Issue 20: Lessons

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Lessons can be hard won. They often require a departure from blissful ignorance, the shedding of a past belief. They’re also synonymous with progress, with a desire to transform for the better. But some lessons are easily unlearned. In this issue, we ask: What happens when lessons are forgotten or cast aside?

Chris Knapp, Giada Santana and Juli Simond investigate the impact of a pesticide known to be toxic but approved by France for use in banana plantations across Martinique and Guadeloupe. Thirty years after it was finally outlawed on the islands, the local population is still suffering the consequences.

In Germany, reporter Emily Schultheis speaks to the mother of a young man killed in a hate crime. Four years after the attack, which targeted immigrants in the city of Hanau, she is grappling with the country’s muted response to the enduring threat of far-right extremism.

In her review of The Habsburg Way: Seven Rules for Turbulent Times, Natasha Wheatley dissects the advice doled out by a Habsburg descendent confident “he can help you fix your marriage, fix your soul, fix your politics, and generally help you find meaning by following the example of his illustrious forebears.”

Ben Crair examines what’s behind the U.K.’s stubborn efforts to save the red squirrel — and its elevation to national mascot — at the expense of the gray, originally imported from the U.S. “Red squirrel conservation seems less about restoring ecosystems than exercising an elite prerogative over rural lands,” Crair writes.

From the depths of the Amazon, Paloma de Dinechin and photographer Nicola Zolin meet the scientists capturing the sounds of the rainforest to track its fragile biodiversity and protect it from further decline.

And in France, Nicole Dirks looks at the climate movement whose radical tactics have sparked accusations of “eco-terrorism” and raised questions about how far activists can or should go. Following mass arrests and violent clashes with police, the group is now rethinking its approach with an eye on ensuring its longevity, Dirks writes.

Finally, in “Hot Springs,” photographer Greta Rybus shares images of hot baths and thermal pools across the world, and reflects on what it means to be a steward of the places she visits.

We’re also delighted to publish poems by Adela Greceanu, translated from Romanian by Monica Cure, and an excerpt of Maylis de Kerangal’s forthcoming short story collection, “Canoes.” The story “After,” translated from French by Jessica Moore, delves into the surreal, slow-motion thrill of finally finishing high school.

“In the orangey glow of the flames, our skin took on the gleam of fruit, some of us dripping, some singing in chorus, some rolling a quick joint, and only a few of us cried, mouth of the can jostling against our lips.”

We hope you enjoy these pieces, and maybe even learn something new.

— The Editors

✺ Published in “Issue 20: Lessons” of The Dial

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The Dial - Articles

Cambodia’s Billion Dollar Scam

Thousands of people have been trafficked into the country to work in cyber scamming compounds built with Chinese money. Now they’re stuck there.

The Toxic Legacy of the French Banana

France knew the pesticide chlordecone could cause cancer and destroy the environment. It allowed banana plantations in Martinique and Guadeloupe to use it anyway.