Culture Quest

Culture Quest By Episode

• Western Mongolia (#101)

  We travel to Western Mongolian with nomadic Kazak herders who hunt using golden eagles in a tradition that dates back to well before the great Mongol Empire. That nomadic lifestyle and the traditions that come with it are trying to find their place in an ever-encroaching modern world.

• Ghana (#102)

  We travel to Ghana, where the young artists are at the top of African art internationally and are using their art to call attention to real issues effecting their daily lives: climate change, waste and poverty - while at the same time trying to carve out their own cultural identity instead of the one that was placed upon them through slavery and colonialism.

• Kyoto (#103)

  We travel to Kyoto, one of the most well-preserved cities in Japan where both domestic and international tourists flock to stroll the streets to get a sense of ancient Japan. We spend time with a classic starving artist trying to make it in the art world, a tattoo artist breaking new ground in what is still a taboo art form, and a modern artist with pieces in major museums around the world. All of these artists find at their core an essential blend between their ancient traditions and modern life.

• Puerto Rico (#104)

  We travel to Puerto Rico to explore graffiti and mural culture. This is a surprising look at how something that is seen as a sign of blight, of a neighborhood in decline, is actually unifying neighborhoods around the island. The murals give residents a sense of history and pride as well as much needed income from tourists who are more and more visiting these seldom-seen barrios to view internationally recognized mural art.

• East Timor (#105)

  We travel to East Timor with a rebel fighter and writer named Naldo Rei who was instrumental in the 15-year bloody struggle for independence from Indonesia. Naldo and his fellow East Timorese are now looking towards an uncertain but hopeful future for a country with a lot of potential, including what Conservation International calls the most biodiverse swath of ocean right off the shore of their capital city.

• The Northern Coast of Australia (#106)

  We travel to The Northern Coast of Australia to Arnhem Land, spending time with the Yolngu tribe - a group of people that some anthropologists date back to well over 30,000 years and who were instrumental in advancing the struggle for land rights for Aboriginals across Australia. They take a modern approach to blending modern art and technology with their millennia-old traditions to help preserve the land they live on, and with it, their culture as well.