Every Monday on Global Comment, we share words and ideas that make a great point, strike us deeply, take us by surprise, or are simply beautiful. The stories that are easy to miss in our busy world. We distil the best of the web and recommend just three links every week that you absolutely must see.
No fluff, no fuss, just three exceptional pieces of content.
Here are this week’s recommendations:
The Rise of Arabizi: The Voice of the Arab Diaspora (Sara Ibrahim / Rolling Stone)
Bayou always knew he’d perform at Coachella — he predicted it in his song “Sharqeya Lullabies,” released two years prior. “God always has my back. He is the one who willed it, and inshallah more things will come,” Bayou says, smiling charmingly over our Zoom call from Cairo. And though he might’ve called it years ago, the moment was not just a personal milestone for him, but also a significant cultural event that underscores the emergence of a new musical genre brought to a major stage.
‘People Say, You Sold Your Baby’ How Utah became the most exploitative state in private adoption. (Gabrielle Glaser / The Cut)
When Tia Goins gave birth to her daughter, Tiona, in July 2018, she vowed that she would provide her a different life than the one she’d had. Goins had been abandoned at birth by a mother with substance-use disorder. She entered the Michigan foster-care system and by 17 was on the street. She had Tiona at 20, and for three months had no place to live, bouncing between shelters and the homes of friends. With winter coming, she resolved to give up the baby. She typed “free adoption help” into a search engine and clicked on the first link.
Welsh coal miners singing “Bread of Heaven” (How Green Was My Valley)
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Image: protographer23