This Week in Culture: 5/8-5/14

From Italy

The Venice Biennale, a great contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy, is now accessible to audiences. It has been predicted that over 370,000 visitors will arrive to observe and engage with the artwork before the exhibition closes in October. Additionally, this is the first year that the art fair will be curated by an African; Nigerian museum director and art critic, Okwui Enwezor.

From the USA

A sequence of exhibitions called the Fashion Project have opened in the luxurious Bal Harbour Shops in Florida. They will showcase fashion and the culture associated with its design, innovation, and production in an innovative setting. The goal of the exhibition is to get rid of any barriers or boundaries between costume culture, consumer culture, design, art, and fashion.

From South Africa

At the end of the Democratic Alliance’s two-day electoral conference held in Nelson Mandela Bay, Mmusi Maimane was elected as the first black leader of the political party, thus taking votes away from the reigning African National Congress. Maimane’s victory indicates a shift in the voting trends of a divided nation, as the African National Congress has won more than 60% of the vote in every election since its assention to power in 1994.

From Singapore

Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore, opened the highly anticipated $21 million Indian Heritage Centre at 5 Campbell Lane, Little India, to the public. The museum, which combines modern architectural pieces with traditional Indian characteristics, is the first galley in Southeast Asia devoted to the diverse cultural heritage of the Indian community.

From Lebanon

More than a hundred students participated in an assembly organized by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon to learn about basic traffic safety and to acknowledge U.N. Global Road Safety Week. Theoretical and practical lessons were available to teach students basic road safety and specific details regarding the traffic system, signage, and regulations.

From the UK

During last week’s General Election, 20-year-old Mhairi Black, a Glasgow University politics student, became the youngest Member of Parliament since the 1600s. Black, a member of the Scottish Nationalist Party who won all but 3 of Scotland’s seats in the election, ran against the well-established and senior Liberal Democrat, Douglas Alexander, and reached victory by overturning her opponent’s majority with more than 23,000 votes.

From China

The CEO of the Chinese company Tiens, billionaire Li Jinyuan, has rewarded 6,400 deserving employees with a $14.6 million vacation that began in Paris and was completed with a parade on France's Cote d'Azur to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the business. The workers also set a new Guinness World Record for the longest human-made phrase during their vacation.