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The extraordinary decency of Athol Fugard
Filmmaker and actor Gavin Hood reflects on his relationship with the late South African novelist, playwright and director, who has died aged 92
By Gavin Hood
Latest news
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Power to the people?
Our fundamental right to protest is being eroded in the UK and USA
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USA urged to protect press freedom and keep journalists safe after order to gut United States Agency for Global Media
The US President has signed an order calling for the USAGM to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law"
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The end of impunity for Rodrigo Duterte
Justice has finally caught up with the former Philippines president
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Standing in solidarity with VOA, RFE/RL and RFA
The Trump administration is moving to shutter these essential media outlets. This will aid autocrats and further silence voices of dissent
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Spotlight: International Women's Day
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Afghanistan’s female lawyers are the latest target for the Taliban
Pursuing a legal career has become impossible for women in the country. Some of those women told Index their stories
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New online platform provides free education to girls in Afghanistan
Afghan girls are being denied access to higher education. The Begum Academy is trying to change that
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The daily risks taken by Afghanistan’s female journalists
Life for women in the media has been bleak since the Taliban takeover, and experts don’t see that changing anytime soon
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Women journalists caught in middle of Afghanistan’s nightmare
Many journalists – women in particular – have fled the Taliban or are in hiding from the brutal regime
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MAGAZINE
LATEST ISSUE: VOLUME 53.04 WINTER 2024
Unsung heroes: How musicians are raising their voices against oppression
Music has been described as a “cultural universal” – a practice found in all known human cultures and societies. While anthropologists still scratch their heads over exactly where the concept originated, evidence indicates that humans have used musical instruments for an astonishing 40,000 years.
During an excavation in 1995 in Slovenia, researchers discovered a bear’s femur bone with holes in it and concluded that it could be an ancient flute.
Humans have always found ingenious ways to make music, and it’s not difficult to see why. It is one of the most powerful forms of self-expression, capable of eliciting both intense happiness and sadness in the listener. It is used to celebrate, lament, respect and enrage, and its endless genres, styles and instruments form a core part of countries’ unique cultural heritages.
But despite its universality, music is being silenced globally. Religious extremism, political factions, racism and nationalism are all driving forces, stopping it being performed, produced and listened to. In this issue we explore how music bans have been weaponised to silence communities and erase histories.
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