Link List #110: Japanese folk dance, Ghana’s debut pavilion, and the first female head of the African common market - Friends of Friends / Freunde von Freunden (FvF)

Link List #110: Japanese folk dance, Ghana’s debut pavilion, and the first female head of the African common market

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Link List #110: Japanese folk dance, Ghana’s debut pavilion, and the first female head of the African common market

This week, we’ve been reading about Ghana’s debut pavilion at the Venice Biennale, why environmental activist Greta Thunberg views her Asperger’s as a gift, and the form of Japanese folk dance that is fighting for survival.

John Akomfrah, Vertigo Sea, 2015, Courtesy of Smoking Dogs Films and Lisson Gallery
  • To celebrate Ghana’s first appearance at the Venice Biennale, SLEEK magazine takes a look at how artists are re-imagining the past, present, and future for the West African country’s debut pavilion.

  • Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has achieved a lot for a sixteen-year-old, from inspiring a school strike to addressing the European Parliament on climate change. Thunberg herself attributes her success to having Asperger’s syndrome, which she views as a gift as it allows her to “see things from outside the box.” Find out more on The Times.

  • From “career success is fulfilling” to “you have to find your own truth”, The New York Times opinion columnist David Brooks debunks five lies that our culture has led us to believe.

  • New African Woman speaks to Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, the first woman to become secretary general of the Common Market for Southern and Eastern Africa since its formation in 1994.

  • As debates continue about whether the money donated to help rebuild Notre Dame should have been put towards more worthy humanitarian causes, The Guardian gives a platform to its readers to share their opinions on the matter.

  • Kagura is an ancient style of Japanese dance on the cusp of extinction, suffering from Japan’s aging crisis and a general decline in folk performing arts in the country. But there is hope yet. The Japan Times speaks to Ryuichi Kimura, a nineteen-year-old kagura dancer who is determined to bring the art form to a new generation.

Hopefully you enjoyed the reads from this week’s Link List, but if you’ve still got an internet itch to scratch, you can find more here.

Also, be sure to check out FvF Mixtapes for some tracks selected by our friends and favorite artists, and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with FvF stories.

Text: Emily May

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