/ARTS WEEKLY/THEATRE-KENYA: On the Receiving End of Abusive Words

The word vagina is just a biological term for a woman's genitalia. But try mentioning it in public in Kenya and you will find yourself on the receiving end of a stream of far more shocking, abusive words.

/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC-ZIMBABWE: Decision to Scrap Import Duty Welcomed

Artists have welcomed a recent decision by the government of Zimbabwe to scrap import duty on all musical, film and video equipment.

/ARTS WEEKLY/JAPAN: Old Farmhouses Signal Return to Tradition

The former home of an empress, old farmhouses and a determined citizens' group are helping revive an interest in tradition in Japan.

/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC-BRAZIL: The Madman of Sound

Brazilian musician Hermeto Pascoal is a "madman", say audiences in recognition of his unique approach to sound. His odd physical appearance, his creativity and the unique musical pieces he composes and performs explain why he has been dubbed "O Bruxo", or sorcerer.

/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC-SENEGAL: Gulf War Casts Shadow on U.S. Tour

Despite the expanding popularity abroad of artists like Baaba Maal, Youssou N'Dour is probably still the only Senegalese performer who can sell out venues across North America.

/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC: Jamaican Dancehall Singer Finally Gets U.S. Breakthrough

With a hot song riding the Billboard charts and a new album out, dancehall singer Wayne Wonder is enjoying the best time of his career. One of the most durable performers the genre has produced, Wonder has made the leap from the Jamaican charts to mainstream U.S. success with the hit single, "No Letting Go".

/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC: Make Music, Not War

Make music, not war - that is the message coming loud and clear from the international music festival called World of Music, Arts and Dance or WOMAD, just held this month in Australia and New Zealand, and now travelling throughout the year to Spain, Britain, Italy and Singapore.

/ARTS WEEKLY/FILM-CUBA: Best-Known Actor Waiting for Next Big Role

A decade after his celebrated interpretation of a gay man in the internationally acclaimed film 'Strawberry and Chocolate', Cuban actor Jorge Perugorría says he is waiting for another role of that stature.

/ARTS WEEKLY/BRAZIL: Bitter Comics Win Awards, But Not Readers

Lourenço Mutarelli is a one-of-a-kind graphic artist, a creator of comics for adults, with a unique taste for tough environments, the urban underworld and dark humour. His strange universe has earned him many awards, but not much of a following.

/ARTS WEEKLY/SWAZILAND: Popularity of Beauty Pageants Grows

The riotous protests against beauty pageants in West Africa have barely been noticed, much less influenced, the popularity of pageants promoting the attractions of Swazi women and even men in this small Southern African kingdom. Beauty pageants are more popular than ever, and their supporters say they are necessary both as entertainment events in a country where entertainments are few, and as a way to showcase local talent.

/ARTS WEEKLY/BRITAIN: Fine Story, If Not Pretty

The once small stream of illegal immigrants coming to Western Europe and particularly the United Kingdom is now turning into a flood.

/ARTS WEEKLY/INDONESIA: Singer Draws Fans – and Religious Wrath

It is not her the picture of her dancing with Taufik Keimas, the husband of President Megawati Sukarnoputri - or her singing - that sparks so much controversy. It is the way Inul Daratista dances that does.

/ARTS WEEKLY/THEATRE-KENYA: Revisiting Chilean Playwright’s Work

''How can those who tortured and those who were tortured coexist in the same land?'' Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman asked when writing 'Death and the Maiden' in 1991.

/ARTS WEEKLY/FILM-THAILAND: Transvestite Boxer Back in Limelight

Mention the name 'Nong Toom' here and most Thais seem to know who she is, this strikingly beautiful woman, with a curvaceous body and graceful gestures to match.

/ARTS WEEKLY/DANCE-ARGENTINA: The Great Tango Party

The Argentine capital is shimmering as the host of the Fifth Buenos Aires Tango Festival and the first Tango Dance World Championship, a competition that has drawn 260 couples from more than 20 countries.

/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC: Legendary Reggae Producer Sings His Way to Surprise

When the name Lee "Scratch" Perry pops up, it is usually for his work as a producer. But on Feb. 23, when the diminutive Perry won the Grammy Award for best reggae album, it was his singing that earned him music's biggest prize.

/ARTS WEEKLY/FILM-INDIA: Sequel Recreates Celluloid Magic

Those mesmerised by the 1969 classic by the late, celebrated Bengali filmmaker Satyajjit Ray, 'Aranyer Din Ratri' (Days and Nights in the Forest), can look forward to a fitting sequel complete with some of the main cast of actors - now older by 33 years.

/ARTS WEEKLY/IRAQ: A Conflict Plays Out on the Canvas

When you clip the wings of the angel of peace, that too is a demonstration against war. That demonstration comes in a painting by Iraqi artist Hani Mazhar in his latest work 'Between the Elm and the Palm Tree' on exhibition in London.

/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC-DR CONGO: Arrest Exposes Plight of Immigrants

The arrest of Congolese musician Shungu Wemabdio, popularly known as Papa Wemba, has exposed the plight of young Congolese seeking greener pastures overseas.

/ARTS WEEKLY/LITERATURE-CHILE: Rediscovering Gabriela Mistral, Despite Pinochet

The annulment in Chile of a decree from the era of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship could lead to the release of previously unpublished texts by Chilean poet and Nobel Literature laureate Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957), and the revelation of aspects of her life that were never before made public.

/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC-ARGENTINA: Thousands of Youth Aspire to Singing Stardom

More than 12,000 young Argentines, ages 16 to 25, went through the first audition recently for a new "reality TV" programme that promises two places among the firmament of popstars.