founding fatherhood: Part I

Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive this week into parental leave and caregiving in various affluent democracies between 1965 to 2016.

Founding fatherhood: Part I
Alina Berezova and Stanislav Linevych, now a couple, talk about how they met on a dating app and moved in togethera after dating for six weeks amid war in Ukraine.

'We have to keep on living’: The search for love in wartime Ukraine

The stress of war is a litmus test for relationships.

'We have to keep on living’: The search for love in wartime Ukraine
Ramrati reads Ramcharitmanas every morning on the lane that connects Barakhamba to KG Marg, in New Delhi, India, March 29, 2014.

This 16th-century epic poem sparks political controversy in India

In recent months, a 16th-century epic religious poem has ignited a political storm in India, after several officials said it was offensive to women and those at the bottom of India’s religious caste hierarchy. As the country heads toward general elections next year, some say that different parties are using the poem to appeal to various voters.

This 16th-century epic poem sparks political controversy in India