Language

Bhutanese refugees stuck in Nepal remain in limbo

Refugees

Thousands of Nepali-speaking Bhutanese citizens were forced to flee their country in the early 1990s. Today, they remain in limbo without the proper documentation to go back or to integrate into Nepalese society.

Astropical band fuses electronic music with Caribbean rhythms in an ‘optimistic’ album that ‘takes you to beach’

Arts, Culture & Media

A new global study allows dogs to ‘talk’ to their owners by pressing buttons that say human words

Development

‘Guaraní is identity’: How an Indigenous Paraguayan language has endured through the ages

Language
In front of a floor-to-ceiling glass door in the living room of Najannguac Dalgård Christensen, necklaces with amulets carved out of bone and seal claws dangle from a coat hanger.

Healing old wounds: The revival of Greenlandic Inuit tattoos in Denmark

Lifestyle & Belief
The exterior of the Ancient Church of the East in Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 27, 2023.

A newly launched news channel in Iraq tries to preserve the ancient Syriac language

Language

Al-Iraqiya news recently started a Syriac-language broadcast in an attempt to preserve the ancient language, which derives from Aramaic, the original language of the Bible and Jesus. They are based in Baghdad. People at the network and in the Iraqi Christian community talk about what this means for them.

People gather during the Kanua film festival in Ecuador.

Film festival makes its way through Ecuador’s Amazon by boat

Arts, Culture & Media

For the past few weeks, a floating film festival has been plying the waters of Ecuador’s Amazon region. The films are transported aboard a solar-powered boat. It stops in Indigenous communities along the rivers, sets up a projector, and shows films by and about Indigenous people around the globe.

man at podium

Australians ready for a historic referendum recognizing First Nations people

On Oct. 14, Australians will vote on a referendum that would officially recognize First Nations people for the first time and establish an advisory body called Voice to Parliament.

Yahritza Martinez and her two guitar-playing brothers make up the trio Yahritza Y Su Esencia.

Mexican American teen star sings on after heated controversy with Mexican audiences

Identity

Yahritza Martinez, 16, went from apple picking in rural Washington, to becoming a TikTok sensation and chart-topping musician. But her career nearly came to a halt after her comments about Mexico went viral. Despite the controversy, Martinez played at a major Mexican Independence Day concert in Mexico City — but some fans were not yet ready to embrace her.

Cast members perform during a rehearsal of the opera "Monkey: A Kung Fu Puppet Parable" at the Emerson Paramount Center in Boston, Sept. 20, 2023.

A modern take on an ancient Chinese folk tale

Arts, Culture & Media

The new opera, “Monkey: A Kung Fu Puppet Parable,” had its world premiere in Boston over the weekend. The story is based on an ancient Chinese folk tale and uses modern and diverse cultural elements to create a unique rendition of the popular fable.