LITERATURE-ITALY: Remembering Malaparte, an Unsettling Character

The European literary community is resurrecting the Italian writer Curzio Malaparte, often remembered for his fascist past despite the fact his anti-fascism cost him a spell in prison and, before his death, he joined the Communist Party.

ARTS-COLOMBIA: National Theatre in Peril

The dramatic arts in Colombia could be facing extinction, according to several members of the theatrical community who recently wrote an open letter to the country expressing their concern for the future.

CINEMA-CHINA: ‘Titanic’ Scores an Ideological Hit

The Hollywood blockbuster 'Titanic' has achieved what no officially-sanctioned Chinese movie has done - earn personal acclaim from President Jiang Zemin for being an ideologically correct film.

CINEMA-JAMAICA: Documentary of Life of Marley

After what has seemed like an eternity for reggae fans, at last there is a move toward documenting the life of the legendary Bob Marley.

CULTURE-ZIMBABWE: Dance Bridges Cultural Borders

Every weekend for the past 10 years the serene surroundings of the Chapungu Stone Sculpture village, near Harare have been transformed into a dance festival - complete with traditional African garb and tribal war cries.

MUSIC-USA: Frank Sinatra Gone, but Cool Lives On

When Frank Sinatra died at the age of 82 last month his family said that his last words were, "I'm losing it." He may have felt life slipping away, but popular culture is a different case entirely: for modern listeners, Sinatra never lost "It."

TELEVISION-USA: ‘Seinfeld’ Ends – Much Ado about Nothing

World events in the tumultuous last weeks of May - with India testing nuclear weapons, Indonesia tottering on the verge of collapse and the historic peace vote in Ireland - certainly hit the headlines in the United States. But for millions of Americans, the biggest story of the month was the fate of four popular television characters famous for conducting idle conversation.

MUSIC-POLITICS: Ruben Blades, Panama’s Chameleon Man

Panamanian musician Ruben Blades has taken one of his biggest hits "Chameleon" to heart, changing colour to become one of the most sought-after political allies for elections here next year.

MUSIC-SPORTS: Reggae Boyz for the Cup!

Jamaica's hopes for victory at the World Cup soccer tournament in France next month are pinned on the Reggae Boyz - as the national team is known - who have become the toast of the country in song.

MUSIC-POLITICS: Ruben Blades, Panama’s Chameleon Man

Panamanian musician Ruben Blades has taken one of his biggest hits "Chameleon" to heart, changing colour to become one of the most sought-after political allies for elections here next year.

CULTURE-PERU: Doing the “Twelfth Night” Rumba

A provocative new version of the Shakespearean comedy "Twelfth Night" is being staged in Lima, with the traditional tale of confused identity and love expressed as homosexual entanglements to the rhythm of the rumba and bolero.

MUSIC-COSTA RICA: Remembering the Invaders in Song

To the rhythm of mazurca, vals and tambito, Costa Ricans have learned through song littlke-known details of the battle of 1856 when a peasant army turned back a band of armed U.S. privateeers.

ART-RWANDA: Young Returnees Revive Art Scene

One of the features of post-genocide Rwanda, struggling to return to normal after the horrors of civil war, has been the return of artists from neighbouring countries to bring about a revival in this nation's culture.

MUSIC: Salsa Turns Japanese

Step into a packed Tokyo bar with a name like "La Cabana" or "Salsa Caribe" and you'll be surprised to find Japanese couples throwing aside their traditional reserve to dance to the pounding musical rhythms of Latin America.

BOOKS-JAMAICA: Bright Child On West Indian History

When Gloria Compton went to an English boarding school as a teenager in the late 1930's she was one of the first West Indians to come across the infamous British class system and racial snobbery of that era.

MUSIC: Folk Music Losing its Identity in Panama

Folk music that attracts a weekly average of 50,000 people to dances and public concerts in Panama is in danger of losing its identity, say folkloric enthusiasts.

CULTURE-INDIA: Taj Mahal Survives All Threats.

From the time 345 years ago when the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built his celebrated marble monument to the woman he loved, the Taj Mahal has faced threats of destruction.

ART-USA: The Man of a Thousand Bizarre Faces

Looking at one of artist Chuck Close's paintings is always a distinctly unsettling experience - especially because they usually comprise realistic depictions of some of the boldest, most alienated faces ever seen.

MEDIA-CULTURE: Reporting the Peace in Bosnia

Most of the foreign correspondents in Bosnia-Hercegovina have packed up and gone home, leaving behind a local media slowly recovering from years of war-stoked propaganda, mistrust, and isolation.

MUSIC: Jamaica Mourns Death of Legendary Sax Player

Caribbean musicians are mourning the death this month of Tommy McCook, the Jamaican saxophonist who died at his home in Atlanta, Georgia after his distinct tunes blazed a trail across three generations.

CULTURE: What’s in a Name? – Less said, the Better!

The five-years-old Czech Republic continues to ponder an issue that any other youngster generally has accepted at the same age: his or her name.