communism

Bad Doberan, Germany is the home of Zappanale, an annual summer festival inspired by the life and work of Frank Zappa.

In the former East Germany, Frank Zappa lives on as a beacon of freedom

Who was Frank Zappa? Virtuoso guitarist? Modernist composer? Smutty lyricist? Anti-censorship activist? All of the above ... and much more in the former East Germany. There, his banned records fetched small fortunes among rebellious young men who dreamed of freedom. This episode of The World in Words podcast spends 30 minutes in the company of one such man who now runs a Zappa-themed festival. We also hear from an American translator who explains Zappa's obscure lyrics to German fans, line by line.

In the former East Germany, Frank Zappa lives on as a beacon of freedom
Women pray in front of paramilitary policemen at Yonghegong Lama Temple on the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Rooster in Beijing, China.

Religion is alive and kicking in officially atheist China

Religion is alive and kicking in officially atheist China
Jarvis Tyner has been a member of the Communist Party USA for over a half century. Now he's retiring from the Party staff.

Here's how American Bandstand led a guy from Philly to the Communist Party

Here's how American Bandstand led a guy from Philly to the Communist Party
A supporter of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen celebrates to preliminary results at their party headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan

There’s a huge reason US voters should care about Taiwan’s first female president

There’s a huge reason US voters should care about Taiwan’s first female president
The World

How a US aid agency hoped hip-hop might fuel a Cuban revolution

How a US aid agency hoped hip-hop might fuel a Cuban revolution
A cover illustration for the Communist-era board game Burokratopoly, which is being re-launched by Berlin's DDR Museum.

To understand life in East Germany, all you need is this board game

The board game called Bürokratopoly isn't about getting filthy rich, though players might feel filthy after they're done playing. The popular German game was created by dissidents in communist East Germany years ago as a satire about power and corruption. Now it has become a teaching tool for German kids trying to understand what it was like to live in the Communist East.

To understand life in East Germany, all you need is this board game
People attend a mass rally against "U.S. Imperialists" at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang June 25, 2014.

Two Americans went to North Korea as tourists — now they're both going on trial for 'hostile acts'

North Korea's official news agency says two Americans being held in the country will face trials for unspecified crimes against the state. Adam Cathcart, an expert on northeast Asia, says this move is part of a long established pattern.

Two Americans went to North Korea as tourists — now they're both going on trial for 'hostile acts'
Kim Jong-un

Undercover reporters reveal what life is really like inside secretive North Korea

North Korea's dictatorial regime tries to control what outsiders know of North Korea and what North Koreans know of the outside world. A new WGBH Frontline documentary offers a rare glimpse of life inside the country... gathered from film smuggled out by undercover reporters.

Undercover reporters reveal what life is really like inside secretive North Korea
Lenin statue in Minsk, Belarus

Where in the world is Lenin these days?

Protesters in Kiev, Ukraine took down a statue of Lenin over the weekend, but many of his statues remain around the world decades after the end of communism.

Where in the world is Lenin these days?
A declassified memo documenting plans for Castro to meet secretly with a US envoy. It's dated the very day of JFK's assassination.

How Kennedy's assassination ended hopes for a reconciliation with Castro

The hostility between John F. Kennedy and Fidel Castro's Cuba is legendary. But newly-released documents show that Kennedy had plans to reconcile with Cuba — plans scuttled when he was assassinated. PRI's The World takes this look back at "The World that Was."

How Kennedy's assassination ended hopes for a reconciliation with Castro

A survivor doubts China's plan to close labor camps

Harry Wu spent nearly two decades getting "re-educated" in Chinese labor camps. Now he runs a foundation aimed at pressuring China to close them. So he should feel good about the Communist Party's announcement to end the camps, but he's skeptical.

A survivor doubts China's plan to close labor camps

Mao the Poet

Mao the Poet