Luna’s dad describes his training aid received by the USSR and how the Vietnamese paid the aid forward by helping their neighbors.
International
Kamelemba – Oumou Sangaré (2017)
For a brief history and background of Wassoulou Music and the legendary Oumou Sangaré, check out this Pitchfork song review.
I loved the feminist elements of the storytelling in this song—true to form for Oumou Sangaré. However, the contemporary choreography is what kept me fascinated.
Guerra – Residente (2017)
In this stunning music video, the acclaimed globe-trotting musician and activist Residente captures the graphic depravity of war. This video came out around the same time as the mannequin challenge, so it felt like a very poignant comparison being made between the blissful fun lives of western youth and the painful lives of the brown children who suffer as a result of western nations’ histories of plundering.
Veteran talks about worst day in Afghanistan in VR (2020)
I found this young man’s story extremely raw and honest. Our military takes advantage of our alienated young men and uses their physical and mental health like natural resources.
Some context for this video: The US was responsible for more civilian deaths in Afghanistan in the beginning of 2019 than the Taliban.
Yanis Varoufakis with Professor Noam Chomsky at NYPL, April 16, 2016
Rotten (2018, 2019) [Netflix]
Rotten details contemporary global capitalism by telling the backward and inhumane stories of the food industry through an international lens. This is a very useful documentary series to learn real world examples of how the profit motive is inherently, well, rotten.
If you don’t have Netflix, the full series can be streamed for free on bootleg sites like 123movies. Here is an episode I enjoyed on water.
Democracy Now!: Twenty Years Covering the Movements Changing America (2017)
This book is an INCREDIBLE, vivid, and THRILLING introduction to political movements. Amy Goodman herself narrates the audiobook, which I highly recommend.
If you do buy the book, consider ordering it from their website directly.
Hanna Season 1 (2019)
So refreshing to see a spy thriller series that’s anti-CIA for once. A lot of mass surveillance realism.
Season two somehow gets even better as the most smart & direct critique of Liberalism I’ve seen in a TV show.
Available on Prime Video.