Dossiers

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

Born into a rural Indigenous community, Eufrosina Mendoza Cruz was hardly destined to pursue a political career. Yet, she championed the rights of Mexican Indigenous women, becoming both an activist and a member of parliament. A conversation about self-determination and perseverance

In Mexico, there’s often a gap between women’s rights on paper and in reality: Violence against women is rampant, many girls fall pregnant, unpaid care work is mostly on women’s shoulders. Five feminist activists take stock: what has improved, what still needs to be done?

Brutal violence against women is not uncommon in Mexico. The writer Gabriela Jauregui has collected quotes from perpetrators in court, creating a harrowing poem

Mexico’s outgoing president launched extensive social reforms, and his successor Claudia Sheinbaum promises to continue his work. What has changed so far? A snapshot of the prevailing mood in Mexico City

Things are getting tight for small farmers in Indonesia’s capital. The rapid growth of the infrastructure makes them fear for their fields

Slovakian author Katarína Kucbelová spent two years visiting the seamstress Iľka in a remote village. Her episodic novel “The Bonnet” talks about tradition and village life, hidden racism and the social exclusion of Roma people