Nearly 400 years ago, a tiny town in Germany made a bargain with God: spare its people from the Black Plague and we'll put on a play in your honor... forever. And it worked! Now every decade, the entire town comes together to stage the play, drawing massive crowds to one of the largest religious spectacles in the world. But problematic parts of the play have been challenged, and tensions rise when a new voice tries to update a 2,000 year old story with help from some unexpected allies ..read more

The Bean needs to move over—there’s a new art movement in Chicago, and it’s led by artists who are completely reimagining how residents think about the spaces around them. From an artist who turned abandoned homes into art by painting them in colors rooted in Black culture, to another who used a multimedia exhibit to examine segregation by connecting people who live on opposite sides of the city and more. Join Saleem on a bold, creative, and winding road trip to witness the power of place-based art, and the ideas that flow from the heartland ..read more

Where do you go when you sleep? An enchanted forest…or haunted woods? Flying over a breathtaking mountain top… or in a crowd, wearing just your underwear?! According to the Bön Tibetan Buddhist tradition, wherever you “go” in your dreams matters, and dreams can tell you a lot about yourself–if you know how to listen. From “dream yoga,” to dream journals, to lucid dreaming, journey into a realm where the conscious and unconscious blend and the hazy border between reality and illusion can lead you on a wild adventure of self-discovery—without ever leaving your bed ..read more

Barcelona is a city that can’t be separated from its art–you might picture Gaudí architecture, Picasso paintings, or flamenco and jazz spilling onto the streets and into the night. But there’s another art scene that’s breaking into the mainstream from the margins–led by the city’s street vendors, known as manteros. Listen to how this group of people, often immigrants without legal protections or rights to work in Spain, fought to form a union to gain the voice they needed, and ended up creating a global and people-centered fashion-label that highlights human rights in the process ..read more

When was the last time you really took notice of the wind? Whether it’s a cooling breeze on a hot day, or a dust storm blowing into every crevice of your body, the wind is an unpredictable and constant, yet invisible force in our lives. Countries and cultures around the world even have names, gods, and ancient mythologies associated with the winds; in the Italian city of Trieste, there’s even a wind museum! From Italy to the Alps, Catalonia to your backyard, you never know where the wind is going to blow, or what it’s going to bring with it. Hear the soft whistles and roaring gusts that have i ..read more

Icelandic is an ancient and iconic language. So iconic, in fact, it was a major inspiration to J.R.R. Tolkien when he was writing Lord of the Rings. Iceland even has institutes that promote its longevity, and this care has allowed the language to persevere over 800 years! But with the digital age, and the strict rules surrounding Icelandic grammar, the language is losing ground all over the country—specifically to English. Now Icelanders are navigating a world where social and online interactions happen in one language, while formal and academic conversations happen in another. Lunch with gran ..read more

Sandy beaches, amazing wildlife, Caribbean blue seas—Puerto Rico is known as the Island of Enchantment for a reason. But it’s also one of the oldest colonies in the world. And as a U.S. territory, Puerto Ricans have very little say in the U.S. government. The island has a complicated history—but its people are constantly fighting to give Puerto Rico its place in the world. From building make-shift community networks after Hurricane Maria, to reconnecting with local cuisine, to making art that connects Puerto Ricans all over the diaspora, listen to how Puerto Rico is paving the way to a fr ..read more

To get to school, work, or another town in Nepal, it helps if you don’t have a fear of heights. That’s because this mountainous terrain (it’s home to Mount Everest after all) is connected via THOUSANDS of bridges. Whether permanent or seasonal, made of bamboo and rope or pulleys and wire, suspended above incredible mountains or rapid waters, the Nepalese have networked their country through amazing, unique, and exhilarating engineering. Find out how building and re-building bridges became a part of the nation’s culture, and how trusting that a treacherous trip is worth the risk shapes the way ..read more

It’s 1988, and Somalis are fleeing the city of Hargeisa. People are trying to get out, trying to save their families and sometimes their things. But in the city’s radio station, staff are packing cassettes and reel to reel recordings into a secret underground bunker. What's on them? A slice of the country’s musical heritage, to remain for years in an underground room—until now. Listen to songs from the episode on this special playlist on Spotify: https://tedtalks.social/3yct0Mj This story was produced in collaboration with Kerning Cultures, a podcast telling stories from the Middle East a ..read more

We all know that information is power; but what if you live in a country without a free press or regular access to the internet? You have to be creative, and find nimble ways to help your community stay informed. That’s exactly what journalists in Caracas, Venezuela are doing by delivering the news every weekday…on public buses all over! In this episode, hop on a music-filled and inspiring journey as El Bus TV combats misinformation and arms you with the hope that there’s always a way to take action on the things that matter—wherever you are.  ..read more