The Cultural Frontline

The Cultural Frontline speaks to artists tackling climate change and global environmental damage through their work. It’s the protest movement that has hit the headlines and the streets around the world. Tina speaks to members of Extinction Rebellion about why the group place arts and culture at the centre of their actions. Icelandic film director Benedikt Erlingson explains why he chose to tackle the thorny issue of the environmental impact of industry in a quirky, comic style in his critically acclaimed film Woman at War. We step inside the art show devoted entirely to rubbish - Material Insanity. The BBC’s Lucy Ash speaks to the Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru about how he creates extraordinary art from very ordinary waste. And what is 'Cli-Fi'? Literary journalist Amy Brady talks us through the increasingly popular genre of Climate Fiction. Presented by Tina Daheley Image: Extinction Rebellion protest in London. Credit: Brais G. Rouco/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Cultural Frontline speaks to some of Africa’s leading writers about the transformative power of literature. Taking the African story to the world. We speak to the writers Cherrie Kandie and Ngwah-Mbo Nana Nkweti about their latest work which has been nominated for the prestigious Caine Prize and ask what life is like as a contemporary African writer working in the United States. A generation after the Rwandan genocide, the writer Yolande Mukugasana tells the Cultural Frontline how her writing helped share the story of a life lost amidst one of the most horrific crimes in modern history. Has a song, a film, or a book ever changed the way you see the world? The Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma, shortlisted for The Man Booker Prize, reveals how the Nigerian literary classic The Palm-Wine Drinkard inspired him to become a writer. Plus how one of Africa’s brightest literary talents, Panashe Chigumadzi, was inspired by her grandmother to tell the personal and political story of Zimbabwe after the fall of former President Robert Mugabe. Presented by Tina Daheley Image: Panashe Chigumadzi. Credit: Ropafadzo Murombo

This week the Cultural Frontline speaks to leading comedians and satirists around the world who use humour to question and expose, sometimes at risk to themselves. Tina is joined by the American stand-up and sketch comedian Chris Redd, a cast member of the iconic Saturday Night Live TV show. Chris talks about his impersonation of Kanye West meeting President Trump which went viral online, what he thinks of President Trump’s reaction to the show, and how he uses rap to highlight social issues like climate change. Amidst the ongoing political and economic crisis in Venezuela, one of the leading political satirists in the country, Luis Chataing, often referred to as the Venezuelan Jon Stewart, is using comedy to take on the policies of the Nicolas Maduro government. But a crackdown on dissent has made life difficult for comics. We hear why his popular weekly show was taken off air and why he now has to stream his show from Miami. Has a book, film, song, poem or artist ever changed your outlook on life? One of the rising stars of the Asian stand- up comedy scene, Singapore based Sam See, talks about the comedian who inspired him to change the way he approaches his stand up shows, while navigating the country’s red lines. And two of Uganda’s biggest comedians, Patrick Idringi AKA ‘Salvado’ and Akite Agnes, discuss the country’s booming stand-up scene and the hottest social issues and current affairs dominating the comedy circuit in Uganda. Presented by Tina Daheley Image: comedian Chris Redd. Credit: FilmMagic/Getty Images

On this week’s Cultural Frontline we’re exploring whether Native American and Indigenous artists in Canada are enjoying a renaissance. And celebrating Indigenous artists who are re-inventing traditions for a contemporary audience. We speak to Indigenous two-spirit musician Jeremy Dutcher about his award winning album and rescuing his community’s language from extinction. For the first time ever, Native American women’s art is being exhibited together on a grand scale. Its unusual centre piece is an El Camino car painted as a homage to an artistic hero. We hear from the car’s creator Rose B Simpson and curator Teri Greeves on why this show is so important. Critically acclaimed Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq has created a sound world to accompany an installation about polar explorers. She explains why she wanted to highlight the Inuit contribution and recreate an ancient art form for a contemporary audience. Plus Native American author Tommy Orange on being Indigenous in the city, reading from his novel There There. Guest presented by Rosanna Deerchild. Image: Jeremy Dutcher. Credit: Matt Barnes

Sell out tours, millions of social media followers and adoring fans across the globe. Welcome to the world of Dimash, Central Asia’s biggest pop star. We find out how he went from a child singer to a pioneer of pop music and why he is trying to change the world’s perception of his home country, Kazakhstan. Has a song, a book, a work of art ever changed the way you see the world? Zandra Rhodes, one of British fashion’s leading trend setters, reveals why the work of the artist Duggie Fields inspires her. They have been dubbed “the wildest DJ crew and label in Mexico” and have been credited with revolutionising a dance music scene in Mexico City that has been devastated by the War on Drugs. The BBC’s Emmanuella Kwenortey speaks to the creative minds behind the pioneering artistic collective NAAFI and finds out what drives these cultural mavericks. Plus we find out why the sky is the limit for Indian statues. The writer Sandip Roy explores the increasingly competitive and record breaking nature of public art and public life in India. Presented by Tina Daheley Image: Dimash in concert. Credit: Nikita Basov