Eyes on Chilean Cinema Allende making a speech. Photo taken from the Battle of Chile, The Coup d’Etat by Patricio Guzmán / Atacama Productions / ICAIC - Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematográfico. Por la razón o la fuerza. By reason or by force.   This proverb is Chile's national motto, reflecting the Chilean republic's desire to assert its right to exist in the face of the colonising powers of the 19th century. Chile shall defend its rights through diplomacy and re

With the Chilean presidential elections being held tomorrow, November 16 will be an important day for Chile. A Marxist communist president may be elected, the first since Salvador Allende ( 1970-1973 ); his legacy brings back painful memories to the coup d’état before the violent dictatorship . To honor and remember the victims of these frightful years, a museum was created, instilling their legacy in a national one. I will showcase the archives of the Museum of Memory and Hu

‘Blocchiamo Tutto’ Despite the first autumn downpours, the largest Italian cities were still scorching of heat in September. Streets, schools, railway stations and ports became epicenters of anger channeled by masses of twenty-something year olds, rallying for Gaza. The popular movement to bloccare tutto - block everything - spilled over the entire country, resulting in nationwide strikes backed by unions, and large-scale demonstrations, most notably the one on September 22.

Just as the sun rises each morning and sets each evening, the inevitable is upon us. Society is tipping into a critical state. Inequality is growing, democracies are swerving to the extreme right, the environment is collapsing, and the social and political quandaries of today are bigger than ever. Some would say we are moving backwards, with violence and injustice becoming customary, while equality and empathy slowly disappear.  Tragically, countless communities are facing un

Sitting with some friends at the terrace of a GS25 in Hongdae, we were celebrating the end of our midterms with Korean beer and peach soju. Before arriving at a consensus on what to do next - either playing darts at Corner PUB or dancing at MON5 - a Korean man kindly asked to sit with us. Gladly welcoming him, intrigued by the newcomer’s confidence and boldness, we resumed our varied discussions. At first, I didn’t pick up much of what he was saying from across the table, but

Eyes on Iranian Cinema Source:   IMDb, Still from the film Holy Spider, directed by Ali Abbasi (2022). ز گهواره تا گور دانش بجوی Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave. Directed by Ali Abbasi   and sadly inspired by real events that took place in Iran in the early 2000s. A thriller set in Mashhad , one of Iran's largest holy cities, a series of crimes targeting sex workers who disappear in the streets at night is rampant. Following these disappearances, a journalist from

A Baby Bonus Americans are being asked an interesting question: “would you have a child if it meant you received $5,000 cash, no strings...

What started as a deadly railway tragedy quickly ballooned into an unprecedented youth protest movement in Europe. For months now, tens...

“I'm impressed… I'm shocked… I have no words”. That’s all I was able to utter when Nazifa told me her story. Afterwards, I blamed myself...

With his first address, last Sunday, the new Pope - Leo XIV - has officially announced the direction of his papacy. These intentions set...

On May 8th, when the white smoke came out of the chimney, the crowd on St. Peter’s Square in Rome cheered in excitement. With the...

My €19 Redemption Arc During my four-month Korean Media and Popular Culture class, the professor showed us the box office sales in South...

“Law is a powerful tool for social ordering”, writes Katharina Pistor in The Code of Capital . In her work, she argues that law not only...

“The Church is no longer Eurocentric” . While this quote from Cardinal Sarah of Guinea is from ten years ago, it rings more true than...

What if I were to tell you your world is fading to gray - literally? You may not believe me, but look around you. Look at the objects...

It all started with a headache a few months ago. Not the kind caused by stress or a night out, but the kind that settles in after a day...

Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul and a prominent figure in Turkey's opposition to the ruling party, has been a symbol of democratic...

In 1963, Hannah Arendt pointed out that portraying all Nazis as pure evil is incorrect. But next to incorrect, it is also incredibly...

On April 1, 2025, Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey made history by delivering the longest floor speech ever  in the United...

It is no surprise that our current system needs a radical makeover if we wish to keep our blue planet habitable.   As of today , we have...