Eritrean Arts Spotlight: In a Q&A that reads like a cultural memoir, Hajayat Mendal—singer, poet, dancer, and now TV scriptwriter—reflects on joining the independence struggle in 1976, learning discipline through arts and crafts, and insisting that Eritrea’s culture is part of survival, not decoration. Handicrafts & Heritage: A feature revisits the Mesob, the iconic Eritrean woven dining basket, tracing how palm leaves are harvested, soaked, and painstakingly woven into a living artwork that anchors community meals and home pride. Diaspora Culture & Community: Eritrean teams and supporters show up far from home: the Refugee World Football Championship in Birmingham brought together squads including Eritrea, using sport to build belonging across languages and borders. Refugee Arts & Inclusion: A “Resilience and Inclusion” exhibition opened in Addis Ababa for World Refugee Day, featuring works by refugee artists from Eritrea and the wider region, centering exile, hope, and the push for socio-cultural inclusion. Arts in Exile (Europe): In France, protests erupted after the cancellation of Alexis Michalik’s play “Passeport,” which follows an Eritrean refugee in a northern France camp seeking residency—sparking a debate over creative freedom and politics in local programming. Sports (Eritrean talent on the move): NSN has named a Tour de France team to back Eritrean sprinter Biniam Girmay as he aims to recreate his 2024 breakthrough, with teammates set to support stage ambitions.