Happy Tuesday All,
And welcome to the Cultural Reads Newsletter! A bi-weekly book, music, and movie recommendation from different countries all around the world.
For previous newsletter editions, check out the archive.
In this week’s newsletter: Peru, Bangladesh, Japan, Colombia & Africa
🐯 Arkan Lushwala – Indigenous Wisdom
I mentioned the book The Time of the Black Jaguar in my October newsletter.
The book shares Indigenous wisdom on:
- The importance of rituals
- Why you’re too busy, and
- Creating lasting relationships
If you don’t have a lot of time, check out the most important lessons from the book
🍿 Tampopo (Japan)
A truck driver gets into a fight with a gang in a noodle restaurant.
He’s knocked unconscious and wakes up the next day in the owner’s house.
She asks him his honest opinion about her ramen. He answers that it lacks character and offers to help her out.
Tampopo is often dubbed a “ramen western” (a reference to the American spaghetti western) and offers action, romance, and comedy.
The Washington Post called Tampopo the funniest movie about the connection between food and sex ever made.”
You can watch the film on Amazon Prime.
🎸 Ashes | Rock Music (Bangladesh)
A while ago, a guy from Bangladesh helped me out with some research.
He also shared his favorite music, a Bangladeshi rock band called Ashes.
Check out their song Urey Jawa Pakhir Chokhe.
📕 The Shadow of the Sun – Ryszard Kapuściński (Africa)
If you’re interested in Africa, this book is a must-read.
Ryszard is a Polish journalist who lived in Africa when 17 countries became independent from colonial rule.
He met these African leaders and has adventurous stories (like almost dying in Senegal’s desert).
More than anything, though, his historical and political analyses are clear and sharp. He explains each country’s history in a few pages.
Ryszard is curious and humble. He’s not pretending to know Africa. In his words: “This is not a book about Africa, but rather about some people from there – about encounters with them, and time spent together.”
You can find the book on Amazon.
🧨 Artists Are Struggling With Mental Health
More and more artists are burning out during their tours.
My sister and I were going to see Zambian Rapper Sampa The Great when the same happened to her.
This article explains why.
There’s an interesting follow-up article on why touring is making artists broke.
🎬 Best African Movies 2022
Do you need some new movies to watch?
African movie critic Wilfred Okiche shared six of the best African films of 2022.
Short Book Takeaway
If you argue for your limitations, you get to keep them.
There are two kinds of people in the world. Those with reasons and those with results.
Everything is Figureoutable – Marie Forleo
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