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Hip-hop turned 50 this summer and its influence has been felt in all corners of the globe — from the streets of the Bronx to a revolution in Beirut, from anti-apartheid messages in Cape Town to graffiti in Cairo. Last summer, The World traveled this landscape and kicked off the series with H. Samy Alim, professor of anthropology and director of the Hip Hop Initiative at UCLA. Host Marco Werman ret...

In India, artists are using hip-hop to stand up to one of the world's oldest forms of discrimination: caste. In recent years, a new wave of Dalit artists is wielding some of the same musical elements that Black artists began channeling decades ago to call out prejudice and injustice. As part of The World's Planet Hip Hop series, Sushmita Pathak reported from Delhi on this growing movement of "anti...

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, host Marco Werman looked at women who are rocking the mic across the globe. He dove into the topic with Msia Kibona Clark from the department of African Studies at Howard University and host of the Hip Hop African podcast. Original air date: Aug. 11, 2023

For decades, rappers have used hip-hop to condemn abusive police practices. That spirit has since spread globally. In Myanmar, rappers are considered the artistic arm of a revolution to bring down the ruling military through armed rebellion. Their purpose: articulating the anger Myanmar people feel towards the junta, which seized power in 2021, crashing the economy and sparking an uprising. The Wo...

Rounding out The World's celebration of hip-hop's 50th anniversary, host Marco Werman reflects on a song from 1993 that first made him realize the international reach of this powerful genre.

Hip-hop has taken root in Egypt. While authorities are trying to suppress it, the raw power of the music may be unstoppable. Last summer, Yasmine el Rashidi, author of "Laughter in the Dark: Egypt to the Tune of Change," spoke with host Marco Werman about how young Egyptians are pushing hip-hop to the limit.  Original air date: Jul. 14, 2023

The culinary contributions of Taiwan are often overshadowed by other cuisine from the region, especially China. "Made in Taiwan," by Clarissa Wei was released this fall to critical acclaim. The cookbook has made numerous Best-of lists for 2023. The cookbook highlights some of the ingredients and flavors that make Taiwanese cooking unique. The World's host Carol Hill spoke to Clarissa Wei in Septem...

Doctors say a record number of fatalities and serious injuries occurred after the height of the wall along the Tijuana-San Diego border was raised to 30 feet. This impacts the entire hospital system in the region as patients require highly trained specialists and expensive care. KPBS's reporter Gustavo Solis says doctors are trying to make politicians aware of the severity of the problem.

This month, Kenyans have been celebrating 60 years of independence from the British Empire. Now, a new documentary is looking at Kenya’s surviving freedom fighters, called the Mau Mau. "Our Land, Our Freedom," by Kenyan directors Meena Nanji and Zippy Kimundu premiered last month. The World’s Africa Correspondent Halima Gikandi brings us this story.

Entomologist Samuel Ramsey is one of the leading experts on bees and the parasites that threaten their colonies worldwide. He speaks with host Carol Hills about developments in bee research over the past year and explains how the growing diversity in scientific communities worldwide gives him hope for the future of bees and for humanity.

Al-Syriania is a new television channel that was launched in Iraq this year to preserve the ancient Syriac language from disappearing. It derives from Aramaic, the original language of the Bible and Jesus. The World's Sara Hassan spoke to people at the network in Baghdad and in the Iraqi Christian community about what this means for them.

Patrice Lumumba was a major figure of post-colonial Africa. When the country known today as Democratic Republic of Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960, Lumumba became the country’s first prime minister. But his death less than a year later involved more than one culprit. A new book by Foreign Affairs Magazine Executive Editor Stuart Reid examines the evidence of US involvement in Lumumb...

In a normal year, tourists and pilgrims would pack hotels in Jerusalem. But this year, many of the hotels are full of Israelis who escaped from the Hamas rampage in communities near the Gaza Strip and Lebanon borders. Those displaced Israelis have been in the hotel for two and a half months with no end in sight. Rebecca Collard reports.

An official count by Ukraine shows that Russia fired 122 missiles that targeted civilian areas and cities across the country. This is the largest attack since the beginning of the war. An unknown number of Ukrainians are buried under the rubble, but an early tally says more than 20 people were killed. Ukraine managed to intercept a number of the missiles. The World's host Carol Hills talks with Vo...

South Africans are mourning the death of playwright Mbongeni Ngema, best known for his multi-award-winning musical "Sarafina!" He died at age 68 in a car crash on Wednesday. Host Marco Werman tells the story of the legendary writer, lyricist, composer, director, choreographer and theatre producer, whose work celebrates the spirit of Black South Africans under apartheid.

At Wednesday's meeting in Mexico City, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that he was willing to help with the migrant crisis at the border, but that he wants to see progress in US relations with Cuba and Venezuela. Venezuelans make up a large portion of the migrants trying to cross the border. Host Marco Werman speaks to David Smilde, a profess...

As we approach the end of the 50th anniversary year of hip-hop, host Marco Werman reminds us of the cool and obscure music from around the globe that US artists and producers have turned to for sampling, from Brazilian to Egyptian record bins.

It’s been a week since a lone gunman entered Charles University in the Czech Republic's capital and opened fire. The mass shooting in the heart of Prague left 14 people dead and dozens injured — making it the deadliest event of its kind in the country's history. The country has one of the most liberal gun laws in Europe. The World's host Marco Werman talks with Prague-based journalist Ian Willough...

Spain's recent amnesty deal for Catalan separatists has led to political upheaval, with conservatives taking to the streets by the tens of thousands. But amid their cries of "coup d'etat!" the country's long history of amnesty measures and pardons is being lost. There have been more than 30 amnesties granted in Spain going back 200 years. The World’s Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

St. Louis, Missouri, is home to a growing African community. Seeking community and sharing their faith, parishioners from 15 different countries come together for mass in their native tongues: Swahili and French. St. Louis Public Radio's Andrea Henderson attended a mass where traditions and languages meld.

In the month before his death, the Palestinian poet and academic, Refaat Alareer, shared a poem he wrote, entitled "If I Must Die." An Israeli airstrike later killed him alongside his family in Gaza. As the death toll reaches 21,000 people, many in Gaza have left all kinds of final messages — both publicly and to loved ones — to tell them what they would want to be known for in the event of their...

Pilani Bubu comes from a South African family that encouraged education and creativity. She was born in the last decade of apartheid in an area now known as Eastern Cape. As a child of the MTV generation, Bubu straddled the two worlds of globalization and the traditions of her homeland. This year, she released the album "Folklore Chapter Two." The World's April Peavey has a profile.

In recent weeks, gangs in Haiti have ramped up their campaign of violence. Two young girls were killed in Haiti on Christmas Day and four family members were kidnapped. The World's Tibisay Zea reports.

In Washington, the Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it’s sending another military aid package to Ukraine, this one worth $250 million. This is the last package that the US can send to Ukraine without Congress passing a new spending bill. A $61-billion military aid package proposed by the Biden administration has stalled in Congress. In Kyiv though, Ukrainian officials are looking a...

During the 20-year US-led war in Afghanistan, there were a number of Afghan female soldiers who fought alongside American troops. Many were able to evacuate after US troops left the country in 2021. The World's host Marco Werman talks with Andrea Smardon, host of the podcast "Stranger Becomes Neighbor," about Sima, an Afghan woman who was part of a special forces unit of elite female fighters who...