Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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Aretha Franklin: the caged bird that escaped to sing
March 25 1942 – August 16 2018
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
Special report by PEOPLE’S WORLD
NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
ARETHA FRANKLIN, the undoubted Queen of Soul, has died in Detroit at the age of 76 after a long fight with cancer.
Among the myriad tributes from the high and mighty of popular music, others praised her work and continuing commitment to the civil rights movement.
Former president Barack Obama, at whose 2009 inauguration she sang, said Franklin’s music “helped define the American experience.
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