Episodes
National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek tells host Carolyn Beeler about his first stop after having walked through the Middle East. On Cyprus, he found beaches with baking European tourists, a busy port city and a checkerboard of olive groves and yellow hay fields. But he also found the vestigial border line that divides the island's Greek and Turkish communities, and walked through an abandoned tourist city, a relic of a border war that has never been fully resolved.
Published 04/04/24
Published 04/04/24
Sudanese American Haneen Sidahmed is digitizing cassettes tapes of classic Sudanese songs dating back to the 1960s. In the process, she's created a music archive called Sudan Tapes Archive. Reporter Hana Baba, of station KALW and the podcast, "The Stoop," talked to Sidahmed about how her work has taken on new urgency amid war in Sudan.
Published 04/03/24
Antoine Carrier, a middle school teacher in Bordeaux, southwest France, stays up late many nights, pen in hand, crafting math rhymes. Online, tens of thousands of kids know him as A’Rieka, the rapping math teacher. 
Published 04/02/24
Brazil is remembering the 1964 coup that began on March 31 that year. The event 60 years ago sunk Brazil into a brutal 21-yearlong dictatorship that would last until 1985. Today, the country is still grappling with the meaning and memory of what happened. 
Published 04/01/24
Jews around the world just celebrated the holiday of Purim, which is said to mark the survival of Jews in ancient Persia. In Israel, it is known for being a raucous holiday with parties, costumes, sweets and drinking. But for many Israelis, the war meant this year’s holiday felt different.
Published 03/26/24
University Art Gallery at San Diego State University has just unveiled an exhibit, "The Imaginary Amazon," featuring works by contemporary artists, many of them Indigenous inhabitants of the forest. The artists' intent is to address some of the stereotypical Western perspectives of the Amazon.
Published 03/22/24
Lawmakers in Ghana recently passed a bill that could lead to a severe crackdown on LGBTQ activities that have many people worried. Ghana's president is under pressure domestically to sign the bill into law, but could face economic consequences if he does. 
Published 03/19/24
March 18 marks the 10-year anniversary of a movement that changed Taiwanese politics for a generation. The Sunflower Movement saw hundreds of students occupy Taiwan’s Legislature — demanding that lawmakers reconsider a trade deal they were about to ratify with China.
Published 03/18/24
New York City is home to over 700 languages, but some will soon cease to exist. Is there still time to save them? The World’s Carolyn Beeler talks to linguist and author Ross Perlin about his new book, “Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York."
Published 03/12/24
‘Oppenheimer’ is expected to win big at the 2024 Academy Awards. But one point of controversy is that the director did not depict any images of the devastating aftermath of the dropping of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Getting those images out to the public was a longtime quest for Herbert Sussan, then a 24-year-old filmmaker who filmed in Japan at the time.
Published 03/08/24
The World's host Carolyn Beeler talked with National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek about his experiences walking through different parts of Saudi Arabia as a part of his "Out of Eden Walk" project.
Published 03/08/24
Food is, of course, an important part of culture. A new exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois, is exploring the role delis have played in Jewish culture and history. In America, many delis were founded by Holocaust survivors.
Published 02/29/24
Camel racing is an ancient sport. There are records of races on the Arabian Peninsula that date back to the 7th century. These days, it's still hugely popular, with robot jockeys and cash prizes. But a new team is taking camel racing back to its roots — with a twist.
Published 02/27/24
Seiji Ozawa, who led the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) for nearly three decades, died this week in his home country of Japan. The World speaks to Brian McCreath, who broadcasts the Boston Symphony Orchestra on WCRB in Boston, about Ozawa's life and legacy.
Published 02/09/24
Since the latter half of the 20th century, the influence of Frantz Fanon has been felt in fields as distinct as psychiatry and postcolonial studies. A new book explores the "revolutionary lives" of the psychiatrist, writer and anti-colonial rebel, whose understanding of identity evolved through his travel and experiences, including confronting colonial hierarchies as a person of color in postwar France, and eventually joining the Algerian War of Independence. Host Marco Werman learned more...
Published 02/09/24
The Haitian population of Miami has remained unchanged since the beginning of the century, with about 30,000 people. But little remains of the neighborhood that Maria and Viter Juste founded in the 1970s that came to be known as Little Haiti.
Published 02/02/24
The World’s host Marco Werman previews two of the artists who are featured as part of the 24th annual edition of International Guitar Night touring North America.
Published 01/29/24
This week, jazz fans in Haiti will once again gather for the 17th annual PapJazz Festival. The event draws enthusiasts from across the island, as well as international jazz aficionados. Festival organizer Milena Sandler says the gathering in Port-au-Prince is "an act of resistance" amid security and economic challenges in Haiti.
Published 01/25/24
The AfD, or Alternative for Germany, has been around for over a decade and has significant public support. But there's been widespread protests against them since news broke that AfD members had met with neo-Nazis to discuss mass deportations from Germany.
Published 01/23/24
On Jan. 22, a temple of Lord Ram will open its doors in Ayodhya, in northern India. The temple stands where the Babri mosque once existed, before it was torn down by a Hindu mob. The occasion marks a victory for Hindus and a sorrowful reminder for Muslims of the ongoing tensions between the two groups in a Hindu-majority country.
Published 01/19/24
Turkey is famous for its elaborate breakfasts, featuring a huge spread of a wide variety of foods that can take hours to eat. Critics say the traditional breakfast is indulgent and leads to food waste. Others say it’s part of the culture and here to stay.
Published 01/19/24
Birdwatching is a rapidly growing and lucrative part of the tourism sector worldwide, but women make up a very small minority of professional guides. Uganda Women Birders, a bird guide club, is revolutionizing the industry by encouraging and supporting women who want to get into the business. Anita Elash reports from the town of Entebbe, Uganda.
Published 01/18/24
The small Baltic nation of Estonia is experiencing a folk music renaissance, with young musicians bringing traditional songs and instruments to the forefront in an attempt to reassert a unique Estonian identity and keep the country’s ancient heritage alive.
Published 01/17/24
Commercial surrogacy is banned in many European countries. In the US, the laws vary from state to state. The pope wants to see the practice outlawed worldwide.
Published 01/16/24