In response to the Second Vatican Council's reforms, the monks of the Abbey of Keur Moussa set about Africanizing their worship, researching traditional music and adapting it to their liturgy. It was when they discovered the kora that everything clicked — and even got them a recording contract. - The New Yorker
The items, seized under the terms of three separate search warrants executed during the last six months, will be returned to their countries of origin — 21 to Italy and six to Egypt — in ceremonies scheduled for next week. - The New York Times
"(He) was the influential missing piece in American music, (with) a profound impact on Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Broadway from the 1930s to the 1960s. The Communist overtones in his work that polarized 20th-century listeners ... plus the circumstances of his 1964 death, ... make him all the more intriguing." - The Philadelphia Inquirer
AAM’s announcement comes alongside heightened calls for salary transparency in the museum world and as salary transparency laws have taken effect across the country. In New York City, all employers will need to disclose salaries beginning November 1. - Hyperallergic
In her New York Times Op-Ed column last week, Goldberg, drawing on a new book by W. David Marx, seems to argue that the internet's ease of access has made things too easy to be interesting. Not so, responds Ben Davis: the real problem is the clickbait-driven attention economy. - Artnet
A journalist, a radio DJ, and actual YouTubers were brought in as editors to sift through content, finding gems that viewers might love. Officially, these team members were called “community managers.” But a colleague devised a more resonant title for the team: the coolhunters. - The Atlantic
The port city is as famous for its particular sense of humor as New Orleans is for jazz. Says one local comic, "The war has caused many Ukrainians to rediscover the importance of humor, but it has also given stand-up comics a new purpose." - The Christian Science Monitor
"According to a report by the National Literacy Trust, the percentage of children (aged five through eight) who do not have a book of their own at home has risen by 1.9% since before the pandemic and is now at its highest point since 2019." - The Guardian
"The paintings ... were initially found by Sudanese archaeologists in 2021 while excavating the remains of the El Lagia church at el-Ga’ab depression on the west bank of the Nile. ... The works have now been documented and restored by a team of Polish researchers." - Artnet
"Two more awards shows went gender neutral last week, fueling further speculation about the day when major awards shows — think Oscars, Emmys and (yes) Golden Globes — might follow suit and drop the distinction between 'actor' and 'actress' in their respective competitions." - Variety
"When (the Islamists) returned to power a year ago, many cultural heritage advocates worried about the fate of the National Museum and its irreplaceable treasures. ... When the museum reopened in December, it was a hopeful sign to cultural heritage advocates that things might be different this time under Taliban rule." - NPR
"In more than 20 books, (she) explored a sweep of topics that echoed her varied background as a feminist political activist and scientist with a doctorate in cellular immunology. She returned over and over, though, to cast a critical eye on chronic inequities in U.S. society." - The Washington Post
This question—why parents and taxpayers should support public schools that teach content that conflicts with their most cherished beliefs—has reverberated across the decades, sometimes registering only as a faint echo and sometimes, such as today, resounding at top volume. - The Point
Criticism in the broadest sense is a key tactic for maintaining a nonrigid, noncomplacent orientation toward the world. You’re always stepping back and looking at everything afresh, never taking anything for granted, never turning a blind eye to your own complicities and flaws—ideally, anyway. - ArtForum
That there is more than one way to interpret numbers might seem obvious, but is worth repeating at a time when, once again, historians claiming that they will emulate the supposedly ‘hard’ sciences are in a position to get huge grants and hire armies of assistants. - Aeon
