Culture
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Keep on playing
Ethio-jazz was the thrilling sound of 1960s and ’70s Ethiopia, blending traditional music with funk and soul before a dictatorship killed off the genre. Now, it's making a comeback.
Founding father
The Hong Kong International Art Fair is now a key date on art calendars. Founding director Magnus Renfrew on his work life, and how he created a prize show with billionaires and airplanes.
Media
French radio's success in London, an interview with exiled Moroccan journalist Aboubakr Jamai and auction frenzy in China
Snappy happy
The Alpa is a cult camera for professionals, thanks to its razor-sharp detail. After disappearing in the 1990s, Monocle talks to the Zürich-based couple who decided to resurrect the iconic brand.
Edmund de Waal
Ceramic artist Edmund de Waal chooses London’s Bocca di Lupo for his ‘last meal’. Fascinated by the visual experience of eating, he enjoys the tapas-style food, which allows him to use his hands.
Japan – building for the future
Two months after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated the Tohoku region of Japan, the nation is beginning to pick up the pieces. Looking to the future are a number of architects and…
The show man
Influential London gallery owner Harry Blain believes his success relies on the trust he has built with some of the world’s most acclaimed contemporary artists. We catch him between art fairs.
At the scene
Following the March earthquake and tsunami, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK provided the footage that filled the world’s TV screens. Monocle learns what happened when the disaster drill became real.
