The Cultural Frontline

This week, we hear from artists who've been making a difference in their local communities. Sudanese filmmaker Hajooj Kuka first spoke to The Cultural Frontline in 2019 when he was filming the protests taking place after Sudanese President Al Bashir had been deposed following 30 years of authoritarian rule. Anu Anand catches up with Hajooj to hear about the community filmmaking projects he's been undertaking through his local neighborhood committee. The Russian Tajik musician and campaigner Manizha moved with her family to Russia aged four to escape the civil war in Tajikistan. A successful singer songwriter, she was the last person to represent Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest. She explains how many of her concerts have been cancelled due to her opposition to the war in Ukraine and how her music supports the work of her SILSILA foundation which helps those who have experienced domestic violence, along with championing the rights of refugees and migrants. Shine Tani is a successful Kenyan artist with his art gallery at the centre of the Banana Hill community just north of Nairobi. Shine came from a poor background, surviving by begging and performing as an acrobat on the streets with his brothers. Self-taught, he now represents over 100 artists from across the continent and his work has helped change the status of local art in the country.

The myriad of indigenous communities in Canada share a painful history. But today, Canada's indigenous artists are using music, from rock to round dance, to interrogate still-felt horrors, to heal, and to share stories, culture and languages that were violently suppressed for decades. In Toronto, the traditional territory of the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and many other nations, we meet Jeremy Dutcher. His debut album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, is sung entirely in the language of his Wolastoq community, and is a mix of opera, pop melodies and piano. In the city of London, the traditional territory of peoples such as the Attawandaron and Anishinaabeg, Anishinaabe musician Adam Sturgeon puts healing at the forefront of his bands Status/Non-Status and Ombiigizi's artistic vision. Further west, in Winnipeg, lives composer Melody McKiver. They are an assistant professor of Indigenous Music at the University of Manitoba, where they are putting together courses to educate students on indigenous history, through the lens of music. They are a member of the Obishikokaang First Nation. Even further west, in the Treaty 6 territory of Alberta, lives Fawn Wood. A Plains Cree and Salish Tribes traditional singer, Fawn is one of the first female indigenous musicians to use a hand drum in her music. Producer: Sasha Edye-Lindner A Just Radio production for BBC World Service (Photo: GasS. Credit: Matthew Wiewel)

What resources do artists around the world need to express themselves fully? Where should the money come from? And what, if any role should governments play? This week we're exploring the question of who should pay for the arts and how. It's one with broad implications for the type of culture being made, and the type of people who get to make it. Brazilian writer, illustrator and Cultural Manager Mauricio Negro tells Tina Daheley about a tumultuous time for Brazilian artists, brought about by former President Jair Bolsonaro's cultural reforms, which included the dissolution of Brazil's Ministry of Culture and significant cuts in government funding available the culture sector. Marcel Pardo Ariza is a contemporary Colombian artist working in photography and installation who uses ‘they/them' pronouns. In October 2021 they were offered a place on San Francisco's new Artists Minimum income scheme, receiving $1,000 per month to sustain their career as an artist. They tell us about the impact the money had on them and their work. Americans for the Arts Executive Director Nina Ozlu Tunceli then debates the broader implications of such a scheme with US writer and commentator Alexander Zubatov. Plus US artist Natasha Bouchillonn talks about combining her skills in marketing and art to create a very successful business, an example of how an entrepreneurial approach can help artists who may not think they can afford it to sustain a career free of government support. And South African playwright Mike Van Graan reflects on his career campaigning for broader access to culture in the country for artists and audiences. Van Graan, who was a cultural advisor to the country's first post-apartheid government, recently took part in a review of the theatre and dance sectors in the country that led to a set of proposals including the issuing of special vouchers to enable poorer households to attend the theatre. (Photo credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

On this week's programme we're looking at the explosion of interest in the role of artificial intelligence, particularly since the arrival of a new generation of AI powered chatbots like Google Bard, DALL-E 2 and Open Al's ChatGPT, which is reportedly the fastest growing consumer app of all time. Tina Daheley talks to two visual artists using AI in their work; Dr Melisa Achoko Allela and Jeremiah Ikongio. Melisa's virtual reality storytelling project uses ChatGPT to help retell and digitise traditional African stories. Jeremiah uses an AI algorithm to generate new artworks based on the style of the late Nigerian modernist painter Uche Okeke. Jeremiah has since developed his own AI web application AfroDreams to create a mix of contemporary and traditional images. The Swedish drama director, Jenny Elfving and Polish science researcher Piotr Mirowski are two members of the creative team behind the AI experimental theatre company Improbotics. The company have developed an onstage chatbot called A.L.Ex, which can generate lines for actors to respond to during spontaneous improvised performances. We hear A.L.Ex and the actors in action in the programme. US artist Holly Herndon works with computer software and AI to create innovative music, songs and sounds. She told the BBC's Andrea Kidd how she has developed a digital computer twin called Holly + that can sing melodies in a number of languages and styles using Holly's original voice. Producers: Anna Bailey, Andrea Kidd and Hannah Dean. (Photo: Improbotics perform on stage. Credit: Eleanora Briscoe/Edinburgh International Improv Festival 2020)

To mark the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Tina Daheley talks to documentary film directors Alisa Kovalenko and Yelizaveta Smith about their experiences over the past year and how that has shaped their work. Alisa's feature We Will Not Fade Away tells the story of teenagers growing up in eastern Ukraine against the background of war and was selected for the Berlin Film Festival. Yelizaveta's feature School Number Three is about a school in the Donbas, which was destroyed during the war. Andrey Kurkov is one of Ukraine's most famous and prolific writers. His novel Death And The Penguin is a worldwide best seller and his books are full of black humour and intrigue. He is also a diarist who has been sharing his thoughts and experiences on life in Ukraine for the BBC. To mark this first anniversary he has written a piece especially for The Cultural Frontline. Ukrainian comedian Hanna Kochegura is currently taking her stand-up across Ukraine in a countrywide tour visiting 19 cities. She tells us why humour can be powerful in a time of war. Over the past decade, the club scene in Kyiv has been growing, with thousands of people attending raves known for their raw energy and vibe. One of the people at the centre of this scene is Pavlo Derhachov, co-founder and manager of the experimental club Otel'. He told The Cultural Frontline about the impact of the invasion on the club. (Image: A drawing of a bird on a wall in Kyiv. Credit: Roman Pilipey/Getty Images)

Rap is huge in India and Desi hip-hop, the music and culture which combines the influences of hip-hop and the Indian subcontinent, is about to go global. Fan and champion Bobby Friction meets the leading artists on the scene as US rap legend Nas, begins a new hip-hop label in Mumbai. Nas has no doubt that the next global rap superstar will come from India but hip-hop culture is about more than shifting records. Rap is giving India's lower caste, religious minorities and women a space to speak truth to power and change the narrative around who can be a music star. Bobby speaks with Raja Kumari who was signed by Nas but is now stepping out on her own label Godmother Records with the intention of pushing female rappers in a male dominated scene. Prabh Deep is the Sikh class warrior and poet taking rap to new artistic levels from the grimiest parts of Delhi but also scoring hits with his take on life in India today. Prabh's label mate Ahmer is the politically conscious Muslim rapper from Kashmir who uses music to process the violence he has witnessed in the disputed territory. These rising stars alongside artists like KRSNA, Raftaar, Naezy and Divine are inspiring a new generation of hip-hop heads in Delhi, Mumbai and across India. (Photo: Bobby Friction at a hip-hop event in Mumbai)

Authors from around the world tell us why and how they reflect on our global climate crisis in their stories. Tina Daheley talks to three authors about the challenges and opportunities in putting climate change in their books - how to be realistic but encourage the reader to take action rather than despair. Bestselling thriller writer Peter May joins us from France. His new book, A Winter Grave, uses crime fiction to get a climate message across to readers who might not expect it. Bijal Vachharajani in India writes and commissions books for children. Her books include A Cloud Called Bhura, So You Want to Know About the Environment, and Savi and the Memory Keeper.  And Pitchaya Sudbanthad was born in Thailand in the city which lends its name to his book, Bangkok Wakes To Rain. Producer: Paul Waters (Image: Concept illustration of an open book and tree with one side burning. Credit: SIphotography)

Erica Gillingham is joined by a panel of leading international LGBTQ+ writers to discuss the growing popularity of queer fiction and the challenges posed by book bans. At a time when sales are increasing and LGBTQ+ authors are winning awards, in countries including the United States, Russia and Hungary, movements to remove books portraying queer characters are on the rise. The panel also explore the ways social media is influencing the kinds of LGBTQ+ stories being written, for example the way younger readers like to find books by certain story tropes, and also the importance of showing LGBTQ+ characters leading happy, fulfilled lives. Malinda Lo is the bestselling author of seven novels, including most recently A Scatter of Light. Her novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club won the United States' National Book Award, yet her work is banned in 25 school districts in half a dozen states. She explains how award-winning books can sometimes attract unwanted attention. Danny Ramadan is a Syrian-Canadian author and adovate for LGBTQ+ refugees. His debut novel, The Clothesline Swing, was shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award, longlisted for Canada Reads, and named a Best Book of the Year by the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. Danny explains the need for young people from minorities to access spaces where they can see themselves represented. Adiba Jaigirdar is the author of The Henna Wars, Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating and A Million to One. A Bangladeshi/Irish writer and former teacher, she has an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent. She tells us about the important role older writers, particularly lesbian storytellers including Malinda Lo, played in inspiring her desire to write. Erica Gillingham is a a poet, writer and bookseller with a PhD in queer young adult literature. Her debut poetry pamphlet, The Human Body is a Hive, was published in March 2022. ​ Produced by Simon Richardson. (Photo: Adiba Jaigirdar, Erica Gillingham, Danny Ramadan and Malinda Lo. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)

Tina Daheley talks to two film-makers who are highlighting Indigenous communities across North America. Blackfoot and Sámi actor and producer Elle Maija Tailfeathers is the director of the documentary Kímmapiiyipitssini - The Meaning of Empathy, which explores the opioid crisis in her community. Navajo Diné director and writer Ivey Camille Manybeads Tso's film Powerlands, documents the impact of chemical companies on Indigenous land. Daniel Riley is the artistic director and choreographer of the Australian Dance Theatre. His latest piece, Tracker, has just had its world premiere at the Sydney Festival. It is based on the personal story of his great-great uncle who was a Wiradjuri Elder and tracker in the police force in Australia. Reporter Regina Botros spoke to Daniel, along with some of the other First Nations creatives, about the importance of putting stories like this on stage. The veteran left wing politician Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known widely as Lula, was recently sworn in as president of Brazil, having beaten the right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a tense election contest. In a change of policy from the Bolsonaro administration, Lula has pledged "zero deforestation" in the Amazon by 2030, which is home to many Indigenous communities, and he has also announced a new Ministry of Indigenous Peoples. Edson Krenak is part of the flourishing Indigenous literature scene, and along with other writers, he has been at the forefront of storytelling across the country in order to bring about a dialogue between all cultures. (Photo: A still from Tracker. Credit: Australian Dance Theatre)

On this week's The Cultural Frontline we explore the power of music and how artists have been using it to highlight issues including politics and the #MeToo movement. Prakash Neupane is a Nepali rapper and writer who mixes hip hop and R&B with social and political messages. His songs address the issues facing Nepal and his thoughts on the political situation in the country and its complex recent history. Prakash talks to Tina Daheley about why he feels rap is a good way of getting his message across and his role in a flourishing new wave of the Nepali hip hop scene. The Australian actor Cate Blanchett has just won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of a fictitious classical music conductor and composer in Todd Field's new film Tár. It follows the downfall of Lydia Tár who is at the pinnacle of her career when she is accused of bullying and sexual misconduct towards her fellow musicians. Cate speaks to reporter Anna Bailey about why she wanted to take on this role and shares her response to the criticisms the film has faced. They are also joined by the creative force behind Tár's score, the award-winning Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. Hildur discusses her own experiences of being a woman creating music. Plus Syrian clarinettist and composer, Kinan Azmeh. He's recently performed his own works with the London Philharmonic Orchestra as part of their A place to call home series, which explores issues of displacement and exile. Kinan speaks to The Cultural Frontline's Andrea Kidd about how his works, including his Clarinet Concerto, have been influenced by the Syrian civil war and the importance of home. (Photo: Cate Blanchett in Tár. Credit: Universal)

In the UK and Ireland a new music phenomenon is growing - bands that are speaking over their songs instead of singing. Is a new guitar music movement being born? Fontaines D.C., Dry Cleaning and Yard Act, as well as solo artists including Billy Nomates and Sinead O'Brien are just some of the acts using speech prominently in their music. It is not just vocal performance that has been commented on - many emerging bands have been described as having a ‘post-punk' guitar music style and lyrics rich in social commentary. Musician and broadcaster Gemma Bradley meets bands and vocalists to find out more about this exciting music trend and why. James Smith, songwriter and vocalist of English band Yard Act explains why he was attracted to what he describes as ‘spoken word, politically forward' guitar music. He reflects on the power of vocal performance and how the Covid pandemic affected his song writing. Irish vocalist Sinead O'Brien performs on stage with a guitarist and drummer and works in poetry as well as music. She meets Gemma backstage before a gig to discuss how versatile and impactful speech in music can be. Fionn Reilly from Belfast band Enola Gay explains to Gemma what inspires his energetic performance style, vocal delivery and the band's song lyrics. Gemma also visits the prolific and much sought-after producer Dan Carey at his London studio. He has worked with many guitar bands that use speech in their music including Fontaines D.C., Squid, Wet Leg and black midi, and describes the freedom available for artists unconstrained by the parameters of singing. (Photo: Yard Act (James Smith: vocals, Ryan Needham: Bass, Sam Shipstone: Guitar, Jay Russell: Drums and Christopher Duffin: Keys/Sax) perform live on 6 Music's Steve Lamacq show in Maida Vale studio, Nov. 2022. Credit: Mark Allan/BBC)

As Brazil enters a challenging and uncertain era under the new president, British-Brazilian writer Yara Rodrigues Fowler talks to its artists about the small utopias they are creating. Writer Natalia Borges Polesso centres the non-romantic relationships of queer characters to forge precious connections in a country that is increasingly polarised. In her short story collection, Amora, she wanted readers to feel understood, while her latest novel The Extinction of Bees, urges readers to see the collapse happening all around them, and reimagine their present in order to create a better future. In 2018, the sacred Indigenous cave of Kamakuwaká was vandalised. Photographer Piratá Waujá is helping his community to create a virtual reality experience in order to preserve their culture for future generations, and challenge fake news about Indigenous people. Keyna Eleison, the co-artistic director of the Modern Art Museum in Rio de Janeiro, takes us around Nakoada, the centenary exhibition of the birth of Brazilian Modernism. She discusses how humour can slowly shift the Eurocentric definition of art, and the importance of diverse collaborations in leaving an ‘intelligent' legacy. Elisa Larkin Nascimento, activist and collaborator of the late polymath Abdias Nascimento, is thrilled to have a two-year exhibition of the Black Art Museum in rural Brazil. She opens it with an ancient Afro-Brazilian procession in order to strengthen links with the surrounding quilombos, or communities of runaway enslaved people. As the new president, Lula, makes ambitious commitments to diverse communities and the arts, what do they hope might change for them and their work? Producer: Eloise Stevens An Overcoat Media production for BBC World Service Image: Dramatist Leda Maria Martins with Congado Mineiro at Inhotim (Credit: Zezzyinho Andraddy)

This week we hear from some of the women who've been making their mark in 2022. Danupha Khanatheerakul, known by her stage name Milli, is a 20-year-old Thai rapper. Last year she criticised the Thai government's response to COVID 19 and was charged with defamation, which led to the hashtag #SaveMilli trending on social media. She's been chosen as one of the BBC's 100 Women, which is a celebration of inspiring and influential women who've contributed to our world in incredible ways. Milli told the BBC's Valeria Perasso why she felt compelled to challenge Thai stereotypes and the government, and the impact of eating the Thai dessert of mango sticky rice onstage. The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021 and since their return many aspects of women's lives have been curtailed, including the ability to study. Music and the arts have also been banned across the country. To mark the first anniversary of the Taliban takeover, singer songwriter Elaha Soroor, along with other Afghan diaspora creatives, launched ‘Fly with Me,' a festival of music and kite flying that took place across Europe. In a conversation that was recorded before the Taliban ordered an indefinite ban on female higher education, Elaha spoke to the BBC Afghan journalist Sana Safi about the festival, and also about being a female singer in Afghanistan and her time on the TV talent show Afghan Star. The US poet Maggie Wang has won a number of awards this year including The Young Poets Network's Poems to Solve the Climate Crisis Challenge and Our Whole Lives, We Are Protest: A Poetry Challenge Inspired by the People of 1381. She's recently published her debut collection of poetry called The Sun on the Tip of a Snail's Shell. She told the BBC's Tina Daheley why she was drawn to creating poems highlighting the extinction of animals and plants. (Photo: Milli)

This week, as people around the world gather with family, Chibundu Onuzo presents a series of conversations between artists across the generations exploring what unites and divides them. In the USA it's estimated that nearly a quarter of the population will be 65 or older by the year 2060 with more and more of the country's resources needed to care for them. In Nigeria, a young population of average age 18 is questioning the ability of older politicians to understand their needs. In light of these debates, we listen in on conversations between artists from different generations. Jewish American novelist Daniel Torday, 43, meets African American writer Monica Brashears, 25. Daniel is the author of Boomer1, a novel exploring intergenerational strife in the Baltimore suburbs and Monica is about to release her debut novel, House of Cotton, a gothic story set in the American South. They talk about their shared anxiety over climate change and the tensions between Gen Z and Baby Boomers. Two musicians from India, Suhail Yusuf Khan, in his 30s, and Sarvar Sabri who's in his 60s discuss the way their musical tradition is handed down and different approaches to the student teacher relationship. Plus Australian Aboriginal artists, Mother and daughter Lauren Jarrett, 65, and Melissa Greenwood, 38, talk about their shared artistic practice and how making work helps them address intergenerational trauma within their community. Producer: Simon Richardson (Photo: Lauren Jarrett and Melissa Greenwood)

Soudade Kaadan's speks to Sana Safi about her new film Nezouh, which tells the story of a young girl and her family caught in the centre of the Syrian conflict as they remain in their besieged hometown of Damascus. It is a story that has personal resonance for Soudade as Damascus was a place that she also once called home. Inspired by a photo of a bomb-damaged house, she began writing the script in 2013. It's a allegorical tale told through the eyes of a young girl, with magical realism, female emancipation and finding hope in chaos at its heart. Both Sana Safi and Atia Abawi's lives were shaped by the war between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union in the 1980s and the 2001 invasion by the United States and NATO as part of what became known as the War on Terror. Both Sana and Atia have dedicated their careers to telling the story of Afghans. Afghanistan's story is not just one of conflict but also family, tradition, and a rich cultural history. The two writers discuss how they tell these stories in both journalism and in fiction. Andrey Kurkov is an author of critically acclaimed and best-selling novels. He has become a de facto voice of Ukraine as he shares his diaries and despatches from Kyiv spread the news of daily life in a warzone. Meanwhile, fellow Ukrainian writer Artem Chapeye has left behind the writer's desk after signing up to become a private in the Ukrainian army. Andrey and Artem explain to Sana Safi what it is like to be a writer in conflict, whether war is shaping their writing, and what impact they think the war will have on the future of Ukrainian storytelling. Producer: Sofie Vilcins (Photo: Still from Nezouh by Soudade Kaadan. Credit: Nezouh ltd/BFI/Film4)

This week we discuss how art can help reconnect us to those who are missing or have been disappeared. It's estimated that around 20,000 people go missing in Poland every year. Artist Zuzanna Pieczynska explores the impact of this in her work, with her paintings often focusing on the lives of the people left behind. She tells Tina Daheley more about her project ‘Each year in Poland a small town disappears.' Thousands of people were disappeared during the dictatorships in countries across South America. A new play, called REWIND, by physical theatre company Ephemeral Ensemble, has been inspired by testimonies of South American political refugees who fled the dictatorships, as well as the more recent stories from young migrants caught up in violent repression following demonstrations in the region. Performers Andrés Velásquez and Eyglo Belafonte along with director Ramon Ayres talk to reporter Constanza Hola about the show. Loss and disappearance have been topics across much of Hisham Matar's work. The Pulitzer prize winning writer has been inspired by his own life experiences, after his father was kidnapped in Egypt by Colonel Gaddafi's regime, taken back to Libya and never seen again. Hisham shares a piece of art that changed him, a film from a director who has influenced his thinking as an author, the French filmmaker Robert Bresson, and in particular Bresson's 1959 film ‘Pickpocket'. In the 1994 Rwandan genocide, an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by dominant Hutu forces in 100 days. For her piece, The Book of Life, Rwandan playwright and director Odile Gakire Katese, known as Kiki Katese, tells the story of that conflict and the remembrance of those who died, through the letters of ordinary Rwandans. (Picture: Julia by Zuzanna Pieczyńska. Credit: Zuzanna Pieczyńska)

The film Joyland is set in Lahore and tells the story of Haider, a married man who falls in love with the transgender dancer Biba. It's the first Pakistani film to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and it won the Jury Prize as well as the Queer Palm prize. It has also been selected as the Pakistani entry for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards. Despite having a standing ovation at Cannes, the film has had a more controversial reaction in Pakistan itself. Originally cleared for release, that decision was then overturned. However the film is now out in cinemas in Pakistan, although remains banned in the Punjab. Tina Daheley speaks to Joyland's writer and director Saim Sadiq and film critic Kamran Jawaid. Brazilian director and screenwriter Gabriel Martins took inspiration from his own childhood experience when he made his new film Mars One. It tells the story of a working-class Black Brazilian family adjusting to life after the election of President Jair Bolsanaro. Like Joyland, it has also been selected as its country's submission for Best International Feature Film at the next Academy Awards. Lone Scherfig is a Danish film-maker best known for her romantic comedies including An Education and One Day. She talks about the film that changed her - Austrian director Michael Haneke's 2009 German-language film The White Ribbon. It is a movie with a troubling message about the history of Europe and one that inspires her to ask big, important questions in her own work. (Photo: A still from Joyland. Credit: Studio Soho)

Cultural restitution is an issue that creates fierce debate in response to the work of campaigners, curators and nation states, who argue that collections in some of the world's great cultural institutions contain objects that may have been acquired illegitimately, often during the colonial period. Over the last two years an unprecedented number of restitution claims have been approved by museums and governments. This week two former UK culture ministers teamed up to call for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures removed from Athens in Greece by Lord Elgin, currently on display in the British Museum and last month Benin Bronzes which had been displayed in the USA were returned to the Kingdom of Benin in modern day Nigeria. Some commentators argue that a new way of operating for museums is unfolding before our eyes. It is a global conversation that has huge implications for the future of these institutions. Tina Daheley is joined by Herman Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation who oversees the work of 27 museums and cultural organisations in Germany; Annelize Kotze, curator at the national Iziko Museums of South Africa; Alexander Herman, director of the UK based Institute of Art and Law and author of Restitution: The Return of Cultural Artefacts; Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, a human rights activist who runs the US based Restitution Study Group and Victor Ehikhamenor, a leading Nigerian artist who has been inspired to make work about restitution, including at the Venice Biennale. Producer: Simon Richardson (Photo: The Benin Bronzes on display in a museum. Credit: David Cliff/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images)

Across Ukraine photographers who used to shoot landscapes, fashion shows and weddings are focusing instead on bomb damaged buildings, soldiers in trenches and civilians caught up in the war. Pictures that they hope in future, may provide crucial evidence in war crimes trials. Reporter Lucy Ash talks to Mykhaylo Palinchak, who was the official photographer of Ukraine's former president and now captures the horrors of the Russian invasion. She also speaks to Olexiy Sai, a graphic designer and artist who's created a new work using the images taken by Ukraine's army of war photographers. Despite having some of the world's largest oil reserves, according to new UN data more than seven million Venezuelans have left their homeland since 2015, amid an ongoing economic and political crisis. Most have moved to neighbouring Colombia and one of them is Fabiola Ferrero. She's now won the 12th Carmignac Photojournalism award, which is a grant of 50,000 euros to carry out a 6-month field report, the results of which have become her latest project, ‘Venezuela, the Wells Run Dry'. She tells Tina Daheley about her work which chronicles the disappearance of the Venezuelan middle class and capturing the country of today. Photojournalist Nelly Ating has been documenting events across Nigeria since 2014, including the rise of Boko Haram and its impact on the young women and girls they captured in her series ‘This war has found a home.' She's currently studying for her PhD in Wales looking at the role of photography and human rights. Nelly told The Cultural Frontline's Andrea Kidd about her work and the people whose stories she's been telling. Please be warned there are descriptions of images which some listeners may find distressing in this programme. (Photo: A destroyed book. Credit: Fabiola Ferrero for Fondation Carmignac)

Some of the world's most famous paintings have become the central focus of the global debate on climate action. Climate activists have thrown tomato soup on Vincent van Gogh's “Sunflowers” and mashed potatoes at Monet's famous “Haystacks”. Tina Daheley speaks to Nigerian climate activist Gloria Kasang Bulus and British art critic Louisa Buck about the role that the art world can play addressing climate change. Bolivian director, Alejandro Loayza Grisi talks to Beatriz de la Pava about his new film Utama. He explains how making the film, which reflects the real life experiences of Bolivian communities facing drought and crop failure caused by a changing climate, transformed the way he saw his country. Indonesia is a nation made up of over seventeen thousand islands making it highly vulnerable to rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions. The musician Rara Sekar reflects on her relationship with nature in her country and her feelings of eco-grief in sound and in song. (Photo: Climate activists staging a protest. Credit: Just Stop Oil/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Fifa World Cup is being held in Qatar. The country's been gearing up for this huge event commissioning a broad array of art projects. However human rights groups have repeatedly complained about the bad treatment of foreign labourers building the stadia, and there are also concerns for LGBTQ+ fans attending the matches, in a country where homosexuality remains illegal. Rabih Alameddine is an award-winning Lebanese US novelist and painter, whose books cover topics including the Aids epidemic, the Lebanese civil war, exile and gender identity. He is also a huge football fan and he tells Tina Daheley about what hosting the World Cup in an Arab country means for the region and discusses football's attitude to sexuality. Argentina is famous for its legendary footballers, but amateur football is also huge in the country. Artist Martin Kazanietz captures this love of five-a-side and the social side of soccer in his paintings and he tells us about his own passion for the amateur game. The Uefa Women's EUROs took place in England this year, with a record audience of more than 365 million people watching worldwide. The tournament appointed British Jamaican, professor Shirley Thompson as composer in residence. She created two works, Momentum, a Concerto for Football and Orchestra, the other, an anthem called Beautiful Game, both performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Shirley told The Cultural Frontline's Andrea Kidd about the pieces. Nigeria might have missed out on a place in the World Cup, but one man who's putting the country's footballers on the virtual international playing field is Victor Daniyan. For the last three years he's been painstakingly creating a Pan African video football game. Victor explains why it's important for him to develop this interactive platform. (Photo credit: Colin Anderson Productions Pty Ltd/Getty Images)

This week we hear how writers and filmmakers navigate the challenges of telling stories from the past, a past that in many places around the world people are finding it harder and harder to agree upon. Nobel Prize winning author Orhan Pamuk tells Anu Anand about his new novel Nights of Plague, set on the fictional Aegean island of Mingheria. It's 1900 and the island is in the grip of plague. The novel explores themes of religion, superstition, individuality & nationalism and has caused some controversy when last year Pamuk was investigated by the Turkish state for “insulting” the founder of modern Turkey because of similarities some drew between a character in Nights of Plague, the revolutionary leader Major Kamil, and Turkey's first president Kemal Attaturk. Anna Bailey talks to Oscar winning actor Viola Davis and director Gina Prince Bythewood about finding alternative historical sources for their new movie The Woman King, about the women warriors of the ancient African kingdom of Dahomey, which is in modern day Benin. And we mark the passing of British novelist Dame Hilary Mantel, best known for her historical Wolf Hall trilogy, hearing about how novels can help us question historical orthodoxies. (Photo: Orhan Pamuk. Credit: Ahmet Bolat/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

For 25 years Sri Lanka went through a bitter civil war between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamil minority. Earlier this year the country was declared bankrupt and has been facing a major economic crisis, with shortages of medicines, fuel, cooking gas and food. Tens of thousands of people, the vast majority of them peaceful, took to the streets to stage the biggest mass protest in the country's history, storming the presidential office and demanding the resignation of the President. He fled the country in July and a state of emergency was declared. The hub of the social and artistic movement for change was Gota Go Gama in the capital Colombo. One of the artists who was part of this make-shift village is Yasodhara Pathanjali. She told Saroj Pathirana about the art work she created there. Singer songwriter Namini Panchala tells us about her protest song "We all have a common enemy'' and mutli-disciplinary artist Imaad Majeed explains how he's been using the arts to bring communities together. Filmmakers Prasanna Vithanage and Anantharamanan discuss the complexities of putting Sri Lankan stories on screen. Prasanna is one of Sri Lanka's leading filmmakers whose work explores ethnic conflict and Sri Lanka's dark days during the Civil war. Filmmaker Anantharamanan also explores Sri Lanka's conflict in his short films, and his debut feature “The 6th land,” is inspired by the many Tamil mothers and wives, still searching for their missing sons and husbands. Novelist Shehan Karunatilaka has just won one of the world's most prestigious literary prizes, the Booker, for his novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Shehan tells the BBC's Martha Kearney more about the origins of the story and its links to the history of Sri Lanka. Producers: Andrea Kidd and Kevin Satizabal Carrascal (Photo: A protester in Sri Lanka. Credit: Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images)

On this week's The Cultural Frontline, we look at the the place of women artists in Iran today and the important role music has played in the recent protests. Tina Daheley talks to two Iranian performers in exile, both arrested for the crime of singing alone - an act which has been illegal for women there since the Islamic revolution of 1979. Faravaz is a singer based in Germany and Justina is a rapper now living in Sweden. In 2020 the pair teamed up to release the single, Fatwa, about the rights of women in the country they left behind. Producer: Simon Richardson (Photo: A protester holds a portrait of Mahsa Amini during a demonstration. Credit: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)

This week Anu Anand hears from artists highlighting climate change in their work. Pakistan has seen its worst flooding in years. One artist who's addressing the climate issues facing the country in an unusual format is Taqi Shaheen. Along with fellow artist Sara Khan Pathan, he's designed an environmental strategy boardgame called Machi Wachi, set around the island of Bhit, near Karachi. ‘Megafires' have become a regular phenomenon in the US State of California. A new exhibition called Fire Transforms brings together artists from across the region, responding to the changing climate. Linda Gass uses her textile art to create a birds' eye view of changing landscapes and the preciousness of water. Documentary photographer Norma I Quintana lost her home and her studio in the Napa wine country fires in October 2017. She's been using the charred objects found in the ruins to tell the story of that experience as she explained to Andrea Kidd. The experimental orchestra, The Manchester Collective, has teamed up with the BAFTA award-winning sound recordist Chris Watson and his long-term collaborator Spanish filmmaker Carlos Casas to perform the piece Weather, by US composer Michael Gordon. It's now been reinterpreted by the Collective and includes an immersive film and soundscape of some of the habitats impacted by rising temperatures and sea levels. Anna Bailey went to a rehearsal to find out more. Artists and writers from 28 countries have come together for a project called the World Weather Network. They've created a series of ‘weather stations' and for the next year, they'll be sharing their reports through art. One of the people taking part is visual artist Derek Tumala from the Philippines. He tells us about his live, interactive project called Tropical Climate Forensics. (Image credit: Getty)

2022 sees the 100th anniversary of the world's first ever broadcast advert, and this week we're exploring the art and craft of advertising, looking at how commercials differ around the world and talking to the creative teams that put them together. We hear from Jonathan Wolberg and Thabang Lehobye from South African advertising agency FCB about their promotion for Coca Cola, which was tailor made to help people in the country stop pronouncing each others' names incorrectly. As increasing numbers of companies attempt to project an eco-friendly image, we explore the concept of ‘green-washing.' Melissa Mbugua from the campaigning group Creatives for Climate, a global network of advertising professionals promoting environmental action in the industry explains how to spot it and reflects on the changing attitudes across Africa. Robert Cerkez and Mikael Jørgensen from the &co Ad Agency in Copenhagen talk about selling to Scandinavia and how their advert for the airline SAS subverted the region's stereotypes and drew a strong reaction from some quarters. And as the US midterms approach, Tahseen Rabbi, Video Producer at media company Bloomberg and Tobe Berkovitz, Associate Professor of Advertising at Boston University, share an insiders' guide to American political advertising. Producer: Simon Richardson (Photo: A family watching adverts. Credit: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Getty)

Since the 1960s, Colombia has seen decades of warfare between leftist guerrillas, right wing paramilitaries and the army, claiming an estimated two hundred and twenty thousand lives. Since a polarizing peace agreement in 2016, protests and violence have increased. After a closely fought presidential election in June the country elected its first leftist leader, Gustavo Petro. Always an important element of Colombian culture, music has brought citizens together in protest recently. Three-time Grammy nominated Bomba Estéreo, whose music fuses a unique blend of cumbia and champeta rhythms, use their platform to tackle political and environmental issues affecting the country. Beatriz de la Pava talks to founder band member Simón Mejía. Encanto, the Disney animated film about a Colombian family with magical powers has been a global hit. Constanza Hola speaks to María Cecilia Botero, the popular actor who plays grandmother Abuela Alma, about how the movie has shown the world a different side to Colombian culture. The conflict and its impact on Colombian society has featured heavily in the work of many of the country's leading writers. Novelists Juan Gabriel Vasquez and Cristina Bendek discuss how Colombia's history has shaped their work and the role of writers in today's society. Producers: Andrea Kidd and Kevin Satizabal Carrascal (Photo: Protesters in Colombia. Credit: Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

In March this year, the World Health Organization announced research findings that the Covid-19 pandemic had triggered a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. We ask how does the act of making art help creatives around the world address personal psychological challenges? And we celebrating art's ability to inspire and soothe anyone - artist or not - who might be experiencing difficulties with their mental health. Spice Girl Melanie C opens up about how at the height of her fame she was dealing with depression and an eating disorder and tells us how she worked to overcome these challenges. Nigerian artist Jonathan Chambalin explains how making art helped him through the anxiety of lockdown. Singaporean landscape photographer Xuan Hui Ng describes how capturing nature enabled her to overcome a downward spiral of grief. And American Gen Z cultural journalist Alexis Oatman on how millions of Americans are responding to career burnout, including Beyoncé. If you've been affected by the content of this programme information and support is available via the BBC Action Line, click on the link below. (Photo: Melanie C. Credit: Matt Holyoak)

With over one billion monthly users, TikTok is now the platform of choice for comedians, musicians, artists, filmmakers, writers and dancers around the world. Their aim is to go viral and even possibly become the next global superstar. So just how do you get your video onto phone screens around the world? Digital journalist and social media expert Rebecca Jennings talks to Sophia Smith-Galer about how the TikTok algorithm works and why there is content censorship controversy on the platform. What does it take to go from TikTok to the top of the music charts? Sophia speaks to four musicians about how the platform has changed the way they make music and why they want to share it with a TikTok audience. Emo-musician Daine tell us why they are nervous about the algorithm, and composer Julia Riew explains what made her want to document writing a Korean-inspired Disney-style musical with her followers. The singer-songwriter Tom Rosenthal explains how it feels to go viral, and the violinist Esther Abrami is using TikTok to bring her music to a wider audience. Charity Ekezie is a Nigerian creator makes videos that challenge and shatter negative stereotypes about Africa. Her funny and sarcastic videos have racked up millions of views, but she explains why she feels the platform needs to do more to ensure African TikTokkers like her get the recognition and financial opportunities they deserve. Have you been recommended a book on #BookTok? The hashtag has had over 73 billion views to date, and has been described as one of the “most active communities” on the platform. Latin American BookTokkers MarianaBooker and BooksbyLA explain what makes a good #BookTok video, their relationships with authors, and how to make money from using TikTok. Producers: Sofie Vilcins, Sophia Smith-Galer, Andrea Kidd, Simon Richardson, Kevin Satizabal Carrascal and Jack Thomason. (Photo: Phone with TikTok logo . Credit: Dado Ruvic/Reuters. Marianabooker photo courtesy of Mariana Etchegary Boyer. Booksbyla photo courtesy of Layla Fernanda.)

In 2016, one of the largest tribal gatherings in North American history took place on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Reservation in North Dakota. Thousands of indigenous people, from across the continent, came together "in defence of water" and to protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe mobilised supporters from across the country and the response was extraordinary. Thousands of indigenous people from across America and beyond joined together as "water protectors" and in solidarity against the "black snake" of the pipeline. The encampments evoked memories of previous native conflicts with central government, with tepees on the prairie and men on horseback. But this was a very modern movement, fuelled by social media, largely led by women and using the full force of indigenous art and culture. Nick Rankin travels to North Dakota to find out what happened at this controversial site, and to see how those events continue to resonate there today. He talks to local artists and activists, and to several of the original water protectors. How has the tribe been changed? In what ways has it altered their relationship with other tribes and with the surrounding non-native culture? How significant is the role of Native Arts and language in this new wave of environmental protest? Presenter: Nick Rankin Producer: Anthony Denselow A Whistledown production for BBC World Service Image: Activist Waniya Locke (Credit: Anthony Denselow)

This week we hear from some of the international artists who've been taking part at this year's Edinburgh Festivals. It's the world's biggest arts festival, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Aboriginal Australian William Barton is an award winning composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and one of the country's leading didgeridoo players. His music has been performed from the Beijing Olympics to Westminster Abbey in London and he tells Tina Daheley about the language of this ancient traditional instrument and how he blends it with European classical music. Scottish writer Uma Nada-Rajah's play Exodus is set against the backdrop of a UK Conservative party leadership contest. In Uma's all female version, we met a would be Prime Minister who's staging a photo opportunity under the white cliffs of Dover to launch her anti-immigration policy, when a body washes up. Uma Nada-Rajah told Kate Molleson about the inspiration behind her topical satire. In the 1994 Rwandan genocide, an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by dominant Hutu forces in 100 days. For her piece, The Book of Life, Rwandan playwright and director Odile Gakire Katese, known as Kiki Katese, tells the story of that conflict through the letters of ordinary Rwandans. She tells us why she feels that the arts can help to bring reconciliation to the country. Circus Abyssinia is the first all Ethiopian Circus troupe. Created by two brothers, Bibi and Bichu, their latest show, called Tulu, is inspired by the Ethiopian runner Derartu Tulu. She won the 10,000 meters in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the first black African woman to win Olympic gold. Bibi and Bichu spoke to The Cultural Frontline's Andrea Kidd and explained why they wanted to portray her story through circus skills. (Photo: An aerial silk performer from Circus Abyssinia. Credit: David Rubene Photography)

This week, as the world has been reacting to the shocking news of the attack on the author Sir Salman Rushdie at a book event in New York State, The Cultural Frontline asks what this attack means for the world of writers and publishing and what it says about freedom of expression in literature today. Tina Daheley is joined by the Kurdish author and former human rights lawyer Burhan Sönmez, the Ugandan novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija and the US Irish writer and literary translator Maureen Freely. Sir Salman is one of the most celebrated writers in the English language. His second novel, Midnight's Children, won the Booker Prize for fiction, one of literature's top awards. It was Rushdie's fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, which became his most controversial book, and he was forced to go into hiding as a result of the backlash after it was published in 1988. Many Muslims reacted with fury to it, arguing that the portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad was a grave insult to their faith. He faced death threats and the then-Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa - or decree - calling for Rushdie's assassination. In recent years the author seemed to enjoy a new level of freedom. Please be warned that there are descriptions of torture in this programme which some listeners may find distressing. Producer: Simon Richardson (Main Image: Sir Salman Rushdie onstage at the Guild Hall Academy Of The Arts Achievement Awards 2020, March 03, 2020, New York City. Credit: Sean Zanni / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images.)

On this week's programme Anu Anand speaks to the theatre makers giving unheard and censored stories top billing. Ron Simons is a multi-award winning theatre producer, as well as an actor and film producer. He's won four Tony awards, the most of any Black Broadway producer. He explains why his mission is to put the stories and experiences of under-represented communities on stage, and make sure representation happens behind the scenes as well. The Irish actor, director, producer and Hollywood star Gabriel Byrne is performing his own story. He's created a solo show of his best-selling memoir, Walking With Ghosts, sharing moments from his childhood in Ireland, including how he turned to amateur dramatics after failing to become a priest or a plumber, right through to his major Hollywood career. Gabriel also tells reporter Paul Waters about the production that first enthralled him to the theatre. Ming-wai Lit is the founder of Hong Kong theatre company Stage 64. It was created in 2009, and for a decade, put on plays to mark the anniversary of the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests which took place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on the 4th June 1989. Mention of Tiananmen Square protests is censored in China, and in Hong Kong activists have been sentenced to prison for taking part in banned vigils. Ming-wai explains why she set up Stage 64 and the importance of theatre to tell these stories. (Photo: Ron Simons. Credit: Jim Spellman/WireImage/Getty)

This week, to mark 60 years of Jamaican independence, Josie d'Arby meets the artists shaping the culture of the country today. Sharma Taylor is an award-winning writer from the island, who has been short-listed no fewer than four times for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Last month, she released her debut novel, What a Mother's Love Don't Teach You. Set in 1980s Jamaica, it's a story told by a multitude of unreliable narrators and with a mystery about parentage at its heart. Photographer David I Muir looks through his archive to share the story of one photograph that he feels tells a distinctive story of Jamaica: a scene celebrating Jamaica's bounteous seafood. Film makers Storm Saulter, whose movies include Sprint and Better Mus' Come, and Gabrielle Blackwood, who works across fiction and documentary, discuss capturing Jamaica's history on film. And founder of Dubwise Jamaica, the Reggae selector, Yaadcore, shares the philosophy behind his music. Producer: Simon Richardson (Photo: A still from Better Mus' Come. Credit: Storm Saulter)

How is the art musicians create affected by war or displacement from their homelands for other reasons? We hear from classical musicians performing while their home is under fire, or whose whole approach to their art is changing because of their exile - including the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, which was created in response to the war in Ukraine. Venezuelan choir director Ana Vanessa Marvez talks about passing on her country's musical skills to fellow migrants in Chile We also hear from Syrian viola player Raghad Haddad who has discovered artistic liberation alongside the loss and pain of exile. Presenter: Tina Daheley Producers: Paul Waters & Kevin Satizabal Carrascal Reporter: Anna Bailey (Photo: The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra)

We meet artists of the queer diaspora: LGBTQ+ creatives living abroad, away from the cultures that raised them, to discuss ideas of personal and artistic freedom, exile and home and the meaning of the word ‘queer' in 2022. Arab film makers Sarah Kaskas, co-founder of Karaaj Films, and Mohammad Shawky Hassan discuss their new films, The Window, and Shall I Compare You to a Summer's Day? with Tina Daheley. Mohammad Shawky Hassan recently appeared in London as part of the The SAFAR Film Festival of cinema from the Arab world. British transgender writer Juno Roche discusses their candid memoir A Working Class Family Ages Badly and the idea of creativity in exile. Nhojj, a singer and songwriter raised in Guyana and Trinidad and living in New York, explains how his sexuality informs his art. And Hong Kong Chinese poet Mary Jean Chan explains the thinking behind the word ‘queer,' used in the title of their latest co-edited poetry anthology 100 Queer Poems., as well as reading exclusive new work. Produced by Simon Richardson (Photo: Sophia Moussa Fitch and Tamara Saade in a still from The Window. Credit: Karaaj Films)

According to the United Nations, optimistic estimates suggest that at least half of today's over 7,000 spoken languages will be extinct or seriously endangered by the end of this century. 2022 sees the start of the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages, drawing global attention to the critical situation faced by many languages and advocating for their preservation and promotion. One of the people championing first nation languages is Clint Bracknell. He's a musician, singer and songmaker, and releases his music under his Noongar name, Maatakitj. Clint is also a Professor of Indigenous Languages in Australia. Clint has teamed up with multi–ARIA Award winning dance producer Paul Mac to release an album sung in Noongar, called Noongar Wonderland'. Renata Flores has been described as “Peru's queen of Quechua rap,” combining trap, hip-hop, and electronic influences with Andean instruments. When she was only 14 her Quechua cover of Michael Jackson's “The Way You Make Me Feel”, got over one million views. Now writing her own songs in Quechua, she uses this urban music to teach young people this ancient language. Renata told our reporter Constanza Hola about her passion for her language. Singer-songwriter Cina Soul is from Accra, Ghana and performs in Ga. Her songs are infused with Highlife, Soul and R&B. Although Ga was originally spoken in the Ghanaian capital, now languages such as Twi have taken over the cultural scene. Cina tells Tina Daheley how she's been bringing the Ga language and culture back to the mainstream. Julie Fowlis is an award winning folk singer who grew up on the Scottish outer Hebridean island of North Uist. She's a leading exponent for the Scots Gaelic language and traditions, thanks to performances around the world, and even on the soundtrack of Disney Pixar's film, Brave. Producers: Andrea Kidd and Kevin Satizabal Carrascal (Photo: Clint Bracknel. Credit: Jayga Ringrose)

In Nordmarka forest just outside of Oslo, one thousand trees have been planted to supply paper for a special anthology of books to be printed in one hundred years' time. Every year over the next century, a leading writer is selected to contribute a text, with the writings held in trust, unpublished, until the year 2114. Writers so far have included Margaret Atwood, Han Kang and David Mitchell. Catharina Moh speaks to two of the creative forces behind the project, the artist Katie Paterson and the urban planner Anne Beate Hovind. It's often advised that you should talk to your plants, but what about playing them music? We revisit Barcelona's Liceu Opera House where, in 2020 following lockdown, Spanish conceptual artist Eugenio Ampudia created a very unusual new performance: a special concert for an audience of 2,292 plants. The award-winning Australian writer Robbie Arnott discusses his novel The Rain Heron and reflects on how the forests in his home state of Tasmania have shaped his outlook as a writer. Producer: Sofie Vilcins and Simon Richardson (Photo: Future Library, Oslo. Photo Credits: Rio Gandara / Helsingin Sanomat)

Twenty-five years since the handover of Hong Kong from the British back to China, journalist and former BBC Hong Kong correspondent Juliana Liu explores the cultural impact in Hong Kong itself and in the diaspora. Billy Tang is the new Executive Director and curator of Para Site, one of the oldest and most active independent art institutions in Asia. He tells us about the appeal of working in and shaping the culture of Hong Kong. Arts and culture journalist Vivienne Chow explores what's happening in the Hong Kong cultural scene, from the revival of Cantopop, to the decision of some artists to leave the city. Samson Young is a Hong Kong based artist and composer with a fascination for sound and experimentation. He represented Hong Kong in the 2017 Venice Biennale and the energy, intensity and history of the city has influenced him and his work. He describes his latest project and what it's like to make art in Hong Kong today. With the introduction of the National Security law and last year, the film censorship law, many artists have chosen to leave Hong Kong. Filmmakers Ka Leung Ng and Ching Wong first met making the dystopian speculative fiction film Ten Years, which won Best Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2016.They've now come together again, and earlier this year created the first Hong Kong Film Festival UK. They explained why they felt it was important to show films that are no longer able to screen in their native Hong Kong. (Photo: A poster celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover. Credit: China News Service/Getty Images)

With scores of superhero films due for release, from Spiderman, to Batgirl, Thor and Black Panther, and a global comic book market predicted to grow to $12 billion a year by 2028, we go behind the mask of these larger than life characters, to look at the role Superheroes play in different societies and cultures around the world, and ask, do we need them more than ever today? Canadian Chinese actor Simu Liu discusses becoming the first Asian superhero in a Marvel Universe film, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. He tells reporter Anna Bailey how his path to acting wasn't always easy or a career his parents originally approved of, as penned in his new memoir We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story. Pakistani illustrator, comic artist and writer Umair Najeeb Khan discusses his new comic book generation of heroes, the Paak Legion, with Tina Daheley. It includes Samaa, born with the ability to manipulate the wind, Afsoon, the Protector of the Mountains and Haajar, a mother of three, fighting crime on the streets of Lahore. Growing up in Pakistan, he couldn't see himself represented in this world, so he designed a set of Pakistani superheroes of his own. And reporter Paul Waters visits the Superheroes, Orphans & Origins exhibition of comic art at London's Foundling Museum and talks to comic artists Woodrow Phoenix and Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom about their work exploring the psyche of superheroes. Producers: Andrea Kidd and Simon Richardson (Photo: Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. Credit: Marvel Studios)

This week we're exploring Afrofuturism, the movement that blends fantasy, folklore and technology, to imagine a new future for African nations and people of African heritage. Four years after the smash hit movie Black Panther turned Afrofuturism into an unstoppable artistic force globally we're asking: what's next? We meet the next generation of Afrofuturism-inspired artists, with Congolese-Rwandan-Belgian rapper Lous and the Yakuza, who's just been signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label and Nigerian fashion designer Adebayo Oke Lawal who recently dressed the new Doctor Who actor Ncuti Gatwa in Afrofuturist couture. Plus filmmakers Sharon Lewis and Dimeji Ajibola on the challenges of making Afrofuturist movies in Canada and Nigeria. And American poet Gary Jackson discusses the recent anthology of ‘superhero poetry' he has co-edited called The Future of Black, showcasing a new literary sub-genre inspired by Afrofuturism's love for comic book stories. Presenter: Tina Daheley Producers: Simon Richardson and Laura Northedge (Photo: Lous and the Yakuza. Credit: Charlotte Wales)

Making it as a musician can be a tough gig, but if you have a disability, things can get even more complicated. Inaccessible venues, negative attitudes and lack of representation in the industry are common challenges people have to contend with. Despite this, disabled musicians are making their voices heard. Award winning Nigerian-American Electronic Dance star Lachi has seven albums and millions of streams to her name. As a visually impaired musician, Lachi campaigns for the inclusion of disabled artists. As well as consulting on disability inclusion, including at the White House, this year she's launched RAMPD, Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities. Popular playback singer and producer Ritika Sahni formed Pehli Baarish, an inclusive band of disabled and non-disabled musicians in 2014. They perform in venues including hospitals, orphanages and drug rehabilitation centres, in order to change the perception of disability in Indian society. Ritika talks to Tina Daheley, along with one of its members, blind keyboard player Sarfaraz Qureshi. Babsy Mlangeni is a celebrated South African musician, who lost his sight shortly after he was born. He started one of the first black-owned record label in South Africa and he now runs a foundation that inspires blind children to build up resilience and pursue their dreams. Babsy spoke to reporter Mpho Lakaje about his life and work. British singer songwriter Ruth Lyon cut her teeth fronting her rock band Holy Moly & The Crackers. She shares her experiences with The Cultural Frontline about how being a wheelchair user has impacted her career and driven her activism Producers: Kevin Satizabal Carrascal, Andrea Kidd and Laura Northedge (Photo: Lachi. Credit: Lachi Music LLC)