Africa New Zealand Business Chamber’s Post

There’s something about subcultures that has always drawn me in. Maybe it’s the unfiltered creativity, the raw energy, or the sense of community that emerges when people come together over shared rhythms and ideas. From the vibrant, boundary-pushing beats of Gengetone to the hypnotic pulse of electronic dance music, these spaces have always felt like lifelines of expression, belonging, and innovation. But here’s the thing.... in the grand schemes of development programming, subcultures are often dismissed. They’re treated as fringe, as though they exist outside the scope of serious impact. Yet, these are the spaces where people gather, grow, and spark ideas that ripple far beyond their immediate circles. What if we stopped looking past them? What if we dared to see their potential—to solve problems, amplify voices, and build resilient communities? This has been my guiding question, and through Santuri East Africa, David Tinning , our partners and I have had the privilege of exploring what happens when you invest in subcultures. We've seen emerging DJs, producers, and artists find their voices and challenge the norms. We've watched collaborations redefine creativity, and witnessed movements take shape in the light of shared struggles, vision and purpose. The documentary below captures a slice of that journey. It affirms what happens when you create spaces for subcultures to thrive, when you listen to the stories they tell and the communities they build. The stories remind me that this work matters—not just to me but to the countless people who find hope, identity, and connection through these creative spaces. So why does this matter to you? Because when we overlook subcultures, we miss the chance to tap into their unifying power. We lose out on their energy, their creativity, their ability to build something better. Subcultures are not fringe; they’re essential. They reshape narratives, they open doors, and they make room for possibilities we often ignore. Let’s stop dismissing the fringe and start seeing it for what it is.... a movement, a community, a catalyst for change. 👉🏾 Watch the documentary here https://lnkd.in/dv4ZzwFJ and follow @santurieastafrica on Instagram...

“The street has a very robust relation with cinema, music and theatre. Please note, that this industry is very historical in Egypt exceeding hundred year. The Egyptian street holds an unconscious deep- rooted relation with the golden screen. “ For more on this, check the newest additions on the blog Naguib Sorror : The Political Conflict in Action https://lnkd.in/dbrEwYuD

🚇 Flashback to June 1987: A British-Australian company reaches out to Israel’s Ministry of Transport, eager to get in on two ambitious projects: electrifying the Tel Aviv-Haifa railway (!) and developing a mass transit system for Tel Aviv. Both plans are still in the brainstorming phase. Fast forward 37 years. The electrification project has seen more drama than a soap opera—canceled, revived, tweaked, scaled down, and expanded. after 37 years, electrification is not yet complete, and the first line, not of the metro, but of the light rail, has only opened in last year

Nigerian theatre is steeped in history, with roots deeply embedded in the oral traditions of its many ethnic groups. Before colonial influence transformed the landscape of Nigerian literature and theatre, storytelling was a communal activity. Oral narratives, myths, legends, and proverbs were passed down through generations, often performed in communal settings. According to practices documented by scholars such as Adepeju Alabi, the Yoruba people incorporated music, dance, and dramatization into their storytelling, creating an interactive experience that engaged the audience both emotionally and intellectually The theatre and literature of Nigeria are rich and woven from the diverse cultures, traditions, and historical experiences of its peoples. From ancient oral traditions to contemporary digital literature, Nigeria's artistic narrative reflects the nation's social, political, and cultural evolution. This conversation seeks to explore the historical antecedents of Nigerian theatre and literature and considers the future trajectory of these art forms in a rapidly changing global environment. #TheatreInNigeria #NigerianLiterature #FutureOfTheatre #NigerianArts #CulturalIdentity #DigitalStorytelling #NigerianVoices #ArtAsActivism #EmergingWriters #TheatreForChange #LiteratureMatters #NigerianCreatives #StorytellingTraditions #TheatreLovers #ReadNigerian.

https://lnkd.in/e-swp5Kp This is it! 🎵 I am so thrilled to share with you my last work for orchestra, Shores (working title: "Longing For Belonging"), conducted by Erin Bodnar. I want to thank the Mostly Modern Festival for choosing my work and giving me this tremendous opportunity to make my music happen - it's more rare than you could imagine! The piece has a suffered story. If you want to know more about it, here's an extract of the program notes. "It all started with “The Island” - a long time ago, probably during the pandemic in 2020, as a musical theater piece [...] meant to be based on a dialogue by Cesare Pavese, part of the book “Dialoghi con Leucò”. I remember reading this book and that “The Island” dialogue in particular, and getting so emotionally involved. It was about the story between Odysseus and Calypso, in a sort of alternative ending of the Odyssey where the protagonist decides not to come back home, but stay on the island with Calypso, because - freely paraphrasing her words from the book: It's just an island, what difference does it make where you decide to lie down and rest your head? And even if you eventually manage to come back to Ithaca, will you even be able to recognize your own houses after 20 years? And the people? Some of them will certainly be understanding, but will you ever be able to share what you have seen and done? You will feel more alone than in the sea. At the time, I found it interesting for the implications of the piece: it was full of insights about what it means to be isolated, and what is the meaning of travel and returning home. It was, as I said, during the pandemic, so of course, the theme was also resonating with the current situation in my life where I was in Germany and couldn’t come back home to Italy. It was a tough time in my life, I was scared for my loved ones - I remember having nightmares every single night. Anyway, the project evolved, but I never actually managed to make it an opera: not only because of the lack of funding, but also - to be honest - because the dialogue was so full and rich of intellectual interest that I found it difficult to transpose it into a libretto to be sung and not really “understood”.

What will happen if the heads of Slovakia's largest cultural institutions, the National Theatre and the National Gallery, are dismissed by President Robert #Fico and his nationalist Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová? Then we will have Serbian conditions. How is the scene in #Belgrade doing? Here is the report: https://lnkd.in/exJYbw3u

Silence? As far as im aware Israel has committed a genocide in return, so in general I do not see silence, i see and hear suffering and screaming. I highly doubt, based on Israels actions that the hostages wellbeing is the prime objective...seems like even media in Israel doubt that. Israel killing 20.000 innocent children, and taking 5000-10000 hostages on their own, killing and torturing them, will hardly help those Israeli hostages, neither make the world better, or serve as any kind of fair justice, maybe not even preventing it in the future, more likely the opposite. Living by the Old Testament is vile, and lex talionis, or reciprocal justice, or in Israels case killing 100x more to get revenge is not just medieval, its evil, and "liking" this behaviour and narrative will make the whole world blind. But likely fans of this dont see the other side as humans, and here we are at the root of the problem, which decades of apartheid has caused. IMHO.

This is South Africa

Creating a Happy Society Is More Complicated Than We Think Part 3 What is a theater in history? The terminology 'theater', meaning 'a place for viewing', originated in Ancient Greece some 5,000 years back. Theater is a branch of performing arts that focuses on live performances by actors, which creates a self-contained drama. https://lnkd.in/dhWrFUEN. Other social places or social interactions can be seen in ancient Persian culture like the musical theater in the city for citizens with the concept of rich Iranian poetry , people who walked in the city and Bazaar with load musical instruments to make atmosphere happy and pleasant, Can we have this power in our culture again? We can't remove the social media without logical replacement