Hello Everyone,
And welcome to the Cultural Reads Newsletter with book, music, and movie recommendations from around the world.
In this week’s newsletter: Music from Eritrea, 3 Country Pages, Flexibility App, UK DJ, Egyptian Movie & Colombian Novel
Have you ever heard of Eritrea?
If so, was it related to the conflict?
Eritrea is a small country bordering Sudan, Ethiopia, and Djibouti with stunning nature, including mountains, sea, and forests.
Unfortunately, most people only know Eritrea due to the long-lasting Eritrean-Ethiopian conflict.
But despite political and ideological conflict, there’s a lot of overlap with Ethiopian music and food.
Check out the best Eritrean music here!
I wouldn’t say I’m very flexible. I played basketball my entire life, and all we did were push-ups and sit-ups. Except for a warming-up and cooling-down, why would flexibility be necessary?
For the last ten years, I’ve had recurring neck pain. It’s probably due to stress and too much time behind a desk. I tried everything but can’t seem to get rid of it.
When a friend recommended the stretching app GOWOD, I decided to put it to the test. I was still committed to solving the issue.
The app proved I could have been more flexible: I got a score of 37/100. I’ve improved in the last few months and am now on 59/100. More importantly, I feel much better and suffer less from neck pain.
If you have any issues or body aches, please try GOWOD.
It lets you do a few stretching exercises and indicate how well you did them. Based on that, you get a score and a personalized program based on your weak spots.
Fred Again is a British record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and DJ.
He’s especially popular on festivals like Down The Rabbit Hole, and I love his sets.
Last week, Tiny Desk featured Fred Again, and it’s lit 🔥
Check it out here.
The Blue Elephant is one of the best Egyptian movies ever, with a stunning 8.0 on IMDB.
The story follows Dr. Yehia, a psychiatrist struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife.
He is tasked with investigating the mysterious case of a patient named Nour, who has been admitted to the hospital with strange symptoms.
As Dr. Yehia delves deeper into Nour’s case, he begins to uncover a dark and dangerous world of the supernatural that threatens his life and sanity.
Ismail is a retired professor who spends his days with his wife, gardening, and sneakily spying on his beautiful Brazilian neighbor.
Despite the pains of getting old, life’s perfect.
That’s until the armies arrive. Slowly, Ismael’s friends disappear until the small town is engulfed with violence.
The Armies is an impactful short read on the effects of the Colombian armed conflict on regular citizens.
“Don’t optimize for more time.
Optimize to do more of what you love.”
