Culture
2022
“Art for all”: Della Robbia and the glazed sculptures of the Renaissance
In the 15th century city of Florence, Luca della Robbia goes on to create a recipe for the perfect glazed sculpture, an art form that, at the time, did not fit into the rigid cataloging art.
The master of the Bildungsroman: Leslie Poles Hartley’s life and works
Born in 1895 L.P Hartley was an English poet and author of many notable works including The Go-Between and The Eustace and Hilda trilogy. Learn more about his life and works.
Poems for a Better World: When People Gather
Where do we start? You haven't a clue. "Well there's nothing that just I can do". But what if your neighbour thought that too? And their neighbour thought they didn't matter. Changes happen when people gather...
The Ultimate Guide to Caravaggio's Nativity with Saints Lorenzo and Francesco
Painted during the 1600s and stolen in 1969, Caravaggio’s Nativity With Saints Lorenzo and Francesco is a master work that celebrates the sacredness of the moment without idealising its origins.
Poems for a Better World: An Ode to Environmental Restoration
Partho Pratim Chatterjee's submission during UN-aligned 2021 poetry competition
2021
Powerful women: The story of Artemisia Gentileschi and her 1639 self-portrait
The Artemisia, also known as the mugwort flower, is a symbol of gratitude, the leaves of the plant give energy and certainly have nothing to do with addiction to absinthe, a substance obtained from them, which generates addiction when associated with alcoholic substances. Gratitude is the feeling that each of us should have towards every artist.
John Osborne and The Angry Young Men
After our overview of post-war British drama with a survey of the Theatre of the Absurd, let us now look at another important literary movement that developed after the end of World War II. The end of the war left a sense of discontent and disillusionment, especially with the younger generation.
From Michelangelo to Michelangelo: The story behind Caravaggio his "Death of the Virgin"
I don’t think I have yet reached my own style in writing and I don’t even think I want to reach it so as not to end up entangled in webs created by myself. I do not love to rely on chance, but do enjoy spontaneous and sudden thoughts.
Language to Unite, Language to Separate: The Tale of Serbian & Croatian
Croatia and Serbia, once brothers united, have experienced many conflicts since the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991. In fact, conflicts existed even prior to the demolition of Yugoslavia and can even be traced back as a cause for its collapse.
Harold Pinter: a mirror for the common people
In the last issue we saw how Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter developed a new drama that was characterized by features that had nothing in common with the prevailing criteria of the time: the Theatre of the Absurd. In this issue we shall take a closer look at Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter, one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career spanning over more than 50 years.
Ayesha Kajee Talks to UN-aligned About Her Poem "Silence"
In September 2021, UN-aligned arranged a poetry competition and asked writers to creatively portray the values that its Manifesto campaigns for. The second place was awarded to Ayesha Kajee for her poem Silence.
Poems for a Better World: Silence
i Silence is explicit Silence is complicit Complicity is violence So in the violence of our silence Let us take stock of our complicity ii Our complicity silences truth Muffles honour, rapes innocence The same innocence we plead Confronted by shattered delusion “We didn’t know” iii We wished to not know Blinded, deafened, deadened We turned away Bedecked ourselves in laurel Which now turns to rue iv Our silence - yours and mine - is explicit It is complicit It is violent And in its complicit explicit violence We too have bloodied our souls About Ayesha Kajee Ayesha Kajee, a South African human rights activist and political analyst, has written poems and stories since childhood, but rarely publishes them due to ingrained perfectionism. She was runner up for the Babishaiku haiku prize in 2016.
“Terra Australis Incognita” & “Silence” chosen as the winners of the 2021 UN-aligned poetry competition
It is with great pleasure to announce the winners of this year’s poetry competition arranged by UN-aligned. This year, we have received 17 poems that creatively portrayed the values that UN-aligned’s Manifesto campaigns for. The first place goes to Dean Gessie from Canada for his poem “Terra Australis Incognita”.
Author Dean Gessie Talks to UN-aligned about his “Terra Australis Incognita”
In September 2021, UN-aligned arranged a poetry competition and asked writers to creatively portray the values that its Manifesto campaigns for. The first place was awarded to Dean Gessie for his poem “Terra Australis Incognita”. The following interview was conducted on the 31st of October 2021.
Poems for a Better World: Terra Australis Incognita
Read Dean Gessie’s winning submission to the 2021 UN-aligned poetry competition.
Samuel Beckett & Harold Pinter: 2 Giants of the Theatre of the Absurd
In the last issue we saw how some 20th century writers envisioned a dystopian future in reaction to the two world wars and to the dwindling human values. Protesting against society and the situation of man, but in a different way, were the giants of the Theatre of the Absurd Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter.
Unveiling the Mystery of the Veiled Christ: A Look into the Sansevero Chapel and its Creator
Discover the story of the Veiled Christ, a sculpture by Giuseppe Sanmartino housed in the Sansevero Chapel in Naples.
The Titulus as a safe haven: Case Romane del Celio
If talking about what you don’t know well is frightening, trying to convey to others what you have studied for a long time with enthusiasm and passion is disorienting, because you proceed with the constant feeling of not saying everything or at least not saying enough. Years ago, when I was still a university student, I was deeply impressed by Christian archeology not only as a matter of faith, but because when art is placed at the service of any kind of religion or religious thought, it generates artistic phenomena that involve social edification.
The Dystopian Novel: "Beyond Utopia"!
The dystopian novel developed during the 20th century when the reality of humanity’s volatile condition became evident after both the first and second world wars. The word, dystopia, refers to Utopia, the fictitious name of an ideal country, coined by Thomas More in his famous book Libellus … de optimo reipublicae statu deque nova Insula Utopia (1516).
Portraits along the way - in Pictures
Travelling around China and India has provided me with memories of fantastic nature and beautiful cities and towns, all of which have their own unique charm and sights. The most memorable moments of visiting new places, however, are the encounters with friendly and warmhearted locals. I still remember, years after, the kind people who stopped to pose for a stranger with a camera. This gallery presents some of the beautiful portraits along the way.
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