The Power of Culture

The Guatemalan artist exposes in her confronting performances violence and injustice.

Art can trigger fantastic social changes, but not when this is planned in advance. That is the conclusion drawn by Claudia Fontes based on the evaluation study she performed on projects supported by the Hivos Cultural Fund in Central America.

The fact that relatively few artists are able to exhibit their work in the North is primarily due to the fact that the wrong partners are chosen, according to N’goné Fall, architect and curator from Senegal, during the Unlimited curiosity conference held in Rotterdam on 31 March 2008.

The director from Fuijan believes he is an individualist among today's generation of Chinese film makers.

The South African singer keeps winning award after award, and all of her concerts were sold out. Yet her music style is not easy, and her message is anything but.

For many young Arabic writers, the Internet is a major medium that allows their voices to be heard. Algerian poet Lamis Saidi regularly publishes in on-line Arabic forums.

More cooperation and more joint projects are the results of the visit that the Dutch Deputy Minister of European Affairs, Frans Timmermans, paid to South Africa from 4 to 8 February 2008.

According to Koos Richelle, Director General of Europe Aid, culture and development is still relatively unexplored territory for the EU and rapidly gaining importance.

Papiamento was recognised as the official language on Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao in 2007. Children's book author, storyteller and former teacher Olga Orman is excited.

Augusto Boal  wrote his first book, Teatro del oprimido (Theatre of the Oppressed), in 1975. His philosophy has attracted followers under that name throughout the world.