BOOKS-ZIMBABWE: The Black Man’s Burden – Remembering the Colonial Police.

A book by the late Zimbabwean writer Gahadzikwa A. Chaza has shed light on an era long forgotten here - when a black colonial police force gave comfort to the white settlers of then Southern Rhodesia.

MUSIC-JAMAICA: Reggae’s Finest Years

It was a time of social change, when rebellious ways and protest evoked the emotions of songwriters like Bob Marley, Burning Spear and Peter Tosh. Small wonder, that the 1970s is considered reggae's most influential period.

BOOKS-AUSTRALIA: Author Reopens Row Over Sacred Land

A new book by anthropologist Diane Bell has reopened the controvery over sites in Australia held to be "sacred" by aboriginal communities and the question of land rights for the nation's native peoples in general.

ARTS-ARGENTINA: Mirrors Patch up Family Trees

Photos of young faces from the past, incomplete family trees and mirrors that reflect the image of the observer are all part of a rather special exhibition in the Argentine capital.

MUSIC: Norwegians Welcome Spanish Version of Traditional Ballads

The songs of revered Norwegian poet and troubadour Alf Proeysen soon will be heard in Spanish.

MUSIC-ASIA: MTV Decides What’s ‘In’ for Music – and Clothes..

Music Television (MTV) is extending its vise-like grip on "Generation X" in Asia. Not content with getting youngsters hooked on the music that plays on its 24-hour channel - thus getting them to buy the CDs - MTV also wants its viewers to wear the clothes it produces.

MUSIC-SOUTH AFRICA: Zulu Songs Gain Recognition

South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal region is the home of the 'isicathamiya', a song-and-dance style made famous a decade ago by the sparkling singing of the Ladysmith Black Mambazo group on the album "Gracelands" produced by U.S. musician Paul Simon.

CINEMA-USA: ‘Celebrity’ Shows Woody Allen’s Sour View of Stardom

Leonardo DiCaprio is a spoiled actor who trashes his hotel room and abuses women; Winona Ryder is a wilful actress who cannot be tied down; models are enticing but ultimately concerned about their image.

THEATRE: Macbeth In Pidgin English

In the past he's been branded a lunatic and a genius but it's doubtful whether actor, philosopher and solo performer Ken Campbell has ever been called a pioneer - until now.

MUSIC: Persistant Raul Alaron Triumphs at Festival

Raul Alarcon, the singer-songwriter better known by his stage name Florcita Motuda, won Chile its second OTI (Organization of Iberoamerican Television) Festival award through the sheer persistence that has characterized his entire career.

CINEMA-JAMAICA: Censors Take Heat

Jamaican censors were under fire again this month after they banned another Hollywood movie - the second such action this year.

BOOKS-BRAZIL: Sherlock Holmes a Failure in Rio

Brazilian humorist Jo Soares would have his readers believe that the fictional British detective Sherlock Holmes visited Rio de Janeiro in 1886. Holmes offered many demonstrations of his deductive powers and intelligence but failed to clear up a series of murders, fell in love and returned to London "with his chastity intact."

THEATRE-SINGAPORE: Mail Brides in Cyberspace

Commerce-savvy Singapore is not one to miss the chance of cashing in on business on the Internet. With the so-called "E-commerce" predicted to increase five-fold this year and reach some 34 billion dollars, the island state is busily trying to position itself as the Internet business hub of the East.

CINEMA-ZIMBABWE: No Place Like Home

Zimbabwean movie maker Manu Kurewa - who won a prize for his short film 'MANGWANA' at this year's Cannes Film Festival - has decided to come home after working abroad for seven years.

ARTS-ENTERTAINMENT – 4.

Fans of reggae icon Bob Marley are singing the blues after a recent announcement that the much- heralded movie on his life has been put on hold.

CINEMA-PAKISTAN: A Look At 50 Years of History

A very readable book by Mushtaq Gazdar on 50 years of Pakistan cinema fills a vacuum in this nation's history by elucidating on the cultural processes involved in the production of locally-made movies.

CINEMA-PAKISTAN: A Look At 50 Years of History

A very readable book by Mushtaq Gazdar on 50 years of Pakistan cinema fills a vacuum in this nation's history by elucidating on the cultural processes involved in the production of locally-made movies.

ARTS-ENTERTAINMENT – 1.

Mexico's grand old man of letters Carlos Fuentes, who turned 70 on Nov 11, says that probably he has written his last piece of literaturejust as critics elevated him to the throne previously occupied by Nobel Prize winner Octavio Paz.

CINEMA-JAMAICA: Jamiaca Awards its First “Oscars”

Jamaica's movie and television industry, after years of playing second fiddle to the music and theatre world, finally had their night of stars recently with the first Hollwyood Oscar-style awards for cinema stalwarts.

THEATRE-SIERRA LEONE: Colonial-Era Play Sparks Controversy

A locally-written play, which relates the story of a traditional ruler who mobilised his people not to pay a 'hut tax' to British colonial authorities in the 19th century has stirred up a political dust storm.

CINEMA-PAKISTAN: A Look At 50 Years of History

A very readable book by Mushtaq Gazdar on 50 years of Pakistan cinema fills a vacuum in this nation's history by elucidating on the cultural processes involved in the production of locally-made movies.