Dossiers

The rapper Kasidech Saengjan voices the struggles of people in Thai slums. In this playlist, he gives his personal soundtrack to day-to-day life in Khlong Toei

Informal settlements in particular can benefit from nature-based solutions. Researchers Darryn McEvoy and Mittul Vahanvati explain how planting the right grasses is helping a community in the Pacific region

Favelas are a hotbed of innovation. This is where the Expo Favela business trade fair comes in, working to showcase companies from Brazil's informal settlements

The writer Helon Habila grew up in Nigeria, later moved to the UK and now lives in the USA. In his books he revisits the people, places and politics he has experienced first-hand

The Ugandan director and producer Isaac Nabwana has made a name for himself with his bloody and humorous action films. His films are made on a tight budget in Wakaliga, a slum in the capital Kampala, is also known as Wakaliwood in a nod to Hollywood

Some 300,000 people live in Cité Soleil, the slum in Port-au-Prince in Haiti, a place of gangs, evangelical zealots and abject poverty. An essay by Lyonel Trouillot about the neighbourhood's history and the multitude of lives that have unfolded there

After coming to power in 2015, the Polish PiS transformed public television in Poland into a propaganda machine. In 2023, the new Prime Minister Donald Tusk immediately set about restoring the independence of the state media. But the dismantling of democratic controls had been thorough

Impoverished and criminal, that's the stereotype of favelas. But in reality, they are enormous business hubs. The Expo Favela trade fair is working to promote start ups from Brazil's informal settlements

For the first time, ‘The Queer Arab Glossary’ is a compilation of Arabic slang from the scene - from affectionate to derogatory. A conversation with the editor

Many people think of informal settlements as something that only exists in the Global South - but there are also slums in Europe. Geoscientist Monika Kuffer maps these areas all over the world, making the invisible visible

Arun Chaudhary made a name for himself as Barack Obama's ‘First Cameraman’. Today, he advises political parties in many countries on their digital strategies. A conversation about the fine line between authenticity and spectacle

For ten years, Boko Haram has been kidnapping people in northern Nigeria, including countless schoolchildren. But why are authorities so powerless?

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

Peso Pluma fills stadiums with a mix of traditional Mexican sounds and international pop. His songs about drug violence and love trigger strong emotions among fans and critics alike

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