Full coverage: Culture

31.01.2008 Over 1.5 million young women have been widowed in Afghanistan owing to armed conflicts over the last two decades. Food, shelter and social protection are the most pressing needs for these women and their children with most of them lacking the economic means to earn a decent living.

29.01.2008 Street names and buildings in India once linked people to their local culture, geography and livelihoods. To deal with this loss of identity and regain the richness of its architectural landscape, India needs to research and document traditional houses in villages and old towns, writes architectural consultant Kiran Keswani.

25.01.2008 While the men folk of north India’s nomadic Bedia tribe live a parasitic life, women of their community remain unmarried and are pushed into sex trade in the name of tradition. The men have refused to mend their ways for the simple reason that it frees them of the burden of earning.

22.01.2008 The movement to end female genital cutting continues to spread across many parts of Africa. Molly Melching and the women of Senegal are leading the way with innovative, culturally sensitive programs to educate and relieve suffering.

In a telling OneWorld dialogue, Molly Melching discusses Tostan's uniquely successful approach to development and how it relates to traditions, values, human rights, and human nature.

08.01.2008 Ladbroke Grove FILM WRITE is a monthly film night showcasing groundbreaking films/authors/poets. Free film screenings, incredible authors and poets reading from their recent publications, local filmmakers discussing what brought them to achieve their works and discussions with figures from the community participating.

03.01.2008 "La crisi della politica è troppo seria per essere lasciata ancora nelle sole mani dei politici. Serve un nuovo coraggio civico e una più ampia assunzione di responsabilità della società civile". Flavio Lotti, coordinatore della Tavola della Pace invita i costruttori di pace a ripensare il loro ruolo nell’anno che viene. "Dalla denuncia alla politica. Lo slogan non è nuovo e neanche originale. Ma a me sembra particolarmente adatto a definire il lavoro che ci attende nel 2008. Nessuno si può più permettere di restare alla finestra" - scrive Lotti. "La transizione dai vecchi ai nuovi partiti non basterà a risolvere la crisi se non crescerà anche un più forte impegno della società civile. Non basta più (se mai fosse stato sufficiente) chiedere o auspicare una politica nuova. Se la si vuole davvero occorre impegnarsi per costruirla".

03.01.2008 Pune based Hemant Kanitkar was known for using puppets to spread social awareness in his state Maharashtra and other parts of India. His death, due to prolonged illness at a rather young age, has left a void that will be difficult to fill up.

02.01.2008 UNICEF Germany’s ‘Photo of the Year’ of a 40 year old groom with a child bride in Afghanistan raises global concerns about child marriages, widely condemned for their sexual abuse and violation of human rights. The bride in the photograph has just turned 11.