#cultural-preservation

#cultural-preservation

Visually striking and intricately crafted, the traditional armour and weaponry of the Kiribati islands in the Pacific Ocean were built from coconut fibre, human hair, sharks' teeth and porcupine fish. Yet, fearsome and lethal as these objects were, the people of this remote archipelago weren't especially warlike, as British colonists had long assumed, but were instead part of a ritualised style of combat intended to keep violence between clashing groups to a minimum.

Can you explain how you fall in love? asks Erica Azim. In a certain way it's an impossible question. Yet it's a conundrum the Berkeley native has contemplated for half a century, every time she's asked about her abiding passion for mbira, which is both the traditional music of the Shona people of Zimbabwe and the thumb piano-like instrument that's the primary medium for their celebrations and ceremonies.

It is light, in its many permutations, that gives form to the cycle of Earth's seasons. As our planet tilts and orbits around the Sun, the shifting angles of light create rhythms that shape temperature and weather, and beyond that, entire ecosystems, human cultures, and our deepest sense of time and place.Variation-and its absence-is central to our experience of these rhythms. The changing light of the seasons is more than a visual phenomenon; it is a cosmic metronome.

If you follow the sign, head up a steep path to the left and through a heavy door, you'll find yourself between tall bookshelves. Novels, political analyses, out-of-print editions about the culture and history of the region. A few steps further, around the corner you'll enter a second room. And here the atmosphere changes, it's more dense and colourful. It's here where poster heaven begins. Fascinating colors, so many faces, and typographies from over a century of trends in print.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Chenlin Cai and his team, Xingzi Liang, Sean Bryant and Damon Bain spent the week high atop a five-story building in Philadelphia's Chinatown neighborhood installing a new mural. The mural is called 'The History of Chinatown.' It shows the struggles the community has been facing the past few decades concerning over-development and different aspects of the neighborhood's vibrant culture.

Boys and girls harmonize together as their music teacher Tenzin Nordel leads them through a Tibetan song in a classroom overlooking an alpine forest. Theater kids practice Tibetan operas in the school hall. Even as they shoot hoops, teenage boys wear traditional shirts that button to one side, under the shoulder. For decades, this is how the Tibetan Children's Village imparted Tibetan students with their language, culture and faith in their de facto capital in exile in the northern Indian city of Dharamshala.

Here, cumbia isn't just a soundtrack amidst hardship. Rather, it's a way of life that preserves and amplifies the rhythms that fuse African, Indigenous and Spanish culture. Cumbia is something very special but it sounds cooler with our tunes, Alfaro proudly declares. He adds: For me, it's the most beautiful thing in the world. Any song you play touches your soul. It's something magical.

It's powerful to see a space being created to preserve that history and to educate and inspire the next generation. Being able to contribute alongside Resorts World to help bring this vision to life is an honor. This museum stands as a reminder of where we came from, and a celebration of everything Hip Hop continues to be.

Sadly, despite belief the internet, technology, and evolved morality would open up global conversations in which every voice is heard and all people respected, real life threw up stop signs. In particular, within almost every sector and industry, the history, voices, and stories of marginalized people and communities continued to be largely overlooked, distorted, suppressed, erased, or most tragically, simply forgotten and faced with extinction.

EMBARGOED for 9/22: Two historians have spearheaded an effort to document everything in the Smithsonian before the Trump Administration makes any changes.

Artist Cheng Tsung FENG's creative practice is deeply tied to the preservation and reinterpretation of fading traditional crafts and cultural memories. For this monumental outdoor installation, his focus turned to the bamboo opera stage-a once-prevalent architectural form in Taiwan's temple festivals and communal celebrations, but now rarely seen as times have changed. At the historic Wenwu Temple in Lukang, Changhua, which itself has stood for over two centuries,

You could probably walk right past Culture House without noticing it. Tucked away, just off the bustle of London's Uxbridge Road, the building's muted colours, simple sign and arched doorway give little away. Step inside, though, and you'll soon be enticed by what is the UK's first permanent exhibition and cultural space dedicated to Somali heritage. Officially opened last May, Culture House features a collection of over 150 artefacts, a rotating exhibition, poetry workshops and a digital archive.

Keith Robinson, along with his younger brother, Bruce, and their family plantation Gay and Robinson, own 55,000 acres of Kauai and, 17 miles west, the entire 45,000-acre private island of Niihau, which their family purchased from the Hawaiian monarchy in the mid-1800s. This is more land than Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, who purchased the entirety of Lanai for $300 million in 2012, and 40 times more than Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who's established his own 2,300-acre, $330 million outpost on the opposite side of Kauai.

Legal cannabis is rapidly reshaping economies, industries, and communities across the United States. Large-scale operations, national brands, and multi-state operators dominate headlines, yet the heart of cannabis culture continues to beat strongest within the craft movement. Rooted in small-batch cultivation, hands-on care, and a deep respect for heritage, craft cannabis is more than a product. It is a living link to culture, identity, and community resilience.

"The Bayeux Tapestry is a unique work of art. It has no equivalent, not even the Mona Lisa, of which there are several paintings."

"Listening to and playing music is a human right. The people of Afghanistan are denied this right. This has turned my country into a 'silent nation'".

"St Mary's in Camden has been awarded just under £640,000 to carry out urgent repairs to the building. This funding will address the most immediate work needed on the West Front."

Visitors to the Faroe Islands experience a blend of dramatic weather including rain, wind, fog, and sunshine simultaneously, highlighting the region's unique climate.

Live music venues help raise the profile of a neighborhood, drawing new residents, but their existence is often threatened by complaints from these new residents.

Missionary groups have begun using solar-powered audio devices in the rainforest to attract isolated Indigenous people, particularly among the Korubo people in the Javari valley.

Rudy Rosales, a community leader, described his family's hardship during displacement, indicating the city’s lack of support in finding replacement housing after losing their home on Dutra Street.

The Palestinian Museum is redefining its role amid the war in Gaza, focusing on research, digital access, and international partnerships while balancing visitor access and collection protection.

Syed Ghani has dedicated himself to preserving indigenous rice varieties through seed conservation, proliferation, and educational initiatives, recovering more than 1,000 native rice varieties.

"Bushwick raised me-it was raw, loud, and full of culture. Now, it's changing fast. A lot of what I knew growing up is gone."

"I'm working on a triple album," he said.

The claim that ayahuasca is marketed as a mystical shortcut overlooks the reality: real work with this medicine is neither quick nor easy. True healing through ayahuasca involves deep inner effort, often accompanied by discomfort, surrender and courage.

In Bowling Green, Kentucky, nearly all residents support preserving historic buildings and enhancing cultural institutions, unearthing a surprising consensus on local development.

The relocation of the 40-foot Louis Zuflacht sign from a retail shop to the New York Sign Museum reflects the effort to preserve everyday NYC history.

"The project aims to enclose the Mitsutera temple's main hall within a newly constructed building, allowing it to coexist with a hotel while preserving its historical significance."

In Massapequa, three things are certain: death, taxes and 'once a Chief, always a Chief,' the district's attorney wrote.

"It is the women's job to prepare the new settlement and build new houses. Additionally, fetching water and cooking meals are also women's responsibilities."

The Terra Amata museum is surprisingly tucked within a residential area, showcasing extraordinary prehistoric artifacts from a campsite settled by Homo Erectus around 400,000 years ago.

The Togo Pavilion at Biennale Architettura 2025 will showcase the country’s architectural heritage, examining its evolution from vernacular to modernist styles.