An hour of first hand accounts from the past. Starting with a crackdown on opposition voices in Eritrea from twenty years ago, plus memories of the 1956 Hungarian uprising, the Nuremberg trials, a breakthrough in orthopaedics, and how the fictional character Fu Manchu prejudiced popular opinion against China and the Chinese for decades.

When Eritrea silenced its critics

A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes.

Personal Journals

Society & Culture

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

A warning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners - this programme contains the names and voices of people who have died. Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. First, the story of Brazil's most wanted, Carlos Lamarca. He was a captain who deserted the army in the 1960s and joined in the armed struggle against the military regime in the country. Then, Bill Booth - historian of twentieth century Latin America at University College London - joins Max to talk about other revolutionary figures from South America.  Next, the story of Australia's first Aboriginal MP and how he fought for indigenous rights. Plus, the 90th anniversary of the first ever quintuplets, the 1984 Apple commercial that changed advertising and the 2014 Flint, Michigan water contamination crisis. Contributors:
João Salgado Lopes - friend of Carlos Lamarca
Bill Booth - historian of twentieth century Latin America at University College London
Joanna Lindgren - great niece of Neville Bonner
Jeneyah McDonald - Flint, Michigan resident
Dr Mona Hanna-Attisha – a paediatrician and professor of public health, Michigan
Mike Murray - former Apple marketing manager (Photo: Subcomandante Marcos pictured in 2001. Credit: Getty Images)

South American revolutionaries and the first Aboriginal MP

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. This week’s programmes are all about the history of footwear. First we take a trip back to the 1960’s when Brazilians were introduced to a new type of footwear, which went on to become one of the country’s biggest exports.  Plus the story of how a then rookie basketball player called Michael Jordan signed a deal with Nike that revolutionised sports marketing. We also hear about the thousands of shoes owned by the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. Then we learn how one family feud led to the creation of two massive sportswear companies, Adidas and Puma. Finally, we hear how a Czech company revolutionised shoe production and brought affordable footwear to the world. Contributors:
Sergio Sanchez -author and former employee of Havainas 
Sonny Vaccaro-Former Nike executive 
Dr Alex Sherlock – Lecturer in the school of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia  and founder of the Footwear Research Network.
Sigi Dassler – Daughter of Adi Dassler the founder of Adidas
Mick Pinion – Former Bata engineer (Photo: Air Jordan Original. Credit: GettyImages)

The first Air Jordan and Imelda Marcos's 3,000 pairs of shoes

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. This week, we hear how nuclear testing changed politics in French Polynesia. Plus, the story of how the FBI caught Ana Montes, the spy known as the ‘Queen of Cuba’. We also talk to Jewish and Palestinian people about the moment the state of Israel was proclaimed in 1948. Finally, we tell the unlikely story of how a heavy metal rock band emerged during the violent years of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. Contributors: 
Antony Géros - President of the Assembly of French Polynesia
KDee Aimiti Ma'ia'i – doctoral candidate at University of Oxford
Pete Lapp – former FBI agent
Hasan Hammami
Arieh Handler
Zipporah Porath
Firas Al-Lateef – bass player (Photo: Antony Géros. Credit: Getty Images)

Independence in French Polynesia and the 'Queen of Cuba'

This week, how more than one billion people living in India were given a unique digital ID during the world's largest biometric project. The Aadhaar scheme was launched in 2009 but it wasn't without controversy. Our guest, digital identity expert Dr Edgar Whitley, tells us about the history of ID schemes around the world. Plus, the Spanish doctor whose pioneering surgery helped millions of people to get rid of their glasses and see more clearly. And why East Germany's thirst for caffeine in the 1980s led to an unusual collaboration with Vietnam.  Also, the story behind one of the most famous royal photographs ever taken – Princess Diana sitting alone on a bench in front of the Taj Mahal in 1992. The man who took the image tells us more. And finally, how a Ghanaian athlete, Alice Annum, earned the nickname ‘Baby Jet’ after her medal-winning success in the 1970 Commonwealth Games. Contributors:
Nandan Nilekani  - former chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India
Dr Edgar Whitley - digital identity expert at the London School of Economics
Dr Carmen Barraquer Coll – daughter of ophthalmologist Jose Ignacio Barraquer Moner
Siegfried Kaulfuß – East German official in charge of coffee production in Vietnam
Anwar Hussein – royal photographer
Alice Annum – retired Ghanaian athlete (Photo: Scanning fingerprints for Aadhaar registration. Credit: David Talukdar/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

India’s ambitious ID scheme and the iconic Princess Diana photo

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.  This week we hear the story of Rogelio Goiburu, who has dedicated his life to finding the victims of Alfredo Stroessner's dictatorship in Paraguay, including the remains of his own father. Our expert Dr Francesca Lessa talks about other enforced disappearances in South America. Plus, we hear about how, in February 2014, ordinary people got to see inside Mezhyhirya, the extraordinarily extravagant home of Ukraine's former president. Also, a shocking psychological experiment from the 1960s. Just to warn you, this includes original recordings of the experiments which listeners may find disturbing. The programme also includes the breakthrough moment when the Channel Tunnel was finally completed linking England and France beneath the sea and, finally, the story behind one of the world's most popular self-help books. Contributors:
Rogelio Goiburu - dedicated to finding the victims of Stroessner's Paraguay
Dr Francesca Lessa - Associate Professor in International Relations of the Americas at University College London (UCL)
Denys Tarakhkotelyk - from the Mezhyhirya estate
Graham Fagg  - the Englishman who broke through the Channel Tunnel
Donna Dale Carnegie -  daughter of Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People
(Photo: Alfredo Stroessner. Credit: STR/AFP via Getty Images)

When Eritrea silenced its critics

Download our free app to listen on your phone