Ghana’s Hilariously Awful Hand-Drawn Movie Posters
The West African nation of Ghana is home to a subculture of artists who create outlandish versions of popular Hollywood movie posters. The art form was at its peak in the nation during the 1980s and 1990s, commonly referred to as the ‘Golden Age of Movie Posters’. During this time, artists would let their imagination run wild in order to […]
Izhikhothane – South Africa’s Bizarre Money-Burning Sub-Culture
Izikhothane, which loosely translates to ‘brag it’, is a South African subculture of youths who dress themselves in designer clothes they can barely afford. They arrive in minivans at public spots and participate in elaborate dance-offs against rival gangs. During these performances, they indulge in burning wads of cash, destroying their clothes and spilling expensive […]
The Harmless Far East Eses – Thai Men Dressing Up Like Mexican Gang Members
In an interesting new trend in Thailand, young men are choosing to dress themselves as Mexican gangsters. Their clothes (or lack thereof), hairstyles, and tattoos are all inspired by criminal gangs in Mexico and the US. They have even formed their own gangs – Balcony Pain, Fratez, and D Sixty, to name a few. But […]
North Korea’s Amazingly Choreographed Human Mosaics
Take tens of thousands of children, place them in the largest stadium in the world, arm them with giant colored flip-books containing hundreds of colored panels, train them to move in perfect unison and you get the awe-inspiring human mosaics of the Arirang Mass Games, in North Korea. The Arirang Festival Mass Games held in Pyongyang, […]
Jinichi Kawakami – Japan’s Last Real Ninja
As the 21st head of the Ban clan, a line of ninja that can be traced back 500 years and the only living person who learned all the skills that were directly handed down from ninja masters, Jinichi Kawakami is considered by many the last real ninja in all of Japan. 63-year-old Kawakami, a retired engineer, says […]
The Fattening Farms of Mauritania – Force-Feeding Young Girls in the name of Beauty
While the whole world is obsessed over getting thin, it seems there are far-flung places in the world today where fat is still considered a thing of beauty. Not in a good way, though. In the West African nation of Mauritania, it is so important for girls to be fat that they are sent away […]
Eitaro – Japan’s Only Guy-sha
Three years ago, Eitaro lost his mother, a dedicated geisha, to cancer. Ever since then, he and his sister have been carrying on her legacy, running a geisha house and overseeing a group of six other geishas. 26-year-old Eitaro first performed as a female dancer at age 10, at one of his mother’s geisha parties. […]
Bacha Posh – The Cross-Dressing Girls of Afghanistan
Cross-dressing in most societies is something that most people aren’t comfortable with. But then there are places where the practice is accepted as a way for families to raise their social standing. One such place is Afghanistan, where women live such highly restricted lives that they resort to dressing like men. The cross-dressing is mainly […]
Lensless Glasses – Asia’s Crazy Fashion Trend
The grass is always greener on the other side, to quote the cliche. Those who have glasses don’t want them, and those who don’t, will wear them with no lenses! This is the latest fad in Hong Kong and several other Asian countries. It’s common to find people sporting empty plastic frames, in a variety […]
Russian Cult Worships Female Cartoon Character
I’m sure we can all agree Gadget Hackwrench is an adorable character, but do you like her enough to worship her like a goddess? If you’ve never heard of the cute Gadget Hackwrench, she is a Disney character from the Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers cartoon series. This female mouse was the team’s pilot, mechanic […]
Underwater Museum Starts to Take Shape
Announced for over a year now, the world’s largest underwater museum recently received its first exhibits. The seabed of the Mexican Caribbean is now host to a series of life-size sculptures on display in Mexico’s Underwater Museum. But they are just a few of the 400 statues that will be lowered down to the bottom […]