Lunar New Year, Lindokuhle Sobekwa and Guasacaca 🥑

Weekend Passport 03.03

Passport 03.03

Weekend Passport is Stranger's Guide's weekly subscribers-only newsletter curated by Deputy Publisher, Ambia Elias. Each week we bring you globally-inspired recommendations for your weekend activities from the team and friends of Stranger’s Guide.

Listen: Music for the Lunar New Year

This Saturday marks the Lunar New Year (more commonly referred to in China as the Spring Festival), the beginning of two weeks of celebration in China, as well as in South Korea, Vietnam and in many Chinese communities abroad. One of the most significant and widely observed holidays, festivities include decorating homes with red paper cuttings, sharing meals and eating symbolic dishes (such as a whole fish which represents abundance and prosperity). This year will be the year of the dragon! In honor of the Lunar New Year, the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art has put together a compilation of past live musical performances at the museum celebrating the coming of spring. Listen to the collection, “Chinese Music for the Lunar New Year.”

Read: Behind the Lens of Lindokuhle Sobekwa

Photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa is among South Africa’s most exciting talents. In this essay from The Conversation, author Neelika Jayawardane explores not only the evocative world of documentary photography, but also delves into Sobekwa's deeply personal insights navigating the complexities of post-apartheid South Africa. Sobekwa’s work captures the nuances of everyday life, shedding light on the resilience, beauty and challenges of communities often overlooked by mainstream narratives. Read this compelling essay here.