FirstLook: Mobile Library, Java

FirstLook May/June 2019 PDF
- Photographed by Putu Sayoga

In 2015 Ridwan Sururi of Serang Village, central Java, Indonesia, started the Kudapustaka (Horse library), and since then, three days a week, he has visited villages and schools like Miftahul Huda Islamic Elementary School. On this day he was joined by his two-year-old son, Tria Ramadhan. Together they handed out donated books to the students. As a photographer I did this story because I was also born in a village with difficult access to books. I believe in the power of books, and I know what Mr. Sururi is doing is important.
—Putu Sayoga
www.putusayoga.net
www.arkaproject.com
@putu_sayoga @arkaproject

A House for the World

Written by Matthew Teller

A marvel of ultramodern architecture and engineering inspired by a simple arrangement of stones, The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, is one of Saudi Arabia’s newest sources of energy—creativity, culture and knowledge.

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Chef 2.0

Written by Brian E. Clark
Photographed by Krisanne Johnson

Can robots cook? Yes, says Michael Farid, mit grad and cofounder of the new eatery Spyce in downtown Boston. But does it taste good? Yes, says Daniel Boulud, Michelin-star chef and the culinary brains behind the Spyce menu.

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Africa's First City of Islam

Written by Ana M. Carreño Leyva
Photographed by Richard Doughty

Founded on a plain between sea and hills in the year 670 CE, Kairouan became a capital of dynastic power and a cultural beacon, the center for the spread of Muslim Arab influence through North Africa and southern Europe— not only in religion, but also in architecture, medicine, education, law and more.

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Egypt Drops the Beat

Written by Tristan Rutherford
Photography and video by Rebecca Marshall

It was a Cairo composer who produced the world’s first electronic remix, and now, 75 years later, his digital descendants are mixing fresh new beats for new generations. The best place to listen is along the shores of the Red Sea at the annual Sandbox Festival.

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FirstLook: Birthday Feast

Photograph by Carolyn Drake

In the small town of Syrdaryo, about 80 kilometers outside of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, photojournalist Carolyn Drake visited the family of a local friend. The visit coincided with a birthday celebration. In the family’s main room near a window, a dasturxon (Uzbek for tablecloth used as a place setting, usually set on the floor) served as a focal point for sweets, appetizers and side dishes, surrounded by kurpachas, felt mats used for sitting or reclining.

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Flavors: Jollof Rice

Recipe by Tunde Wey
Photograph courtesy Ricarius Photography

The perfect plate of jollof rice must be slightly smoky, deeply flavored, al dente and bright red. It’s a challenge but definitely worth it!

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The Borderless World of Kahlil Gibran

Written by Piney Kesting
 Photographed by Kevin Bubriski

Arriving penniless in Boston from Lebanon, Gibran Khalil Gibran—whose name a schoolteacher misspelled “Kahlil”—grew up to become one of the early 20th century’s most inspiring writers. The story of his against-the-odds rise is one of not only pluck and talent, but also luck and mentors, whose little-known stories are shedding new light on the complex biography of a man whose poetry and prose speak today as richly as nearly a century ago.

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Amedi: Citadel of Culture

Written by Matthew Teller 
Photographed by George Azar

Perched on a table-topped, naturally defensive crag overlooking green valleys in Iraq’s rugged north, the town of Amedi is one of what were once nearly 200 historic citadels and one of the most intact. Experts at home and abroad are pitching in to meet the town’s newest challenge: preserving the history that remains and, at the same time, turning it into a much-needed economic engine.

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