Your Brazilian Passport, Arabic Netflix & Windowswap
Issue #105
Happy Tuesday,
And welcome to the Cultural Reads newsletter with book, music, and movie recommendations from around the world.
In this newsletter: Best African Movies, Your Brazilian Culture Passport, 14th Century Barcelona, Arabic Netflix, Danish Rock & Global Window Swaps.
🍿 15 Best African Movies
Curious about the best African cinema?
After collecting my personal favorites, doing research, and consulting with top Nigerian film critic Wilfred Okiche, I put together a list of the 15 Best African Movies of all time.
🪇 Your Passport to Brazilian Culture
When I started Cultural Reads, the goal was always clear: to understand cultures on a deeper level.
I found the best way to do so was through local stories — books, movies, music, and interviews.
Although I already had several country pages live, they felt generic and incomplete.
But that changes today, because I just finished the Brazil page!
So take a trip into Brazilian culture — no passport needed.
📗 Cathedral of the Sea (Spain)
I love the idea of seeing a city as a friend or partner.
Some you visit once in a while, others you date for a few years, until you find your true love, settle down, and buy a house.
The concept isn’t that strange. I’ve heard many people say, “Oh, I love New York.” “I Love Paris.”
But is it true love? Do you love that city, including all its flaws? Or is it like dating a super good-looking model that you think you love, but don’t know yet?
It all starts with getting to know each other. Learning about each other’s history and personality.
Based on that idea, I wrote a new way of experiencing Barcelona.
So, when I visited Barcelona last month, I decided to follow my own advice: I visited the Santa Maria del Mar and read the novel ‘The Cathedral of the Sea.’
Although the cathedral’s construction plays a central role in the book, at its heart it’s a personal story about a boy named Arnau and his father fleeing the hardships of rural Catalonia in search of freedom in Barcelona.
You’re instantly catapulted into 14th-century Catalonia, —ruled by the church, lords, and kings—as you follow Arnau’s journey from rags to riches.
🤘 Heilung (Denmark)
A friend went to Rock Werchter, a big Belgian rock festival. He said one of the festival’s best acts was the Danish band Heilung.
They known for their ritualistic performances and blend of Norse mythology, throat singing, and ancient instruments. It seems like a unusual blend between a metal ceremony and a metal concert.
Also check out the festival playlist:
🌍 Arabic Netflix
When I told a Lebanese guy that I was planning to take Arabic classes, he suggested I learn Egyptian Arabic.
Arabic has many different dialects that vary quite a bit, but many understand Egyptian because of its popular music and movie industry. Some non-Egyptians even sing in Egyptian Arabic so it reaches a wider audience.
He also suggested I check out Shahid - the leading Arabic streaming platform.
🪟 Windowswap (Worldwide)
Want to see the world through a stranger’s eyes?
WindowSwap transports you to a random place viewed through someone else’s window — from a sleepy Italian village to bustling New York streets.
You can also upload your own here.
Unclassifieds
Email me if you're interested in a free unclassified ad for your book, song, newsletter, article, or company. Commissions may be earned from the links in this post.
Brain food, delivered daily. Refind analyze thousands of articles daily and sends you only the best, tailored to your interests. Loved by 536,152 curious minds.
Meco is a distraction-free space for reading and discovering newsletters outside your inbox. Try the app here and add your newsletters in seconds.
The Sample sends you a daily article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you get one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. You can sign up here.