The Chinese language only introduced a feminine pronoun in the 1920s. Now, it might adopt a gender-inclusive one, suggests JANET DAVEY
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Global Routes with Tony Burke: December 2, 2024
Two new releases from Burkina Faso and Niger, one from French-based Afro Latin The Bongo Hop, and rare Mexican bootlegs
ALEX HALL is intrigued by a detailed history of Gaza that demonstrates its historic resilience and changing economy
RON JACOBS welcomes the long overdue translation of an epic work that chronicles resistance to fascism during WWII
MAYER WAKEFIELD is chilled by the co-dependency of two lost souls as portrayed by German communist playwright Franz Xaver Kroetz
The Star's critics BRETT GREGORY, JOHN GREEN, MICHAEL BONCZA and ANGUS REID review The Stimming Pool, Misericordia, La Cocina, Irena’s Vow, and The End
CHRIS MOSS welcomes a radical history that brings marginalised stories and overlooked people and agencies to the centre
ANDREW HEDGECOCK relishes visual storytelling with no respect for genres, movements or styles
THE second album from Burkina Faso born Aboubakar Traore and his band Balima, Sababu (Zephyrus Records), continues to expand the boundaries of West African music, marrying Traore’s Burkinabe heritage with a blend of pan-African rhythms, soulful jazz and a dash of reggae.
Traore learned the intricacies of the kamele ngoni (the young man’s harp) and here he takes a political stance on the inequities faced in Africa, particularly its exploitation by the global north. Traore stresses the importance for African countries to regain their autonomy and power to prevent young people undertaking dangerous migration routes to the west.
The album contains a celebration of pride in Africa with music that transcends borders while remaining deeply rooted in Burkina Faso.
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The phrase “cruel to be kind” comes from Hamlet, but Shakespeare’s Prince didn’t go in for kidnap, explosive punches, and cigarette deprivation. Tam is different.
ANGUS REID deconstructs a popular contemporary novel aimed at a ‘queer’ young adult readership
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