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KULTURAUSTAUSCH

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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A family is sitting on a blanket under a tree having a picnic. The ground is dry and stony. There are 15 people in total, from young children to old women.

Dossier

Parents and children

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Das Bild zeigt einen Blick über Taipeh mit zahlreichen hochaufragenden Hochhäusern. Die Lichtstimmung am Himmel wechselt dramatisch zwischen hell und dunkel.

Dossier

Voices from Taiwan

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Photo: Bas Losekoot
Family life | South Korea
The silent protest of women in South Korea
The East Asian country has a demographic problem: its population is ageing rapidly but many women have no desire to have children
By Hawon Jung04/30/2024
Photo: Gary Doak / Alamy
Manifesto | Mexico
My president
For the first time in history Mexico voted for a female president. Following Claudia Sheinbaum’s landslide win, the writer Gabriela Jauregui lists her demands for the new Presidenta
By Gabriela Jauregui05/29/2024

Ulrich Raulff

President, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen

Ruben Donsbach is an editor. At KULTURAUSTAUSCH, he has recently covered indigenous futurism and China’s ‘abandoned children’, among other things. He loves derailing wooden Brio trains with his son, with Eros Ramazotti blasting from the loudspeakers. Here are his 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

Five people are seen in a group portrait, three women and two men. They look friendly into the camera and stand in an office stairwell — The KULTURAUSTAUSCH team

Photo: Ole Witt

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?

Indigenous groups have long struggled to protect their traditional ways of life. Young activists are now building up international networks:

“Indigeneity is not a label”
Maori, Masaai, Inuit: Kenyan activist Mali Ole Kaunga about the power of international networking

The taste of home
We asked eight people which food they associate most with their indigenous community

“Cholitas on skateboards”
Young indigenous women skateboard through Cochabamba wearing traditional dress

You’ll find this and much more in our current issue!

Order German issue Read selected articles

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

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

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

In a snowy, dark wasteland, a slanted entrance to an underground cellar juts out. The glass door in the entrance is illuminated by the sun. — Photo: Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum Photos

Dossier

Underground

We plunder raw materials, build secret escape tunnels and dig up remnants of prehistoric times: There is much more happening under our feet than we realise. A journey into the underground

Gitte Zschoch

Secretary general, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen

Photo: Gary Doak / Alamy

Manifesto | Mexico

My president

For the first time in history Mexico voted for a female president. Following Claudia Sheinbaum’s landslide win, the writer Gabriela Jauregui lists her demands for the new Presidenta

By Gabriela Jauregui05/29/2024

Two women in winter clothes can be seen in an urban environment. Behind them are the billboards of a large shopping centre. — Photo: Bas Losekoot

Family life | South Korea

The silent protest of women in South Korea

The East Asian country has a demographic problem: its population is ageing rapidly but many women have no desire to have children

By Hawon Jung04/30/2024

Zwei Wächter sitzen auf Plastikstühlen, im Hintergrund sieht man eine Mauer und Palmen — Foto: Niklas Grapatin/laif

Design | Monobloc

Chair Today, Gone Tomorrow

In Europe, critics consider the Monobloc to be tasteless plastic rubbish. But for many people around the world, it’s the only affordable chair that is actually comfortable

By Heng Zhi04/19/2024

Photo: Vanessa Ellingham

Indigenous life | New Zealand

A long-awaited comeback

New Plymouth is on New Zealand's North Island, and before the British arrived, the Maori community of Te Ātiawa lived here. Now, finally, they are shaping the cityscape again

By Vanessa Ellingham04/16/2024

Photo: Shirin Neshat

Art | Iran

The body as a battleground

The artist Shirin Neshat has long been concerned with the role of women in Iran. Her work has never been as topical as it is today

By Jess Smee04/15/2024

Photo: Daniel Lara Cardona

Music | Colombia

The beats of Bogotá

Colombia’s capital is home to a vibrant and political rap scene which reaches a large audience with its powerful lyrics

By Juan Álvarez04/15/2024

[Translate to English:] Modernes Haus mit drei Bögen im Grünen — Photo: BVN Architecture

Architecture | Australia

“Building with country”

The Australian architect Kevin O’Brien fuses indigenous and colonial legacies to create buildings that reflect the culture and climate of their locations. A conversation about Torres Straits Islanders’ beach huts, clichés about modernism and loving Australia

Interview with Kevin O’Brien04/15/2024

A man in a yellow T-shirt and baseball cap stands on a balcony, his gaze fixed on the wall of the tower block opposite, the number 93 written on his back — Photo: Marvin Bonheur

Society | France

“People we wouldn’t notice”

French photographer Marvin Bonheur grew up in the banlieue of Paris. Today, he works internationally as a documentary photographer and in advertising. In both fields, he is aiming to portray those who are most often overlooked

Interview with Marvin Bonheur04/03/2024

Young woman with raised fist in a crowd of people, police officers next to her — Photo: Rasmus Berg

Indigenous rights | Norway

Wind turbines on Saami land

Norway spent decades trying to force the Saami to assimilate. The activist Ida Helene Benonisen is fighting for indigenous rights – in the tradition of her forefathers

By Ida Helene Benonisen04/03/2024

Man walking in the desert — Photo: Azim Haidaryan

Indigenous futurism

“I love science fiction”

Futuristic films such as “Dune” often feature desert peoples reminiscent of the Amazigh culture of North Africa — without acknowledging their influence. British-Moroccan filmmaker and designer Elias Riadi, in contrast, is building on the Amazigh tradition of his ancestors to create his very own version of an „indigenous futurism“

Interview with Elias Riadi04/02/2024

A young woman in traditional clothing skates past shopkeepers who stare after her in amazement — Photo: Luisa Dörr

Youth culture | Bolivia

“Cholitas” on skateboards

Young indigenous women skateboard through Cochabamba wearing traditional dress. Daniela Santiváñez explains what sparked them to form the collective ImillaSkate and how they stop their hats from flying off in the wind

Interview with Daniela Santivañez04/02/2024

[Translate to English:] — 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