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KULTURAUSTAUSCH

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

Dossier

Mexico between resilience and a fresh start

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Dossier

Indigenous culture today

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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.

Dossier

Living in the desert

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Photo: Hussam Al-Qoliaa
Freedom of the press | Yemen
Assassinated, imprisoned, exiled
A complex civil war with international involvement has been raging in Yemen for years. It is extremely dangerous for journalists to pursue their profession, Yemeni journalists still pay a heavy price for the civil war. Many have left the country and young reporters with no training are taking their place
By Samia al-Aghbary10/17/2024
Photo: Ali Ghandtschi
Shared society | Israel
“I don’t want coexistence if I don’t have equality”
In Israel, the Jewish and Arab populations share a common everyday life, but currently the peaceful coexistence could escalate any moment. Mohammad Darawshe, Strategy Director of Israeli peace organization Givat Haviva, talks about emergency programs and damage limitation
Interview with Mohammad Darawshe09/12/2024

Ulrich Raulff

President, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen

Jenny Friedrich-Freksa is editor-in-chief of KULTURAUSTAUSCH. She is currently particularly interested in how to properly dose outrage in journalism and revitalise the broken culture of discussion. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time at playgrounds in Berlin or on a horseback in Brandenburg. Here are her current top picks:

Photo: Lisa Rose/ Collectivo
Indigenous life | Kenya
“Indigeneity is not a label”
Maori, Inuit or Maasai: What connects indigenous people worldwide? Kenyan activist Mali Ole Kaunga talks about the power of international networking and the political space it opens up
Interview with Mali Ole Kaunga04/02/2024

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:]

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?

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?

The outer wall of a one-story house is insulated with straw, there is no external facade. A ladder leans against the house, a middle-aged man steps out of the open door onto the dirt floor. He wears jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. — Photo: Antoine Bruy

Dossier

The limits of growth

The limits of growth have been reached, the climate crisis is real, the war in Ukraine is shaking up global politics. With the world in crisis mode, it's time to consume less!

A woman is standing at the open window, her face turned away from us, looking into the distance. She wears a black headscarf and a patterned outer garment. — Photo: Sayed Aman Sadat

Dossier

Women’s rights in Afghanistan

Since the withdrawal of NATO in 2021, women in Afghanistan have been stripped of their rights, freedom and dignity by the Taliban. In this dossier, they raise their voices!

Three people standing on a sheet of water. — Photo: Mustafah Abdulaziz

Dossier

Are we running out of water?

Without water, life on our planet would be impossible, but we are too careless with it. A dossier on the complicated relationship between humans and the big

White illustration on black background shows a small orchestra playing together on a podium on the right, and a single triangle player standing excluded from the central action on the left, eager to join in. — Illustration: Felix Möller

Dossier

Polarised society

How fairly do we all live together? Who has power, who is left on the sidelines? How do we deal with other people’s opinions? Our issue on culture clashes

Gitte Zschoch

Secretary general, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen

A black-haired woman in an elegant blazer against a neutral background — Photo: Ole Witt for KULTURAUSTAUSCH

Personal history | North Korea

Fleeing North Korea

Choi Song Hui served as a loyal soldier in North Korea’s army, but then fled across the border river. She now lives in Seoul where she continues to fight for human rights in her home country

By Choi Song Hui11/04/2024

Photo: Axel Javier Sulzbacher

Environment | Mexico

Avocados: The green gold rush

The global appetite for avocados is generating big bucks in Michoacán. Behind the scenes, criminal groups illegally clear forests and steal municipal water for cultivation. The risks are large but the benefits remain in the hands of a few

By Heriberto Paredes Coronel10/28/2024

Textile art exhibition: a man stands in the exhibition space at the Barbican in London and looks at long lengths of fabric hanging from the ceiling — Photo: Jemima Yong / Barbican Art Gallery

Art l International

A show of powerful textile art in Amsterdam

For a long time, textile art was belittled as a women’s craft. A new exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam shows the subversive potential of this art form

By Helen Jennings10/27/2024

A crowd of people in the open air accompanies an open coffin. The men carrying the coffin are dressed in protective waistcoats and helmets labelled ‘Press’ — Photo: Hussam Al-Qoliaa

Freedom of the press | Yemen

Assassinated, imprisoned, exiled

A complex civil war with international involvement has been raging in Yemen for years. It is extremely dangerous for journalists to pursue their profession, Yemeni journalists still pay a heavy price for the civil war. Many have left the country and young reporters with no training are taking their place

By Samia al-Aghbary10/17/2024

Michael Levy is sitting at a table in front of a wall, holding a microphone. He is illuminated and is apparently speaking to an audience. He is wearing a T-shirt with a picture of another young man, his kidnapped brother Or Levy — Photo: private via qantara.de

Conflict | Israel

“We have to get them back now”

Or Levy was abducted by Hamas from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023. In this interview, his brother Michael discusses his family’s experience over the last twelve months, his hopes and fears for the future, and the ongoing campaign to free Or from captivity

10/07/2024

A young man with a naked upper body poses in front of a gray background. He is wearing an extravagant collar made of black feathers and a black cowboy hat decorated with a metal bird. The long fringes on the edge of the hat cover the man's eyes — Photo: Arlene Mejorado

Gender roles | Mexico

“It’s okay to be flamboyant if you’re macho”

The Texan Mexican artist José Villalobos focuses on the clothing of Mexican Norteño culture. It’s extravagant and camp but is also seen as the epitome of masculinity

Interview with José Villalobos09/14/2024

Photo: Ali Ghandtschi

Shared society | Israel

“How do you keep a vision of peace without sounding naïve?”

Avital Benshalom runs the Hagar School in Be’er Sheva, where Jewish and Arab children learn together. How did the school continue its work after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza?

Interview with Avital Benshalom09/12/2024

Photo: Ali Ghandtschi

Shared society | Israel

“I don’t want coexistence if I don’t have equality”

In Israel, the Jewish and Arab populations share a common everyday life, but currently the peaceful coexistence could escalate any moment. Mohammad Darawshe, Strategy Director of Israeli peace organization Givat Haviva, talks about emergency programs and damage limitation

Interview with Mohammad Darawshe09/12/2024

A colorful illustration shows axolotls — Collage: Julia Neller, Photos: Getty Images

Biodiversity | Mexico

The incredible transformation of the axolotl

The iconic axelotl has fascinated Aztecs, scientists and became a meme. But is that enough to bring it back from the brink of extinction?

By Andrés Cota Hiriart09/11/2024

A light-flooded, light grey and soberly furnished hall. Winter sunlight falls through the window front on the left. The room is recognisable as an exhibition hall thanks to display cases and wall texts — Photo: Max Hart Nibbrig

Remembrance | Netherlands

A house of loss

For a very long time, the Netherlands had no national memorial to the victims of the Shoah. For the recently opened National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam, the team led by director Emile Schrijver developed a new approach to commemorating the genocide

By Senay Boztas09/09/2024

A young woman wears a tight-fitting, colourful T-shirt. She looks to the side and holds her pigtails to the right and left. She is standing in front of an undefined grey wall — Photo: El Rey de Aragón

Pop culture | Mexico

The sound of Mexico

Paulina Sotomayor sang in a mariachi band for years, but today she mixes electro with Mexican folk music, cumbia, conga and afrobeats. This is her personal playlist to celebrate female empowerment

By Paulina Sotomayor09/07/2024

An illustration depicts Mexican commuters — Illustration: Daniel Barreto

Notes and observations | Mexico

A journey into the heart of Mexico City

The average “chilango”, or resident of Mexico City, spends around one and a half hours a day on public transport. An essay on public and semi-public transport in the Mexican capital

By Mateo García Elizondo09/07/2024