Chinese artist Ai Weiwei: Western boycott of Beijing Olympics is ‘a joke’
By France24
15 February 2022 |
3:54 pm
He is the most famous Chinese dissident and one of the best-known contemporary artists in the world. Ai Weiwei was harassed by the Chinese authorities, who bulldozed his Shanghai studio, sent him to jail without charge and drove him out of his country. After the February 2 publication of the French translation of his memoir, "1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows", the artist sat with Eve Jackson to talk about the moment in a Chinese prison when he decided to write his life’s story for his son and what he learned growing up in a labour camp with his persecuted father, the poet Ai Qing.
In this article
Related
27 Jun 2021
The Breton island of Rouzic harbours a variety of animals like gannets, puffins and seals, and is part of the Sept-Iles Nature Reserve, which is due to be expanded in 2022 to better protect these endangered species. But new restrictions will have an impact on fishermen and tourist activities, and nearly twenty groups oppose the move.
2 Jul 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin questions the point of meeting with Ukraine's leader, claiming Volodymyr Zelensky's country is effectively run by leaders in Washington and European capitals.
11 Jul 2021
Amid tensions with the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategy to prevent "unfriendly actions" by the US and its allies that "threaten" his country's sovereignty.
15 Jul 2021
At least seven people have died in western Germany as heavy rains and flooding lashed the country. Six houses collapsed leaving some 30 people missing.
19 Jul 2021
At first, it seemed like nothing more than a harmless daylong rain — but it never stopped, it just kept pouring. DW's Christoph Hasselbach, who lives in Germany's worst-hit region, reports.
22 Jul 2021
An earlier than usual start to the wildfire season comes after extreme heat affected the region. Unhealthy air quality has been recorded as far away as New York City.
1 Aug 2021
Activists are pushing for new urgent measures after devastating floods in western Germany. They heavily criticized politicians, saying they were indifferent to climate changed-induced consequences.
26 Jul 2021
An alarming rise in COVID-19 cases driven by the spread of the delta variant in western Kenya is leading to a shortage of medical oxygen. DW's Mariel Müller visited a hospital in Kisumu County, where the shortage of oxygen and high-flow oxygen devices is making it difficult to save patients.
21 Aug 2021
Europe has long been ignoring the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. But now that the Taliban has seized power, some Western countries act stunned. This hypocrisy must stop, says DW's Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi.
1 Oct 2021
People in Beijing share their views after a decision announced by the International Olympic Committee that next year's Winter Olympics in the city will be held without fans from overseas. "I think this measure is for the safety concerns and is acceptable," says a pedestrian at Beijing Olympic Park.
8 Oct 2021
The situation in Western Sahara has become much worse over the past year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said. A 1991 UN peace accord for the region is now under threat.
13 Oct 2021
Russia continues to court far-right parties in Europe as a means to destabilise more liberal Western democracies: That is the premise of a new book, “Russia and the Western Far Right - Tango Noir,” written by Anton Shekhovtsov. He joined us to discuss the book and his decision to put a photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin with France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen on the cover.
Latest
4 hours ago
An Alabama ban on the provision of gender-affirming medication for minors has been blocked by a federal judge. Transgender rights have become a bone of contention for right-wing Republicans.
4 hours ago
The war in Ukraine is having a drastic impact on Africa. Prices for wheat, gas and gasoline are at record highs. Crisis regions could see things get worse than they already are.
4 hours ago
The Ukrainian resistance in Irpin played a key role in holding off the Russian advance on the capital Kyiv during the first few weeks of the war. But the middle-class commuter town paid a heavy price. More than 300 civilians were killed and tens of thousands fled. Now, more than a month after the Russian withdrawal, residents are beginning to return to try to rebuild their lives. Reconstruction is slowly getting under way, but an estimated €800 million is needed to build new homes. FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih, Bastien Renouil and Raïd Abu Zaideh report from Irpin.
6 hours ago
Known as the burial place of Achilles, the barren Black Sea rock has become the site of fierce combat between Ukraine and Russia. Snake Island has strategic and symbolic importance dating to the Soviet era.
6 hours ago
Mali's military junta has announced it will be exiting a multi-national military force tackling an insurgency in West Africa's Sahel region.
6 hours ago
People in Germany consume an average eleven kilos of chocolate each per year. But few think about the conditions under which cocoa beans are farmed. Child labor has been a problem for decades. But why? And what can be done about it?