An elderly Palestinian refugee uses his brushes and a small palette to add lively colorful scenes to the walls of al-Buss, his impoverished camp in southern Lebanon. The country is home to an estimated 170,000 Palestinian refugees, spread among different camps across the country. As VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports, while …

Countries around the world have their own versions of pasta. In Germany there is spaetzle, in Greece there is orzo, throughout Asia there are dishes with noodles, and in Latin America you can find countless variations of spaghetti and other pastas. Voice of America reporter Iacopo Luzi visited the famed …

Washington’s National Museum of Women in the Arts is the only museum in the world that showcases creations made exclusively by women. But in the three decades since it first opened, the museum has never had exhibitions dedicated to fashion until now. In November, it opened an exhibit dedicated to …

So versatile were Leonardo da Vinci’s talents in art and science and so boundless his visionary imagination, he is known to the world as the universal genius. But not to Italy’s nationalist-tilting government, which is livid about plans by the Louvre museum in Paris for a blockbuster exhibit next year …

With unparalleled views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan, a new 2,400-square-meter (26,000-square-foot) museum celebrating the statue’s legacy is set to open in 2019. VOA’s Ramon Taylor takes a peek into the building that is still under construction and pays homage to the universal concept of liberty and Lady …

Presidents, prime ministers and Hollywood stars have visited what from the outside may look like an old, shabby jazz club in New Orleans. In this case, however, appearances are quite deceiving. Musicians call this place the holy grail of clubs and home to American jazz. Maia Kay went to the …

Millions of migrating birds pass through Egypt on their migratory flyway mainly seeking food, water and shelter, every year. But experts say Egypt, an essential transit point on the birds’ nomadic journey, has become a very dangerous place for migrating birds, with many being illegally shot or trapped. Egyptian Falconers …

From Senegal to Ethiopia, artists, governments and museums are eagerly awaiting a report commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron on how former colonizers can return African art to Africa. The study by French art historian Bénédicte Savoy and Senegalese economist Felwine Sarr, being presented to Macron on Friday in Paris, …

France will return 26 works of art to Benin, Emmanuel Macron’s office said Friday, as the French president took delivery of a report recommending the widespread return of cultural artifacts removed from Africa during the colonial era.    The report by Senegalese economist Felwine Sarr and French art historian Benedicte Savoy marked …

‘Green Book,’ by filmmaker Peter Farrelly, tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two men, a world-renowned African-American classical pianist and an Italian-American bouncer. Their friendship develops during a concert tour in the American South during the 1960s as they navigate by the Green Book, a guidebook advising African-American …

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” may star an arcade bad guy with powerful hammer-like fists, but the animated sequel is also packing a punch with strong female characters. Sarah Silverman, who returns as the voice of Vanellope von Schweetz, credits Disney for including more impactful female roles in the new film, …

Looking into this three-dimensional miniature streetscape by artist Mohamed Hafez is a little like spying. The building is completely exposed to the elements. The staircases are dangling. But clothes hanging on the line attest that people once lived here. “I think the human eye is fascinated by the detail of …

Mohamad Hafez, an architect who designs skyscrapers, is better known as the artist who builds replicas of war-torn homes and buildings inside suitcases. His work, which depicts the ongoing Syrian conflict and the experience of war refugees, has been recognized by museums and galleries across the nation. VOA’s June Soh …

Rising seas and erosion are threatening lighthouses around the U.S. and the world. Volunteers and cash-strapped governments are doing what they can, but the level of concern, like the water, is rising. New Jersey’s East Point Lighthouse has been lighting up Delaware Bay for the better part of two centuries. …

Bystanders are refusing to let cold temperatures put a damper on watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, breaking out the blankets and sleeping bags to watch the giant balloons go by. Tony Stout camped out with his extended family since 2 a.m. to make sure they got a good view of …

Diana Ross might be singing “Stop! In The Name of Gloves” by the time she’s done performing at New York City’s super chilly Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which forecasters say could be the coldest ever.   John Legend, Martina McBride and the Muppets from “Sesame Street” are also slated to …

A rare, 1,500 year-old mosaic depicting St. Mark has joined other repatriated pieces that were looted from the ethnically split Cyprus’ breakaway north, a Cypriot Orthodox Church official said Wednesday. Together the pieces will create a Swiss government-funded reproduction of an apse that adorned a 6th-century church in the island’s …

Favorable weather is helping get the Thanksgiving travel rush off to a smooth start.   By midday Tuesday, just a few dozen flights had been canceled around the U.S. That’s fewer cancelations than many regular travel days.   The AAA auto club predicts that 54.3 million Americans will travel at …

Months after comic Michelle Wolf angered Trump administration officials with her blistering routine at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the group said on Monday it would feature a historian, not a comedian, at next year’s event. The WHCA said Ron Chernow, who has written biographies of presidents George …

The Calgary city council on Monday unanimously declared Canada’s 2026 Winter Olympics bid dead, after residents roundly rejected its proposal to host the Games in a referendum. Mayor Naheed Nenshi said ahead of the council vote that he was “disappointed” in the outcome of the referendum — after nearly two …

The small town of Utqiagvik, Alaska, is the northernmost town in the United States. Entertainment is scarce and so is the list of jobs. A lot of locals still hunt and fish, and there is room for art here as well. As Natasha Mozgovaya reports, indigenous carvers have been creating …

While the Space Needle may be the most recognizable structure in Seattle, Washington, there is another spectacular and futuristic building nearby: Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture. Initially built as a tribute to the legendary Seattle rock musician Jimi Hendrix, it now celebrates American contemporary pop culture as a whole. One …

Fashion changes, trends come and go, but jewelry is always present in people’s lives in one way or another. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art just opened a new exhibition dedicated to the history of jewelry and the role it plays in people’s lives. Headdresses and earrings, brooches and belts, …

The weight of legacy hangs heavily over Creed II. Not just for most of the characters, who must come to grips with their own family histories, but also for the filmmakers, tasked with making a sequel to a successful spin-off of a beloved franchise. It would put any film on …

Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman has often put his life on the line while filming award-winning documentaries such as Cartel Land, chronicling wars of Mexican drug cartels, and throwing a light on the atrocities of the Islamic State group in City of Ghosts. Now, Heineman is releasing his first feature film, A Private War, …