Culture

Three older men laugh while staring out at something past the camera lens.
4 min 0 1648

Tezeta, a dive into Ethiopia’s music scene and its Armenian influences

Yildiz Subuk February 21, 2025

Content warning: brief mention of genocide. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) film festival, held at the VIFF centre, has had an expansive catalogue of unique films and documentaries which capture stories from these regions. Tezeta, directed by Aramazt Kalayjian and Garegin Papoyan, unveils the rich contributions that Armenians have made to Ethiopian history. The film focuses on the power of nostalgia, and how music evokes longing emotions that connect them to their identity. The filmmaker’s journey starts with an obsession with a picture. In the photo are 40 Armenian orphans, survivors from the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian genocide, who…

Continue reading Read more
Four performers wave out to a stage while lit up in purple spotlights.
5 min 0 1488

Travel the world in music with International Guitar Night

Izzy Cheung February 18, 2025

When one mentions the guitar, you may think of it as an accompanying instrument — a twinkle in the background of a singer’s vocals. But as proven on February 1 by International Guitar Night’s stop in New Westminster, there’s more…

Continue reading Read more
A film projector shines a light through a dark space.
3 min 0 1238

Need to Know, Need to Go: Black History Month events

Manal Kashif February 17, 2025

February is Black History Month so here is a curated list of events everyone can attend while learning about the history of struggles, successes, and  perseverance of Black people all over the world. These events range from being held by…

Continue reading Read more
A person holds up a TV remote. In the background is a TV screen with a streaming service on it.
7 min 0 1944

Love, intimacy, and more in The Peak’s February TV picks

Karly Burns, Mason Mattu, Izzy Cheung, and Petra Chase February 13, 2025

A love letter to XO, Kitty — Karly Burns, Fact Checker  [caption id="attachment_130766" align="alignnone" width="300"] PHOTO: Courtesy of Awesomeness and ACE Entertainment[/caption] For those who love coming-of-age romance tropes, XO, Kitty will have you feeling butterflies. This spin-off of the…

Continue reading Read more
One of the event’s performers dressed in a blue dress with red flowers. As they move their fingers, the Gregorian zodiac signs float around them.
4 min 0 1356

Cosmic glamour at The Birdhouse

Yasmin Hassan February 13, 2025

It was a cool night in January, my new boots dug into my heels and made it hard to walk straight, but I kept trudging happily on towards my beacon of light; The Birdhouse. Why? Because Man Up hosted the…

Continue reading Read more
3 min 0 1626

Monday music: Twee love songs

Petra Chase February 10, 2025

 “P.U.N.K Girl” by Heavenly Twee was originally British slang for sweet to a “nauseating” degree. Heavenly was one of the bands who emerged in the ‘80s in opposition to the “increasing harshness in the post-punk music scene” under the…

Continue reading Read more
A wooden chopping board, black mortar and pestle, various spices, knives, and a cast-iron skillet on a wooden surface.
4 min 0 2671

The Book Nook: Cookbooks from Cameroon to the islands of Comoros

Izzy Cheung February 7, 2025

[caption id="attachment_130691" align="alignnone" width="200"] IMAGE: Courtesy of Ten Speed Press[/caption] In Bibi’s Kitchen  Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library  Published in 2020, this book collects recipes from Eritrean, Somalian, Kenyan, Tanzanian, Mozambican, South…

Continue reading Read more
A girl with beaded dreadlocks holds a banjo in front of a blue background.
4 min 0 1946

The cure to that heartache is Strange Medicine

Yasmin Hassan February 4, 2025

Grenadian Canadian musician Kaia Kater, born in Montréal, tells the story of her roots through music. She released her first EP, Old Soul, right out of high school in 2013. With a jazz-inflected voice and masterful songwriting, she plays into…

Continue reading Read more
3 min 0 1269

Need to Know, Need to Go: Black History Month

Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik February 3, 2025

[caption id="attachment_130645" align="alignnone" width="696"] PHOTO: Jasmeen Sran / The Peak[/caption] DIVERSEcity Black in BC: Celebrating Black Excellence When: Friday, Feb 7, 3:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.  Cost: Free Where: Surrey Art Gallery & Surrey Civic Theatres at Surrey Arts Centre, 13750 88…

Continue reading Read more
An East-Asian woman shown twice in two different costumes: to the left is a golden set of battle armour and a royal headdress, while the right is a burgundy dress with silver web-like designs near the torso. In the background are golden dragon-like scales.
4 min 0 1903

Book Nook: Xiran Jay Zhao’s Iron Widow series

Phone Min Thant January 30, 2025

Content warning: brief mentions of murder and war.  Those familiar with Chinese history are probably no stranger to Empress Wu Zetian, the only legitimate empress of The Middle Kingdom. But, did you know there is a connection between Zetian and…

Continue reading Read more