Jump to main content
Jump to the search

KULTURAUSTAUSCH

Interview with Cuban playwright and activist Yunior García Aguilera

“Cubans are being pushed to the limit”

To the article

Dossier

The culture of defence

View dossier

Dossier

Humans and AI

View dossier

Dossier

What will become of Syria?

View dossier

Dossier

The end of the West

View dossier

Visual: Julia Neller
Warfare | Morals
“A just cause does not automatically make a just war”
Political Philosopher Cécile Fabre on what makes a war just and why the EU can't afford to remain a passive soft power
By Morgane Llanque03/05/2026
Photo: B'Tselem
Human Rights | Israel
“The system is based on violence”
Yuli Novak heads the Israeli NGO B’Tselem, which campaigns for the rights of Palestinians. As a result, she is under increasing pressure in her home country.
By Judith Poppe03/24/2026
Foto: Hannah Yoon
Society | India
Home alone
More and more people around the world are living alone. Have they embraced the ‘dolce vita’ – or merely succumbed to the dreary routines of late capitalism?
By Suraj Yengde04/07/2026

Ramon Espinosa/AP

Humanitarian crisis | Cuba

“Cubans are being pushed to the limit”

Playwright Yunior García Aguilera sounds a warning about Cuba’s humanitarian crisis — and explains what it would take to finally spark political change

Interview with Yunior García Aguilera05/20/2026

Photography | Ukraine

War and a bit of peace

The Kyiv photographer Vic Bakin portrays Ukrainian soldiers at home, far from the front line, in his photographic work “Hell Was Full”

By Ole Witt05/07/2026

Photo: Koshkin Serhii

Culture wars | Ukraine

A question of guilt

The Ukrainian soldier and writer Artur Dron calls on Europe to stop publishing Russian authors during the war.

By Artur Dron04/29/2026

Photo: Amr Attamimi

Sunny to partly cloudy

The photo book “Photography from Yemen” changes the way we see a country torn apart by civil war. A conversation with editor Ibi Ibrahim

By Ibi Ibrahim04/08/2026

[Translate to English:] — Foto: Hannah Yoon

Society | India

Home alone

More and more people around the world are living alone. Have they embraced the ‘dolce vita’ – or merely succumbed to the dreary routines of late capitalism?

By Suraj Yengde04/07/2026

An illustration of Jeanne d’Arc wearing armour. — Visual: Julia Neller

Feminism | War

Who's afraid of Penthesilea?

The notion of women going off to war still strikes people as unnatural. But the truth is, women have been fighting since the dawn of our species.

By Morgane Llanque04/02/2026

Top-chef Dieuveil Malonga on his property in Rwanda. — Foto: Dieuveil Malonga

Food culture | Africa

Africa's culinary heritage

Raised in the Republic of the Congo, trained in Germany, and shaped by travels across the African continent, Michelin-starred chef Dieuveil Malonga draws on an eclectic biography to enrich his cuisine

By Dieuveil Malonga03/24/2026

Photo: B'Tselem

Human Rights | Israel

“The system is based on violence”

Yuli Novak heads the Israeli NGO B’Tselem, which campaigns for the rights of Palestinians. As a result, she is under increasing pressure in her home country.

By Judith Poppe03/24/2026

eine bunte Wand mit Bildern aus Textilien

Roma art | Poland

“Art and activism belong together“

Textile artist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas made art history in 2022 as the first Romani woman to exhibit at the Venice Biennale. How can Roma narratives be kept alive through art?

Interview with Małgorzata Mirga-Tas03/17/2026

[Translate to English:] — Visual: Julia Neller

Warfare | Morals

“A just cause does not automatically make a just war”

Political Philosopher Cécile Fabre on what makes a war just and why the EU can't afford to remain a passive soft power

By Morgane Llanque03/05/2026

Photo: private

Henrike Naumann | Obituary

“Forever and ever, Henrike Naumann”

A collection of personal farewells

02/24/2026

Foto: Nyamakop

South Africa｜Video games

“This future is possible”

Many of Africa’s cultural treasures are still held in European collections. In the video game “Relooted”, players stage virtual heists to recover them. Developer Ben Myres explains the story behind the game

By Julia Stanton02/20/2026

A woman with large red earrings looks into the camera

Older woman with short gray hair looks friendly into the camera. She has blue eyes and wears a yellow blouse. She holds her hand on the back of her neck.

A middle-aged man stands in front of a simple background. He is wearing a short-sleeved shirt and glasses and is looking sideways into the distance.

Young woman with long hair piled on top of her head looks into the camera seriously..

Middle-aged man looks friendly into the camera. He is wearing a checked shirt, glasses and a cap and has a beard.

M’hammed Kilito

[Translate to English:]

Der Schriftsteller Saïd Khatibi sitzt vor einer Bücherwand auf einem Sessel. Er trägt ein dunkelblaues Hemd und Brille und schaut seitlich an der Kamera vorbei

Abdulrazak Gurnah

Irina Sherbakova

Mustafah Abdulaziz

Máxima Acuña de Chaupe

Roongtip Luilao

Mohamed Amjahid

Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung

KULTURAUSTAUSCH’s editorial team works from Berlin, but our networks of authors stretch around the globe – to Lagos, Taipeh, or Bogotá, for example.

Would you like to get in touch, send us feedback or drop a message to one of our contributors?

Dossier

Defence

Defence takes many forms. Resistance in queer and migrant communities. Women on the frontlines. Clothing that defies surveillance. In a violent world, how to can we preserve humanity—and maintain our search for the beauty in life?

Many people on a blue canvas — Foto: Roope Rainisto

Dossier

Humans and AI

Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly and radically changing our lives. Reactions to this vary around the world. Some see AI as a threat to everything that makes us human, while others see great potential in this new technology

Foto: Hosam Katan

Dossier

What will become of Syria?

The Assad regime has been overthrown: this news shook the world in December 2024. Since then, a new government has come to power in Syria and many sanctions have been lifted. However, the new leadership's terrorist past has sparked mistrust. The initial euphoria has faded, at least since the brutal massacres of minorities – and yet hope for a new beginning remains

Foto: Johnny Miller

Special

Informal Living

Around one billion people live in informal settlements worldwide. Stereotypes of these dwellings often reduce them to poverty and deprivation. How are the people living in these places really doing?

On the beach in Tijuana, a Mexican band dances with their feet in the water while playing their instruments. The men are wearing a dark blue shirt, black trousers and straw hats. They play a drum, a timpani and brass instruments. The border wall between Mexico and the USA can be seen in the background, protruding into the water — Photo: José María Cárdenas Camacho

Dossier

Mexico

Between resilience and a fresh start: Mexico is beloved by tourists but also struggles with inequality and rising violence. Will the new President Claudia Sheinbaum be able to usher in change?

In einer Allee — Photo: Luisa Dörr

Dossier

Indigenous culture today

Indigenous groups have long struggled to protect their traditional ways of life. Young activists are now building up international networks. Insights from a world that is being reshaped

Under a blue sky lies a rugged mountain landscape of light-colored stone. Three men are posing in the middle ground, a fourth is photographing them. — Photo: Solmaz Daryani

Dossier

Living in the desert

Dry, empty and hostile to life: the desert is etched in our collective imagination. But this unique landscape is often not what we expect

On a stony plateau, a group of people are sitting on several blankets under a tree. There are women, men and children of different ages. A little to the side, a boy dips his foot in a small stream. Mountains can be seen in the background. — Photo: Swinde Wiederhold

Dossier

Parents and children

Unconditional love and huge conflicts: few relationships are as emotional as those of parents and children. What connects us - and what have we always wanted to say to our parents?

View from a high vantage point over a modern city. Green plants can be seen in the very foreground, as if the viewer is standing in a park. In the middle ground rises a modern city center with many skyscrapers and a prominent high-rise tower. The sky shows an extremely dramatic cloud atmosphere between sun and darkness. — Photo: Franky Verdickt

Dossier

Voices from Taiwan

Taiwan is a key democratic ally in Asia for the West. But, looking beyond the looming threat from China, what makes this place unique and what do people in Taiwan dream of?