Culture
Welcome to our Culture section. Here we explore vibrant and inspiring work from across the globe and examine issues such as identity, cultural appropriation, the role of art, globalization, sponsorship and the impact of digital technology on cultural practices.
We talk to leading cultural figures, exploring their politics, inspirations, and visions for the future.
We cover a range of topics including: art books film music media photography.
In our reviews, we analyse and critique both mainstream and independent book, film, and music, to help you discover thought-provoking movies, new sounds and page-turners that are too often ignored by mainstream media.
You’ll find coverage of events and festivals that showcase the diversity of cultural practices and traditions, highlighting the power of art to bring people together and promote social change. We also explore the ways in which power dynamics and colonial legacies continue to shape our cultural experiences.
Our aim is to foster a greater understanding of our complex world through the lens of culture, which is not just a passive reflection of our world, but an active participant in its transformation.
Inside Hungary’s post-truth laboratory
Viktor Orbán, the country's autocratic hard man, is riding high, with the help of young propaganda-mongers. Lorraine Mallinder investigates a media takeover.
The selfish giants
Laura Basu on how media ownership is getting more concentrated – and what to do about it.
Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies…
Vanessa Baird writes on the strange mutations of ‘fake news’.
Malware for humans
Wars in cyberspace are wars on our minds. JJ Patrick on the murky underworld of big data, social media, espionage and the spread of chaos through disinformation.
Will EU copyright law ‘carpet bomb’ the digital world?
Article 13 of the EU’s Copyright Directive, up for vote on 20 June, will impose mandatory upload filters on internet users. Jillian York explains why the risks are too high.
Fighting Mr Fake
How editor Maria Ressa took on the president of the Philippines. Iris Gonzales tells the story.
A better media is possible
Out of the current crisis, a more hopeful vision is emerging, argues Vanessa Baird.
Joy Division and Ian Curtis: the myths
Front man Ian Curtis committed suicide in 1980, but the myth of Curtis and Joy Division lives on, Peter Kenworthy writes.
Supporting New Internationalist
As news media face a crisis of legitimacy, reader supported alternatives offer a way forward, Chris Spannos writes.
Will new laws tame the tech giants?
Are these new privacy laws the best solution? Mike Morel investigates.
Defending journalism in a climate of fear
On World Press Freedom Day, Amnesty International’s Stefan Simanowitz reports on why Turkish journalists need support.
Banning Russia Today would solve nothing
This will give Putin another excuse for a media crackdown, argues Madeline Roache.
Psychedelics, human trafficking, and song
US singer-songwriter Nahko shares his experience of turning pain into positivity with Graeme Green.
Using comedy to break down stereotypes
Nick Dowson reports on Mark Thomas’s attempt to train a comedy troupe in the West Bank.
Watch: Grenfell community’s Silent Walk for justice
Last weekend, a silent march commemorated the victims of the tragedy and demanded justice. Pablo Navarrete reports.
Kids at work: a YouTube vlogger
Jake Edwards, a transgender YouTube vlogger, has a uniquely millennial career. Edward Siddons spoke to him to find out more about his generation.
Kids at work: a migrant in Italy
Sophia Seymour and Daisy Squires shine a light on Musa Fata, a Gambian migrant who hopes to become a world-famous DJ.
Laughing and crying online
Social media use is correlated with mental health problems. But is it simply cause and effect? Marcus Gilroy-Ware finds out.
A group of one’s own
For young girls across the Muslim world, social media has become a therapeutic medium. Hussein Kesvani reports.
Burundian radio in exile
The story of Radio Inzamba, daring to report on human rights abuses, told by Giedre Steikunaite.
Why some punchlines are beyond a joke
Kate Smurthwaite asks: does mainstream comedy have the wrong targets in its sights?
Monbiot: ‘we need that new political narrative’
The acclaimed journalist talks to Nick Dowson about how to get out of the mess we’re in.
This capitalism theme park will make you shudder
KidZania is an unashamed shrine to the sterile, dystopian human-made landscapes, comedian Steve Parry writes.
The drumbeat of West Papuan resistance
‘The struggle is in the song, and the song is in the struggle.’ West Papuan musician Ronny Kareni explains the vital role of Melanesian culture in the fight for freedom.
Punk-anthem ‘God Save the Queen’ turns 40
The Sex Pistols' song helped reconnect rock music with culture, participation and rebellion around the world, writes Peter Kenworthy.
Five paradoxes about the state of the media
As the New Internationalist embarks on its great, democratic, community shares experiment, Vanessa Baird explores the contradictions of today’s media landscape.
‘We’ve never had a benefactor... It made sense to turn to our readers’
Alessio Perrone gets the inside story on our Community Share Offer.
Our 500th issue – time for courage and change
It won’t last, the young founders of New Internationalist were told 500 issues ago. Read the letter from this month's Editors.
Why can’t disabled people dance…?
Sho Shibata reveals the systemic disadvantages in the dance industry that make it difficult for disabled people to become professional dancers.
Two ways to build global community
A platform co-operative approach to information, rather than the models of Facebook and legacy media, provide reason for optimism, writes Dan Hind.
Will Breitbart's 'alt-right' news work in Germany?
The website has a huge following in the US, but anti hate speech laws may hinder its German success, explains Gouri Sharma.
