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‘Nowhere is safe’: The teenage guitarists who fled Afghanistan — and are now in limbo

Conflict & Justice

A group of Afghan teenage girls once found hope through music. They were then forced to escape Taliban rule and take refuge in Pakistan. Now, Pakistan wants to send them back.

Japan’s ‘listening lounges’ offer pure music with a side of drinks

Japan in Focus

Brazilian rapper MC Soffia is on a mission to empower Black women

Arts, Culture & Media

‘To Make the Archives Sing’: Old Jewish Argentinian songs recorded for the first time

Music

The Bambir, one of Armenia’s biggest rock bands, is still going strong after 40 years 

Music

Big Ocean breaks barriers as the first K-pop group whose members are hard of hearing

Music

The three South Korean musicians use hearing aids and cochlear implants and mix sign language with dance moves, reaching out to deaf and hard of hearing K-pop fans around the world.

Kalush Orchestra brings Ukrainian folk music to the world stage

Music

Kalush Orchestra has a unique sound that blends rap with traditional Ukrainian folk music. In 2022, the band, representing Ukraine, won Eurovision. The victory was a huge boost for a country at war and propelled the band to massive success. From Kyiv, The World’s Daniel Ofman speaks with the group’s flute player about how he went from folk music aficionado to arena rockstar.

Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi has been sentenced to death in Iran.

Iranian rapper receives death sentence for his work and support of human rights 

Justice

The work of 33-year-old Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi is as poetic as it is technically challenging — covering topics ranging from government corruption to the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, he channels the voice of Iran’s disillusioned youth. This week, a revolutionary court in Isfahan overruled a previous court decision granting leniency for Salehi, and sentenced him to death.

Pilani Bubu found her music community after she moved from South Africa to New Orleans. She understood that the people she met wanted to learn more about her culture back home. That’s when she started to incorporate South African music into her repertoire

South Africa’s Pilani Bubu has ‘jumped off the shoulder of giants’ to create music filled with tradition

Music

The singer-songwriter has always straddled between the worlds of globalization and the traditions of her homeland.

Cover art for albums of multiple artists included on The World's 2021 music playlist. Clockwise, starting from the top left image: 'Suba' by Omar Sosa and Seckou Keita; 'El Alimento' by Cimafunk; 'Deja' by Bomba Estereo; 'Seeking New Gods' by Gruff Rhys;

Dance with The World, 2021 edition: A playlist

Music

Forget political crises, breakthroughs in space exploration and crypto: Here is The World’s 2021 music recommendations to get you dancing into the new year.