Tracks East

With music banned by the Taliban, Afghan refugees in Pakistan want to keep their musical traditions alive.

18 years after American troops first arrived in Afghanistan, the United States has announced their withdrawal. Can the Afghan forces keep the Taliban at bay without help from NATO?

Since the Taliban retook Kabul in August 2021, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated considerably. Afghanistan remains the world's largest producer of opium and the country also has high rates of addiction. The Taliban is trying to rid the country of heroin addicts, with particularly brutal methods.

Since the Taliban's return to power, Fawzia Koofi has been forced to continue her fight for women’s rights in exile.

The last foreign troops are leaving Afghanistan, leading to fears of a Taliban resurgence

 Whilst the Afghan government negotiates with the Taliban, babies seem to have become targets in a never-ending war.

Masha Borzunova meets a Russian deserter who tells how he went from being a war hero to an ostracised traitor of his country.

Opposing the Neom project in Saudi Arabia can get you put in prison or killed.

From queer cake sitting to sex positive tasting evenings, Tracks finds out about food and sexuality.

Ancient Greek statues are white, pure and classical, just like the marble they are carved from. False. These statues were painted in fabulous bright colours. Archaeologists and art academics have known this for centuries so why does the white myth endure?

Not all nipples are the same. On Instagram or Facebook female breasts are censured whereas the bare male torso is not. Some artists are challenging this double standard. 

They are reclaiming their bodies and freely expressing their sexuality: A focus on sex positive popstars in contemporary culture.

Barbie was an influencer before the Internet even existed.

The story of a wealthy man saving a ‘fallen’ woman has become a cliché (Pretty Woman, Anora), far from the reality of prostitution. But what if sex workers told their own stories through art?

Often drawn to unusual characters, Nicolas Cage has boldly blazed his own trail in Hollywood for the last four decades.

How can we have more fulfilling sex? Ronja von Rönne meets couples and singles who have reinvented their sexuality.

Culture magazine Twist meets artists and creatives to discuss insomnia and how it manifests in their art.

Claude Monet made the cliffs at Étretat famous, but the charming town now suffers from overtourism.

A look back at the Jeffrey Epstein's life and how the Epstein Files are exposing corruption at the highest level.

Jean-Michel Jarre sets up his equipment on Seville's Plaza de España for an immersive concert-show.

Using the latest technology, researchers are discovering the bright colours of ancient Greek art and architecture.  

The US and Israel’s war is inevitably also Europe’s war. But Europe is divided on how to act.

ow can we age well? Ronja von Rönne trys to find out by talking to chimney sweep Norbert Skrobek, who is close to retirement and Monika Gutte who defies age with a zest for life

Cultural workers are calling for a Europe-wide work status that protects artists in the face of shrinking budgets and the rise of AI.