Witness History
2,017 episodes - English - Latest episode: 16 days ago - ★★★★★ - 853 ratingsHistory as told by the people who were there.
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Thousands of Danish brains in plastic buckets
December 05, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.2 MBIn 1945, two Danish scientists opened an institute to study mental illnesses. In the four decades until it closed, almost 10,000 brains were collected from dead psychiatric patients and stored in plastic buckets. However, they were removed during autopsies without seeking permission from relatives. Following much debate in the 1990s, it was decided they should be used for research. Now based in the University of Southern Denmark, the collection is believed to be the world’s largest b...
La Haine: The film that shocked France
December 04, 2023 08:50 - 9 minutes - 4.12 MBIn 1993, film director Mathieu Kassovitz started work on what would become a cult cinema classic, La Haine. La Haine would follow three friends from a poor immigrant neighbourhood in the Paris suburbs 24 hours after a riot. The film was released in 1995 to huge critical acclaim and Mathieu won best director at the Cannes Film Festival. It was heavily critical of policing in France and it caught the attention of high profile politicians in the country, including then Prime Minister, Ala...
World's first solar-heated home
December 01, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutes - 4.64 MBIn December 1948, a family of Hungarian refugees moved into the world's first home to be heated entirely by solar power. What made the Dover Sun House, in Massachusetts, United States, even more special was that it had been created by three women at a time when men dominated the fields of science and engineering. Heiress Amelia Peabody funded it, architect Eleanor Raymond designed it and biophysicist Maria Telkes created the heating system. Andrew Nemethy, who grew up in the house, tells...
Tanzania adopts Swahili to unite the country
November 30, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutes - 4.59 MBAfter Tanzania, then called Tanganyika, became independent from Britain in 1961, the country's leader, Julius Nyerere, made Swahili the national language to unite its people. Walter Bgoya tells Ben Henderson about his conversations with Nyerere and how the policy changed Tanzania. (Photo: Julius Nyerere. Credit: Keystone via Getty Images)
Cameroon’s mysterious lake deaths
November 29, 2023 10:00 - 8 minutes - 4.1 MBOn 21 August 1986, hundreds of villagers in a remote part of Cameroon mysteriously died overnight, along with 3,500 livestock. In the weeks-long investigation that followed, scientists tried to work out what had happened. How had hundreds died, but hundreds of others survived? In 2011, scientists Peter Baxter and George Kling told Tim Mansel how they cracked the case. (Photo: Dead cattle by the shore of Lake Nyos, Cameroon. Credit: Eric Bouvet/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images)
The bird that defied extinction
November 28, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.55 MBIn 1969, a Peruvian farmer called Gustavo Del Solar received an unusual assignment - finding a bird called the white-winged guan that had been regarded as extinct for a century. After years of searching, he found the bird deep in Peru’s wilderness in 1977. He then made it his life’s mission to save the species, setting up a zoo in his family home. Thanks to Gustavo's discovery, the Peruvian government protected the white-winged guan and its population continued to grow. His son, Rafael Del...
Cabbage Patch Kids
November 27, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.17 MBIn 1983, all hell broke loose when a new toy hit stores in the United States. Cabbage Patch Kids were so popular that people were getting injured when they tried to buy them. But Martha Nelson Thomas, whose original design she said inspired the dolls, received little credit. She watched on as sales of the toys generated hundreds of millions of dollars. Martha’s close friend, Meredith Ludwig, told Madeleine Drury the story of how the strange-looking dolls became such a sensation. Thi...
The Mumbai attacks
November 24, 2023 10:00 - 8 minutes - 4.11 MBOn 26 November 2008, 10 gunmen from the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba carried out coordinated attacks on Mumbai's busiest hotspots including the Taj and Oberoi hotels, a train station, hospital, and Jewish community centre. One hundred and sixty-six people were murdered in the attacks, which lasted for three days. The city was locked down as police searched for the gunmen. Only one, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive by police. He was sentenced to death and execu...
The Paris heatwave
November 23, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.52 MBIn August 2003 Europe was hit by the hottest heatwave for hundreds of years. Tens of thousands of people died. Not built to withstand two weeks of extreme heat, Paris turned into a death trap for its most vulnerable citizens. The temperature reached 40C. Many elderly people died in their apartments alone. The government was criticised for its handling of the crisis. The head of the national health authority resigned shortly after the end of the heatwave. Emergency doctor, P...
Kennedy’s nail-biter election victory
November 22, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.23 MBOn 22 November 1963, United States President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lucy Williamson looks back to 8 November 1960, when Richard Nixon and JFK went toe to toe at the polls in a battle to become the next president. The narrow success made Kennedy the youngest man ever elected to the role. Close aide and speechwriter Ted Sorensen was with the politician on the night of the election. This programme was first broadcast in 2010. (Photo: US President-elect John F Kenne...
The invention of bubble tea
November 21, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutes - 4.61 MBIn 1987, a tea shop in Taiwan named Chun Shui Tang began selling pearl milk tea, or bubble tea, as it’s often called. It would revolutionise the tea-drinking world. Ben Henderson speaks to Liu Han-Chieh, the shop owner, and Lin Xiuhu, who first added the drink’s signature tapioca balls. (Photo: Bubble tea. Credit: Chun Shui Tang)
The independence of Zambia
November 20, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutes - 4.59 MBIn 1964, Zambia became a republic. It was the ninth African state to leave British colonial rule. Simon Kapwepwe was one of the leaders in the fight for independence, along with his childhood friend Kenneth Kaunda, who became President in 1964. Simon’s daughter, Mulenga Kapwepwe, speaks to Laura Jones about her father’s role in naming the country and her memories of that time. (Photo: Sign welcoming people to Zambia in 1965. Credit: Lambert/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Discovering the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion
November 17, 2023 11:10 - 10 minutes - 4.59 MBIn 2000, the pioneering underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio made one of the greatest ever submerged discoveries. He found evidence that the remains he had found off the coast of Egypt were from Thonis-Heracleion, an ancient Egyptian port lost without trace. Before the foundation of Alexandria, it had flourished at the mouth of the Nile between the 6th to 2nd centuries BC, a city twice the size of Pompeii. He tells Josephine McDermott about the incredible artefacts he has found includin...
The Bolivian Water War
November 16, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.19 MBThe Bolivian Water War was a series of protests that took place in the city of Cochabamba in 2000 against the privatisation of water. People objected to the increase in water rates and idea that the government was “leasing the rain”. In April 2000, President Hugo Banzer declared a "state of siege" meaning curfews were imposed and protest leaders could be arrested without warrant. During a violent clash between demonstrators and the military, teenager Victor Hugo was shot dead by an army ...
Rosalind Franklin: DNA pioneer
November 15, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.2 MBIn 1951, Rosalind Franklin began one of the key scientific investigations of the century. The young British scientist produced an X-ray photograph that helped show the structure of DNA, the molecule that holds the genetic code that underpins all life. The discovery was integral to the transformation of modern medicine and has been described as one of the greatest scientific achievements ever. Farhana Haider spoke to Rosalind's younger sister, Jenifer Glynn, in 2017. (Photo: Dr Rosalind...
Eyjafjallajökull: The volcano that stopped a continent
November 14, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.18 MBIn 2010, a previously little-known Icelandic volcano erupted twice, sending a huge plume of volcanic ash all over Europe. The ash cloud grounded flights for days, causing disruption for millions of passengers. Reena Stanton-Sharma talks to Icelandic geophysicist and Eyjafjallajökull-watcher, Sigrun Hreinsdottir. This programme was first broadcast in 2022. (Photo: The awesome power of Eyjafjallajökull. Credit: Getty Images)
The invention of the EpiPen
November 13, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutes - 4.62 MBIn the 1970s, engineer Sheldon Kaplan and his colleagues were tasked with creating an auto-injector pen to be used by US soldiers needing a nerve agent antidote. The Pentagon called it the ComboPen but, in 1987, it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the EpiPen, for patients with allergies. The device is carried by millions of people all over the world as it can quickly and easily deliver a shot of adrenaline to anyone at risk of death from anaphylactic shock. She...
The hippo and the tortoise
November 10, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.28 MBFollowing the devastating tsunami of 2004, a baby hippo named Owen was rescued from the sea off the coast of Kenya. He was taken to Haller Park in Mombasa, home of a 130-year-old giant tortoise called Mzee. Owen and Mzee formed an unusual friendship and their story gained worldwide fame. Dr Paula Kahumbu tells their story to Gill Kearsley. (Photo: Owen and Mzee. Credit: Peter Greste/AFP/Getty Images)
Destruction of Mostar Bridge
November 09, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.18 MBOn 9 November 1993, one of Bosnia's most famous landmarks, the historic bridge in Mostar, was destroyed by Croat guns during the Bosnian war. Built by the Ottomans in the 16th Century, the bridge was a symbol of Bosnia's multicultural past. In 2014, Louise Hidalgo spoke to Eldin Palata, who filmed the destruction of the bridge, and Mirsad Behram, a local journalist. (Photo: A temporary bridge where Mostar's historic bridge previously stood. Credit: Robert Nickelsberg/Liaison via Getty I...
The Pakistani teens who became disco superstars
November 08, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutes - 4.61 MBIn the 1980s, a brother and sister from Pakistan topped the charts in countries all over the world with their dancefloor filler, Disco Deewane. Nazia and Zoheb Hassan were the first teenagers ever to make a hit record in India. Zoheb tells Vicky Farncombe about their rise to fame. (Photo: Nazia and Zoheb Hassan. Credit: BBC)
Debbie McGee in Iran
November 07, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutes - 4.65 MBIn 1978, British showbusiness star, Debbie McGee was a dancer with the Iranian National Ballet Company. Debbie was living in the capital, Tehran, at the start of the Iranian revolution. She tells Gill Kearsley the story of how she dealt with the unrest and escaped the country. Debbie, who went on to marry British magician Paul Daniels, said: "I would never have met my late husband if that hadn't happened... so I've got the ayatollah to thank for that." (Photo: Debbie McGee in 2018. Cred...
Ycuá Bolaños supermarket fire
November 06, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.56 MBIn August 2004, more than 300 people died when a supermarket caught fire in Paraguay's capital, Asunción. It is seen as the country's worst peacetime disaster. Tatiana Gabaglio escaped the fire. She speaks to Ben Henderson. (Photo: Mourners gathering after the Ycuá Bolaños fire. Credit: Norberto Duarte/AFP via Getty Images)
Freddie Mercury 'marries' Jane Seymour
November 03, 2023 12:48 - 11 minutes - 5.29 MBOn 5 November, 1985 some of the world's top designers and music stars joined together in a special event at London’s Royal Albert Hall to raise money for drought-hit Ethiopia. The rock star Freddie Mercury and the actress Jane Seymour were chosen to model the bridal collection of David and Elizabeth Emanuel. Jane Seymour tells Josephine McDermott what it was like to play the role of Freddie Mercury's bride for a fashion spectacular. (Photo: Jane Seymour and Freddie Mercury at Fashion Aid....
Che Guevara’s daughter: A Cuban doctor in Angola
November 02, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutes - 4.52 MBIn 1986 Dr Aleida Guevara, the daughter of revolutionary icon Che Guevara, went to Angola to work as a paediatrician. Dr Aleida was one of a number of medics Fidel Castro’s Cuban government sent to their fellow communist country in southern Africa as it emerged from Portuguese colonialism into civil war. Marcia Veiga hears how Dr Aleida treated children with cholera in a hospital in the Angolan capital Luanda. Dr Aleida also reveals how, during downtime from working as Cuba’s minister of ...
Inventing the black box
November 01, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutes - 4.71 MBOn 23 March 1962, a prototype of the first cockpit flight recorder, the black box, was tested in Australia. In the early 1950s, fuel scientist David Warren, who worked in the Australian government’s aeronautical research laboratories, attended a talk about the reasons for a recent plane crash. David thought that if only he could speak to a survivor, he’d have a much better idea of what caused the crash and could prevent future ones. This led him to develop a recorder that would coll...
The discovery of the HIV virus
October 31, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutes - 4.65 MBIn 1983, scientists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris became the first to identify the HIV virus. It was a vital step in fighting one of the worst epidemics in modern history, AIDS. The Pasteur had been asked to investigate after reports of a mystery disease that was spreading rapidly, particularly among the gay community. Two weeks later, scientist Françoise Barré-Sinoussi detected the virus while working on a biopsy sample in the laboratory. She and the team leader, Luc Montagnier were l...
The billion dollar bid to stop oil drilling in the Amazon
October 30, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutes - 4.64 MBIn 2010, a $3.6billion fund was launched to stop oil drilling in the most biodiverse place on the planet: the Yasuni national park in Ecuador. The Yasuni covers 10,000 square kilometres of Amazon rainforest and is home to thousands of species of plants and animals but underneath the soil lies another important resource - 20% of Ecuador’s oil reserves. It was feared that any drilling would cause pollution, deforestation and soil erosion so in a pioneering deal – known as the Yasuni ITT in...
Turkey: Gezi Park protests
October 27, 2023 09:00 - 9 minutes - 4.2 MBIn 2013, environmental protests in Gezi Park, Istanbul led to civil unrest across Turkey. For one protestor, a post he made on social media led to a dramatic outcome. Memet Ali Alabora, was an activist and a famous actor in Turkey. He tells his story to Gill Kearsley. (Photo: Protestors construct a barricade in Istanbul. Credit: Ayman Oghanna/Getty Images)
'The streets of Harare were littered with money'
October 26, 2023 09:00 - 9 minutes - 4.57 MBIn November 2008, Johns Hopkins University calculated Zimbabwe’s year-on-year inflation rate as 89,700,000,000,000,000,000,000% – one of the worst cases of hyperinflation in history. Professor Gift Mugano was a government economist at the time. He tells Vicky Farncombe what it was like to live through those times when wages were worthless and there was no food to buy in the shops. “It was a very painful period. It is a year which one would not want to remember,” he said. (Photo: Harare s...
The 1993 MAD hijack
October 25, 2023 09:00 - 9 minutes - 4.23 MBOn 25 October1993, a Nigerian Airways flight from Lagos to Abuja was hijacked by four teenagers calling themselves the Movement for the Advancement of Democracy (MAD). They demanded the removal of the military-backed government, who had annulled the results of that year's election. The plane was forced to land in Niger and later stormed after a protracted hostage crisis. Obed Taseobi was a passenger on the flight. He tells his story to Jill Achineku. A Whistledown production for BBC Wo...
The 1980 Turkey coup
October 24, 2023 09:00 - 9 minutes - 4.13 MBOn 12 September 1980, the army took control in Turkey. It was not the first time they had done so. It was the third coup d'état in the history of the Republic of Turkey, the previous having been in 1960 and 1971. The coup followed growing street fighting between left and right-wing groups. Politicians were arrested and parliament, political parties and trade unions were dissolved. Following the coup at least 50 people were executed and around half a million were detained. Many were to...
The first Bosphorus Bridge
October 23, 2023 13:23 - 9 minutes - 4.13 MBIn 1973, the Bosphorus Bridge was completed connecting Europe and Asia. The suspension bridge was the first of three spanning the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey. Wayne Wright speaks to Harvey Binnie who was an important member of the design team. A Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service. (Photo: The Bosphorus Bridge. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)
Osmondmania
October 20, 2023 09:00 - 9 minutes - 4.15 MBOn 21 October 1973, American heartthrobs The Osmonds were met by hysterical crowds when their plane landed at London's Heathrow Airport. A surge by some of the 10,000 fans caused a viewing balcony to collapse. Eighteen people were injured. Four fans were treated in hospital. The term "Osmondmania" was used across the newspapers. Donny Osmond shares his memories of it with Josephine McDermott. (Photo: Fans wait for The Osmonds on the viewing balcony at Heathrow Airport before the collap...
Launching Lagos Fashion Week
October 19, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 4.59 MBIn 2011, models, stylists and fashionistas gathered for Lagos Fashion Week’s debut which would put Nigerian style on the global map. Omoyemi Akerele founded the event which helped to launch the careers of designers internationally. The annual event has become a major fashion occasion attracting Africa's biggest celebs and collections are sent around the world. Omoyemi Akerele speaks to Reena Stanton-Sharma. (Photo: A model prepares backstage at Lagos Fashion Week in 2013. Credit: Per-An...
Mexico’s murdered women
October 18, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutes - 4.04 MBIn 1993 young women began disappearing in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juárez. Hundreds were reported to have been kidnapped and killed. Some of the first victims weren’t discovered until nearly 10 years later. In 2013, Mike Lanchin spoke to Oscar Maynez, a forensic scientist who used to work in the city and to Paula Flores, the mother of one of the murdered girls. (Photo: Wooden crosses in a Mexican wasteland. Credit: Jorge Uzon/Getty Images)
Rana Plaza building collapse
October 17, 2023 09:00 - 9 minutes - 4.22 MBIn April 2013, Rana Plaza, an eight-storey building on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, collapsed. More than 1,000 people died and many others were injured. The building contained five garment factories which manufactured clothes for well-known international brands. It was the worst industrial disaster in Bangladesh's history. Parul Akhter, a sewing machinist who survived the collapse, talks to Dan Hardoon. (Photo: An injured victim of the Rana Plaza disaster at ...
Cambodian peace walk
October 16, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 4.62 MBIn 1992, the first peace walk was held in Cambodia aimed at uniting a country torn apart by years of conflict. Buddhist monks, Cambodian refugees and aid workers set out on the 415 km journey which became known as the Dhammayietra – or the pilgrimage of truth. The hope was to reunite Cambodian refugees who had fled into Thailand during Pol Pot’s brutal Marxist rule, with those people still living within Cambodia. Distrust and fear had built up on both sides but that began to melt away du...
Surviving an acid attack and changing the law
October 13, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 4.65 MBIn 2013, India's Supreme Court made a landmark ruling aimed at transforming the lives of acid attack survivors. It followed a campaign led by Laxmi Agarwal, who at the age of 15 was burned by acid thrown over her body. The attack changed Laxmi’s life and scarred her face. In 2006, she took legal action demanding a ban on the sale of acid and more help for survivors. But it took seven years of campaigning before the court made a ruling, as Laxmi tells Jane Wilkinson. (Photo: Laxmi Agarw...
Kwame Nkrumah: Ousted from power
October 12, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 4.68 MBIn February 1966, Kwame Nkrumah, one of Africa's most famous leaders, was ousted from power in Ghana. While he was out of the country, the Ghanaian military and police seized power in a coup. Ghanaian film maker Chris Hesse worked closely with Nkrumah and was with him at the time. In 2021, Chris spoke to Alex Last about his memories of the coup and his friendship with the man who led Ghana to independence. (Photo: Kwame Nkrumah after Ghana's independence from Britain. Credit: Bettman,...
Theodosia Okoh: Designer of Ghana’s flag
October 11, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 4.6 MBIn March 1957, Ghana became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence and a new flag was unveiled marking a fresh start for the former British colony known as the Gold Coast. The woman behind the design was Theodosia Okoh, an artist and former teacher who won a government competition for a new emblem which would signify the end of British rule. Her flag had red, gold and green horizontal stripes with a black star in the centre and it replaced the symbol of an elephant ...
The 84-year-old primary school pupil
October 10, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 4.62 MBIn 2004, Kimani Maruge became the oldest man to start primary school when he enrolled at the Kapkenduiywo Primary School in Kenya. The 84-year-old student was a former soldier who had fought against colonial rule in the Mau Mau independence movement. He missed out on school as a child so when the Kenyan government scrapped all fees for state primary education, he saw his chance to finally learn to read and write. Kimani's former teacher Jane Obinchu tells Vicky Farncombe how his story ...
Yinka Shonibare: Nelson's Ship in a Bottle
October 09, 2023 09:00 - 9 minutes - 4.55 MBOn 24 May 2010, artist Yinka Shonibare unveiled Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle, on the fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square. The piece was the world’s largest ship in a bottle, but it wasn’t just any vessel. It was a replica of HMS Victory, commanded by Admiral Lord Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar, except Yinka had made an eye-catching change. The ship’s plain sails had been replaced with colourful Dutch wax sails. Dutch wax is a fabric typically sold in West Africa. Yinka’s work cap...
Protectors of the Amazon
October 06, 2023 09:00 - 9 minutes - 4.14 MBIn 2003, an oil company entered the indigenous Sarayaku community’s territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon in search of oil. Neither the government nor the firm had consulted the community beforehand. The locals responded by filing a lawsuit against the company. The ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights would go onto become an important case for indigenous communities all over the world. Former Sarayaku president Jose Gualing and community leader Ena Santi recall the landmark c...
The Amoco Cadiz oil spill
October 05, 2023 08:44 - 9 minutes - 4.52 MBIn 1978, the Amoco Cadiz tanker ran aground off the coast of France. The supertanker split, releasing more than 220,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea. It was the largest oil spill caused by a tanker at the time. Marguerite Lamour is the former secretary to Alphonse Arzel, the mayor of Ploudalmézeau in Brittany. He played a crucial role in the region's campaign for compensation. Marguerite shares her experiences in this programme presented by Esther Egbeyemi. (Photo: The Amoco Cad...
Nigeria strikes oil
October 04, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutes - 3.88 MBIn 1956 commercial quantities of oil were discovered in the Nigerian village Oloibiri. It marked the start of a huge oil industry for Nigeria but came at a cost for villages in the Niger Delta. Chief Sunday Inengite was 19-years-old when prospectors first came to his village in search of crude oil. In 2018 he spoke to Alex Last about the impact of the discovery. (Photo: An oil worker at an oil well in Nigeria. Credit: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
The oilfield that changed Kazakhstan
October 03, 2023 09:00 - 9 minutes - 4.43 MBIn the wake of the USSR breaking up, Kazakhstan was wrestling with the challenges of independence; hyperinflation, the economy collapsing and food shortages. But three-and-a-half kilometres underground on the north-east shore of the Caspian Sea, a giant financial opportunity was lying dormant – The Tengiz Oil Field. Less than two years after gaining sovereignty, the government signed the “deal of the century”. The state partnered with American company Chevron and started drilling to acces...
The oil crisis of 1973
October 02, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutes - 4.1 MBIn October 1973, Arab nations protested the American support of Israel in its war against Egypt and Syria by slashing oil production, causing prices to sky rocket. Dr Fadhil Chalabi was deputy secretary general of Opec (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries). In 2014 he spoke to Alex Last about the embargo. (Picture: Empty gas pump in 1973. Credit:Getty Images)
The first cat cafe
September 29, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 4.65 MBThe world's first cat cafe opened in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998. It started with just five street cats. For the first few months they hardly had any visitors. Then a film crew made a TV programme about the cafe, and it eventually became a global tourist destination. Cat cafes have become a worldwide phenomenon. Tracy Chang, founder and owner, tells her story to Gill Kearsley. (Photo: Inside the first cat cafe. Credit: Tracy Chang)
The Lampedusa shipwreck tragedy
September 28, 2023 09:00 - 9 minutes - 4.39 MBOn 3 October 2013, a fishing boat taking more than 500 migrants from Libya sank 800 metres off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost island. It was one of the worst migrant shipwrecks on the Mediterranean Sea. As it happened so close to the shore, hundreds of dead bodies were recovered and their coffins were put on show for the world to see. The tragedy led to a joint European effort to tackle the migrant crisis, but the numbers embarking on the journey, and dying, continued to rise...
Kassandra: The peacekeeping telenovela in Bosnia
September 27, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 4.64 MBIn the early 1990s, the soap opera or telenovela craze was sweeping the world. One of the most popular was Kassandra made in Venezuela, about a girl switched at birth and raised in a travelling circus. The show was broadcast all over the world, including Bosnia. In 1997, ravaged by war, people found escape in the make-believe world of Kassandra. When supporters of Washington-backed president Billiana Plavšić took over a local TV station and turned the show off, there was outrage. The Uni...