80 Days: An Exploration Podcast

By Luke Kelly, Joe Byrne, Mark BoyleSociety & Culture History Places & Travel

80 Days: An Exploration Podcast episodes

February 05, 2018 Runnymede, 1215
Runnymede minisode audio
Our second “minisode” focuses on the events that happened in Runnymede, England in 1215, when King John of England sealed a deal with his rebellious barons to bring some peace to his kingdom.
Thanks to Sam Hume from the History of Witchcraft Podcast for lending us his voice to give life to King John. Music this week comes from Lee Rosevere, and is used under Creative Commons License 3.0 (by attribution).
http://media.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/content.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/Runnymede1216.mp3
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://80dayspodcast.com/
29 min
December 25, 2017 Hong Kong, 1941 (Christmas Special)
Christmas 1941 – Hong Kong Audio
Merry Christmas from the 80 Days team! We hope you enjoy this Christmas themed “minisode” – this is a new, shorter and more focused format of episode we’re trying out before we launch Season 3. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this different style of storytelling (positive or negative), or indeed we’d love to hear your thoughts on anything on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @80dayspodcast or by email at [email protected]
Best wishes for 2018, wherever you are around the world.
http://media.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/content.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/HongKongDecember1941.mp3
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://80dayspodcast.com/
16 min
August 20, 2017Birobidzhan, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (S2.10)
Birobidzhan Audio Link
In this episode of 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast, we’ll be discussing the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO), a somewhat independent region in the Russian Far East wedged between Siberia and Northern China. Its capital is the city of Birobidzhan, and with 75,000 inhabitants it is by far the most populated part of the region. For that reason, the name Birobidzhan is often used to refer to the whole area.
Officially founded in 1934 as an attempt to create a Jewish state within Russian borders, the territory was the world’s first attempt at a Jewish national homeland in modern times, and today is Russia’s only autonomous oblast. Aside from Israel, it is the world’s only officially Jewish territory. As of the 2010 Census, JAO’s population was 176,558 people, or 0.1% of the total population of Russia. Judaism is practiced by only 0.2% of the population of the JAO.
http://media.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/content.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/S02E10-JAO.mp3
This special episode was commissioned by one our very generous Kickstarter backers, Ian Prince from New York (who does terrible things with food on Instagram). Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Hong Kong, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Switzerland. (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle)
The somewhat familiar-looking flag of Birobidzhan
Some sources and further reading for this episode;
Masha Gessen’s Where The Jews Aren’t was the basis for this commissioned episode, you can find it on Amazon here, or listen to the author talk about it on NPR’s Fresh Air here
We also relied heavily on this excellent multimedia gallery from Swarthmore College, entitled Stalin’s Forgotten Zion.
An interview from People’s World with Masha Gessen provides some solid background on the region.
We mentioned the RT profile of Birobidzhan in this episode, you can find that here on YouTube.
The New York Times profiled Birobidzhan back in 2012. It’s worth a read.
The book Jews and Jewish Life in Russia and the Soviet Union by Yaacov Ro’i has some interesting info on the JAO and wider context surrounding Jewish communities in Russia.
If you’re interesting in learning more about Stalin in particular, you can check out our episode from earlier this season on Georgia, birthplace of “Joe Steel”.
Michigan State University has a good article on the history of the region, as well as some visual essays here.
Thanks to Louise Ireson, John Killeen, Simon Greene for your support on Kickstarter. Thanks too to Rabbi Eliyahu Riss in Birobidzhan for interviewing with us.
We also need to thank our sponsor for the season Hairy Baby, who in addition to making the funniest Irish-themed t-shirts, have also produced the official 80 Days shirt for our supporters. Find it by clicking here. You can get 10% off anything on www.hairybaby.com by using our promo code “80DAYS”.
This will be the final episode for this season, but never fear, we’ll be back with more obscure goodness soon. We’re extremely grateful to everyone who’s supported us over the past year and a bit of podcasting, and if you want to hear more stay subscribed to the feed and keep an eye on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
We’ll see you soon!
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://80dayspodcast.com/
1 hr 35 min
August 06, 2017Liechtenstein (S2.09)
S02E09 Liechtenstein Audio
In this episode of 80 Days: an exploration podcast, we’ll be talking about Liechtenstein, a tiny European principality, sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria that is still ruled by the same family since the early 18th century. In a small valley towards the beginning of the mighty Rhine river, it was frequented by the Romans and incorporated into the empire before that all went sideways and the Vandals earned their name. After passing through the infuential spheres of central Europe through the centuries they were eventually taken over by the Liechtenstein family in a bid to get more favor with the Austro-Hungarian Empire (which worked a treat as it happened.) They side-stepped the devastation of World War 2 and spent the latter half of the 20th century becoming a financial services powerhouse, while also making a surprisingly successful go of manufacturing – dentures and drills in particular. Builders drills. Not dentists drills. Though there’s a business plan in there somewhere.
Liechtenstein – strong contender for the nicest place we’ve profiled. Apologies to Liberia…
Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Hong Kong, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Switzerland/Liechtenstein. (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle)
http://media.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/content.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/S02E09-Liechtenstein.mp3
In a break from our normal desktop research, we sent the intrepid Joe Byrne into the field with the savage Liechtensteiners to risk his life in doing some field research. Turns out it’s super safe and lovely. Who knew? Well you did if you listened in, as well as the chilled out nature of the locals and how normal it is to just run into some royalty if you live there.
Proof of Joe’s expedition below-
That’s Joe there, showcasing the Liechtenstein flag like a boss.
Click to view slideshow.
Above are a selection of photos from Liechtenstein, including the Roman ruins and the bronze Celtic figurines discussed in the episode. More photos can be seen here.
Here are some HOTLINKS (guitar solo here) to give you all the extra background you apparently weren’t sufficed with in our mega-bumper podcast, you info-hungry maniac:
General Liechtenstein profile
The local museum with more Celtic this-and-thattery than you can shake a fertility symbol at
Ulrich “Heath” von “Ledger” Liechtenstein
The skinny on Roman Liechtenstein
The princely website of the princely house of Liechtenstein
Prince by prince (no purple)
For the brave German speakers – here is a large historical tome
Liechtenstein in WW2, barely sidestepping things [and a separate source on this topic in German]
Fancy renting a whole country?
Some music associated with Liechtenstein:
National Anthem with a familiar tune
Some work of Josef Gabriel Rheinberger, Liechtenstein’s most famous composer
The “Liechtensteiner Marsche” by Josef Strauss
“Liechtensteiner Polka“
Al Walser’s song “I Want My Money Now” [and an article about the controversy of his Grammy nomination]
Thanks to Sarah O’Farrell and Niall O’Leary for your support on Kickstarter and Sinéad Dowling who helped our man on the ground Joe Byrne with his visit and research. Thanks too to Martin Meier for a useful conversation and Donat Büchel, curator of the Liechtensteinische Landesmuseum for some assistance. Special thanks to students Julia and Sebbi from the Liechtensteinische Gymnasium (High School) for a long and informative interview – they make videos that can be found on YouTube.
Thanks too to our sponsor Hairy Baby, who in addition to making the funniest Irish-themed t-shirts, have also produced the official 80 Days shirt for our supporters. Find it by clicking here. You can get 10% off anything on www.hairybaby.com by using our promo code “80DAYS”.
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://80dayspodcast.com/
1 hr 56 min
July 23, 2017Georgia or “Sakartvelo” (S2.07)
S02E07 Georgia Audio
In this episode of 80 Days: an exploration podcast, we’ll be talking about Georgia. Not the US state, but the country in the south caucasus, known to its inhabitants as “Sakartvelo”. This former Soviet Republic is nestled between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and is home to around 3.7 Million people with a history dating back thousands of years. Throughout its history, Georgia has been subject to numerous larger powers, including the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, and dynasties of Persia (Iran) and the Soviet Union. As the Iron Curtain fell, Georgia declared its independence and has operated as a modern Republic ever since. It’s neighbour to the North, Russia, however, has ensured that Georgia’s hold over independence has never been as secure as most Georgians would like. Ethnic conflicts and economic turmoil beset the country throughout the 1990s, culminating in the brief Russo-Georgian war of 2008, from which tensions still remain to this day.
Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Hong Kong, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Switzerland . (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle)
http://media.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/content.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/S02E08-Georgia.mp3
Here are a few things you may want to read/watch more about:
For general information about the country, we would recommend watching some of the following documentaries: “Georgia and the Great Caucasus“, “Georgia – the Hidden Heart of the Caucasus“, an episode of “Drop Me Off Here” on the country and “Europe in Georgia” (with subtitles). “This Is Georgia” made by Paul Brian while teaching English in rural Georgia gives a nice sense of what the country and its people currently look like
“From the Land of the Golden Fleece: Tomb Treasures of Ancient Georgia” – a podcast from Cambridge University on archaeology and mythology (YouTube)
2002 article in Science describing the oldest discovered Homo erectus skull, found in Georgia
To get a grip on the expanding and contracting borders of Georgia over the centuries, there are two videos available on YouTube, showing changing maps: here, and here
In 1185 Queen Tamar built remarkable thirteen-storey fortress cave city of Vardzia in the Erusheli Mtn, which looks like something out of Lord of the Rings (Atlas Obscura). It survived the coming of the Mongols, but an earthquake and a Shah more or less finished it off. Now some committed monks live there (see it on YouTube). There is also another rock-hewn city called Uplistsikhe which served as capital after Arab conquest of Tbilisi
The stunning mountain fortress of Vardzia today (Wikimedia Commons)
“The History of the Mongols“ podcast gives a comprehensive view of the momentous impact of the Mongol expansion on vast reaches of the world, from China to the Caucasus; (iTunes link) Episodes “Tamerlane” and “Blood and Ink” might be of interest
The text of the last ultimatum from Muhammad Shah to King Erekle II (who was colluding with the Russians), along with various accounts of the related history can be found in the book “Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia” by Door Donald Reyfield (Google Books)
Joseph Stalin (Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) remembered after 60 years in his home town of Gori, ironically in a church (YouTube)
BBC Witness programme “Georgia in Crisis” contains the story about nurses threatening gangs with TB-infected patients (BBC website)
“Seizing the Reform Movement: Rebuilding Georgia’s Police Force”, (Matthew Devlin) an article on the changes that took place after the Rose Revolution
BBC Newsnight “What Really Happened in South Ossetia” (from 2008, YouTube)
“#REVISITED: Abkhazia, the country that (almost) doesn’t exist” – a report from France24 (YouTube)
“The Russians are Coming: Georgia’s Creeping Occupation” – a VICE documentary, featuring the interview we mentioned with a farmer who came home to find his farm in a different country (YouTube); this CNN article is on a similar theme
Christian Broadcasting Network Feature on Georgia – beautiful scenic shots, and – of course – one or two churches
Most of the music in this episode were examples of Georgian polyphonic singing, a very important style of music, being the oldest polyphonic music in the world (singled out by UNESCO as a vital aspect of cultural heritage).Some examples are:
“Chakrulo”, which was one of 27 musical compositions included on the Voyager Golden Records that were sent into space on Voyager 2 on 20 August 1977.
Here’s another example in the “Georgia and the Great Caucasus” documentary
Georgian folk dancing is also a wonderful tradition, here are a few videos of that:
Example from the same documentary of men dancing
Amateur footage from an event in Vardzia
Rustavi Ensemble showcasing Georgian singing and dancing
Finally, we promised to include the video of the insane baptism rituals available in the Georgian Orthodox Church, so from EuroNews, here it is:
A massive thanks to the inimitable Gary O’Daly and Jeffrey Dokar, two of the backers of our recent Kickstarter Campaign – thank you for making Season 2 possible. Big thanks also to Mariam Kalandarshvili for talking to us and helping us understand (and pronounce) some elements of Georgian history; we now know that the capital is T’bee-lee-see! Thanks too to our sponsor Hairy Baby, who in addition to making the funniest Irish-themed t-shirts, have also produced the official 80 Days shirt for our supporters. Find it by clicking here. You can get 10% off anything on www.hairybaby.com by using our promo code “80DAYS”.
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://80dayspodcast.com/
1 hr 53 min
July 10, 2017The Gambia (S2.07)
S02E07 The Gambia Audio
In this episode of 80 Days: an exploration podcast, we’ll be talking about the Gambia, the smallest country on the African mainland. Cutting a small sliver out of the Western coastline of Senegal, the Gambia is one of just a handful of nations on earth to share a border with just one country. The entirety of the country surrounds its namesake the Gambia River, with the border running parallel to both banks of the river inland for about 250 km. Gambia’s population of around 2 million is largely impoverished. It’s GDP is ranked at 167th out of 188 countries around the world, and like much of West Africa, it’s history has been impacted heavily by the slave trade. Having gained its independence in 1965 from the British empire, the Gambia has come to rely on its growing reputation as a tourist destination, and recently made headlines following a political power struggle between presidential candidates.
Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Hong Kong, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Switzerland . (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle)
http://media.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/content.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/S02E07-TheGambia.mp3
Table of Contents:
[02:01] Early exploration and the Stone Circles
[05:52] Influence of Islam and trade
[07:14] Mali and Songhai Empires
[09:43] Mandinka culture and scary masks
[18:07] Arrival of Europeans
[21:35] Start of trans-Atlantic slave trade
[26:15] First permanent European settlement
[26:55] Royal African Company founded in London
[30:26] Niall visits Nemban (clip)
[31:24] English and French vie for control
[35:01]The English liberalise the slave trade
[37:49] Pirate taking everything not nailed down
[39:20] Francis Moore’s reports
[42:32] The man who returned from slavery
[46:52] “Roots”
[49:59] Interview with tourguide
[53:24] Decline of the Royal African Company and searching for Timbuktoo
[55:38] Abolition of the slave trade and colony formation
[58:50] A colony for free slaves
[1:02:00] The kora and storytelling
[1:03:50] Setting the boundaries
[1:06:05] 20th Century, evolving colony and the world wars
[1:14:02] After the war… voting for all!
[1:16:45] Green Revolution and the PPP
[1:20:00] An awful flag
[1:22:32] An attempted coup and Senegambia
[1:29:32] A new character enters the stage: Jammeh
[1:39:42] Jammeh’s home town
[1:44:32] The Magic Presidential Powers – “hard on AIDS, hard on witches”
[1:47:56] 2016 Election kerfuffle
[1:50:25] A new president elected
[1:55:43] Food, wildlife, tourism and sport
Here are a few things you may want to read/watch more about:
Of general interest are: “A History of the Gambia” (J. M. Grey), “The Gambia Colony and Protectorate: An Official Handbook” (Francis Bisset Archer), Access Gambia‘s history section, and the concisely titled “Gambia Its History Ancient Medieval And Modern Together With Geographical Geological And Ethnological Conditions And A Description Of The Birds , Beasts And Fishes Found Therein” (Henry Fenwick Reeve, 1913)
The Voyage of Hanno the Navigator may have included the river Gambia
The Stone Circles of Senegambia are inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites (here is a video of them)
Kenyaleng Kafo are associations of childless women who play a unique role in Gambian society
Kankarang masks play a role in cermonies in Mandinka culture. As well as the photo below of the mask, you can watch this short tourist video from the Gambia, or this longer more professional piece from neighbouring Senegal (in French)
Photographs of Kenyaleng women in various roles, exhibiting distinctive dress
The Kankurang mask – associated with circumcision rituals
Exploration on behalf of Portugal was carried out by Italian Luís de Cadamosto and Antoniotto Usodimare; a book about their voyage, including their troubles in the Gambia can be found on Google Books
“The Impact of the slave trade on Africa” (Elikia M’bokolo, Le Monde Diplomatique, 1998) – the source of Luke’s quote
“What was the Royal African Company?” – History.com
“Travels to the Inland Parts of Africa” by Francis Moore is a 1730s book giving insight into the operations of the RAC at the time, as well as the practices and geography of the various tribes in the Gambia. It also includes a version of the story of Job ben Solomon
Another source for this story is the original account by Thomas Bluett with the catchy title: “Some Memoirs of the Life of Job, the Son of Solomon, the High Priest of Boonda in Africa; Who was a Slave About Two Years in Maryland; and Afterwards Being Brought to England, was Set Free, and Sent to His Native Land in the Year 1734”
Article VIII of the Treaty of Utrecht deals with the right of Britain to sell slaves to the Spanish colonies
Kunta Kinteh Island (formerly James Island) is a popular tousist drawn, particularly because of the book (by Alex Haley) and TV series Roots (1977 series; 2016 remake)
Videos of James Island from GCTN Africa and CNN Inside Africa
Map showing the fort on James Island/Kunta Kinteh Island from Juffreh, the Gambia
An account of King Kementeng and the consolidation of the British colony can be found in the book above by Archer
The ‘griot’ or ‘jali’ storytelling singers are an important cultural fixture in Gambian society, preserving music and folklore through generations, usually playing the ‘kora’. This tradition is spread throughout the former Mali Empire in West Africa: here is Prince Diabete talking about the tradition generally; and here Tata Dindin Jobarteh from the Gambia talks about his music
Atlas Obscura article about the Gambia’s odd-shaped borders and the cannon-ball myth
The West African Frontier Force fought in the First World War
“A Political History of the Gambia, 1816-1994” by Arnold Hughes and David Perfect gives details about the approach to independence towards the modern day
“How West Africa helped win World War II” (Kwei Quartey, Foreign Policy in Focus, 2012)
Franklin D. Roosevelt – “Excerpts from the Press Conference for the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association” (February 5, 1944) – his observations from his visits to the Gambia
“That Hell Hole of Yours” – article in American Heritage about FDR’s trip to Bathurst en route to the 1943 Casablanca Conference and his very critical impressions of colonialism
Dawda Jawara, the first president of the Gambia, is a significant figure in its history
The original flag of the Gambia, which we all think is pretty terrible
“Supranationalism in the African context: A critical look at past and
present attempts at building supranational organisations in Africa” from the doctoral thesis of Babatunde Olaitan Fagbayibo, assessing the outcomes of the Senegambian confederation
A Daily Observer retrospective (2015) on the 1981 coup; “Taylor’s Man Dies in Mali” (All Africa, 2013) report on the death of coup-leader Kokoi Sanyang and his relationship with Liberian dictator Charles Taylor
“Gambia’s President declares Islamic statehood” – Al Jazeera
Mark quotes this article from Freedom Radio Gambia: “Gambia: Breaking News: Jammeh Is Sleeping Around With Women In Kanilai, While On His So Called Vacation!” – it’s quite partisan and inflammatory!
Al Jazeera documentary interviewing President Jammeh about his claimed ability to cure AIDS… (YouTube)
“Yahya Jammeh: The Loneliest Man Alive” – article in Pulse (Nigeria)
“A Gambian village mourns its most famous son – a dictator in exile” – Lorraine Mallinder, The Irish Times, 2017, about Kanilai; The Guardian has an article on Jammeh agreeing to go into exile
BBC clip on Gambian voting system using marbles
Music you heard was largely from field recordings by our friend Niall Ó Laoighaire (who is also responsible for most of the photos above, you may also want to listen to music from the following sources:
“Born Musicians: Traditional Music in the Gambia”, 1984 documentary from the Repercussions series. (Directed by Geoffrey Haydon with narration and interviews by Sidia Jatta)
Music from the ‘griot’ performance with the ‘kora’ instrument was from a show of jali Alagi MBye – there are many videos of MBye on YouTube, including this one “The Kora Story“
A massive thanks to John Keating and Lorraine Mounsey, two of the backers of our recent Kickstarter Campaign – thank you for making Season 2 possible. And special thanks this week to Niall Ó Laoighaire for his research in the Gambia, providing the photos above and some audio that you heard. Thanks too to our sponsor Hairy Baby, who in addition to making the funniest Irish-themed t-shirts, have also produced the official 80 Days shirt for our supporters. Find it by clicking here. You can get 10% off anything on www.hairybaby.com by using our promo code “80DAYS”.
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://80dayspodcast.com/
2 hr 2 min
June 26, 2017Cuba: Part 2 (S2.06B)
S02E06b: Cuba (part 2) Audio
In this episode of 80 Days: an exploration podcast, we return to Cuba to bring its story from the Castro Revolution, right up to the modern day. As US-Cuba relations have been in the news this week, it’s impossible to keep up with all the twists and turns, but we do our best. If you haven’t already listened to Part 1 of this episode, we recommend listening to that first to see how we got here. Cuba is an island in the Caribbean Ocean, just 90 miles south of the US state of Florida. Cuba is home to over 11 million inhabitants. Cuba gained independence from Spain in 1902, but soon fell under US influence and became a playground for the rich and powerful; this was particularly true following the 1952 coup that brought Fulgencia Batista to power. Following a turbulent revolution which spanned almost the entire 1950s, the Communist Party of Cuba, under the leadership of Fidel Castro, took control of the country in 1965. Although poverty is widespread, modern Cuba has an outstanding health care and education system and relations with the US are currently beginning to thaw after a protracted embargo that has been in place since the 1960s. Since Cuba has an awful lot of history, particularly in the 20th Century, we decided to split this episode into two parts: this is the second part.
Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Hong Kong, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Switzerland and – as a new voice for regular listeners – we’re joined in this episode by Erin Barclay in the USA. (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle).
http://media.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/content.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/S02E06b-Cuba-2.mp3
Table of Contents:
[02:20] Who is Fidel Castro?
[06:36] Castro starts his “July 26” Movement
[09:10] Exile in Mexico, meeting Che and the Voyage of the Granma
[12:28] Revolution!
[14:50] The ousting of Batista, victory for Castro
[17:38] Break
[18:12] Divisions within the revolution on the question of communism
[20:15] Courting the US, and the ‘communist closet’
[24:20] Che’s role in the world
[26:11] Refugees and Operation Peter Pan
[27:15] The Bay of Pigs invasion attempt
[35:26] US Trade Embargo begins
[36:57] The Cuban Missile Crisis – Armageddon averted
[44:00] Che leaves the stage
[46:03] ‘Castro really liked milk’, and other assassination attemps
[49:45] Cuba in the Soviet economic sphere – old cars
[51:42] “Los Frikis” punks
[52:42] Mariel Boat Lift
[54:03] Soviet Union falls, and the ‘special period’
[56:20] Medicine and oil
[58:31] Elian Gonzalez case
[60:21] Spies and political refugees
[61:07] Thawing of US-Cuba relations under Raul Castro
[64:10] What does the Pope have to do with this?
[65:30] Death of Fidel
[68:51] Trump’s evolving policies towards Cuba
[71:16] Sports! Baseball!
[73:00] Afro-Cuban traditions
[75:30] Some Cuban lunch
Here are a few things you may want to read/watch more about:
Vintage News article on the voyage the Granma, including Guevara’s of their landing
The Giants of History Podcast has a five-part series about the life of Ernesto “Che” Guevara: here is a link to the first episode
“CUBA: Castro’s Brain”, a detailed 1960 TIME Magazine article on the leaders of the revolution, especially Che Guevara and Fidel Castro
Public Access America archive radio documentary about the revolution, featuring at 42:00 the interview with a soldier who came to realise Castro was a communist and fled into exile
The scene from The Godfather, part II, depicting the end of the Batista regime in Havana on New Years Eve 1958 (YouTube)
Ed Sullivan TV interview with Fidel Castro on 11 January 1959, very soon after the revolution seizes control (YouTube)
“Cuba’s ‘Peter Pans’ Remember Childhood Exodus”, National Geographic (Greta Weber) – article about the mixed feelings of those children sent away from Cuba during Operation Peter Pan
“How Kennedy bought 1,200 hand-rolled Cuban cigars just hours before ordering a blockade of the communist state 50 years ago” (Lee Mora, Daily Mail, 2012)
Che Guevara’s farewell letter to Fidel Castro
Here are a few resources to learn more about the Cuban Missile Crisis: A TedEd educational video about it; An essay by the Office of the Historian of the US State Department on the Crisis (from a diplomatic and western viewpoint);“10 Things You May Not Know about the Cuban Missile Crisis” (History.com); BBC History File documentary on the topic; also watch US President Kennedy’s address to the nation during the crisis (YouTube)
“Fidel Castro had a bizarre obsession with milk” – article from War Is Boring
RadioLab podcast episode on “Los Frikis”, the Cuban punk rockers who injected themselves with HIV as the ultimate act of rebellion
“Cuban healthcare is painted rosy in ‘Sicko,’ critics say” (Rene Rodriquez, Miami Herald) – criticism of Michael Moore’s film‘s depiction of the Cuban healthcare system
BBC Witness has a “Cuban History Collection” of short audio reports from the news over the decades of Castro’s rule
Footage of 8-year-old Elian Gonzalez being seized by a US SWAT team to be returned to his father in Cuba, MSNBC News footage (YouTube)
Speech of Castro in 2001, celebrating the 45th anniversary of the landing of the Granma
2009 overview of US-Cuba relations in TIME Magazine
“Raul Castro may join Catholic Church, he says after Pope Francis Meeting” (Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, May 2015)
US Obama’s 2014 address on the change of Cuba-US relations; President Trump announcing a rolling back of some of these policies
“No One Walks off the Island” – long-form article by Scott Eden in ESPN The Magazine about major-league baseball player Yasiel Puig’s convoluted journey from Cuba to the US through the shady world of organised crime
A massive thanks to Andrew Brogan and Crystal, two of the backers of our recent Kickstarter Campaign – thank you for making Season 2 possible. Thanks too to our sponsor Hairy Baby, who in addition to making the funniest Irish-themed t-shirts, have also produced the official 80 Days shirt for our supporters. Find it by clicking here. You can get 10% off anything on www.hairybaby.com by using our promo code “80DAYS”.
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://80dayspodcast.com/
1 hr 21 min
June 11, 2017Cuba: Part 1 (S2.06A)
S02E06a: Cuba (part 1) Audio
In this episode of 80 Days: an exploration podcast, we’ll be talking about Cuba, an island in the Caribbean Ocean, just 90 miles south of the US state of Florida. Cuba is home to over 11 million inhabitants, and is the second-largest island in the Caribbean after Hispanola. The country has been subject to numerous territorial disputes and conflicts throughout its long and complex history, but finally emerged into independence in 1902. Following a turbulent revolution which spanned almost the entire 1950s, the Communist Party of Cuba, under the leadership of Fidel Castro, took control of the country in 1965. Although poverty is widespread, modern Cuba has an outstanding health care and education system and relations with the US are currently beginning to thaw after a protracted embargo that has been in place since the 1960s. Since Cuba has an awful lot of history, particularly in the 20th Century, we decided to split this episode into two parts: this is the first part.
Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Hong Kong, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Switzerland and – as a new voice for regular listeners – we’re joined in this episode by Erin Barclay in the USA. (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle).
http://media.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/content.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/S02E06a-Cuba-1.mp3
Table of Contents:
[03:28] Early History – Taíno and others
[05:50] In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue… and stuff happened
[09:25] Spanish Colony, ‘serfdom’ and Hatuey’s Uprising
[12:25] Slavery, Slave Rebellions and Pirates
[13:55] Trade monopolies and disputes
[19:00] Sugar boom and population imbalance, and Haitian influx
[20:39] Break
[21:10] “What could go wrong?” – just six revolutions
[27:52] Leopoldo O’Donnell and ‘The Year of the Lash’
[29:00 ] The Cuban Wars of Independence
[34:33] Sinking of the USS Maine and US entry into the war
[35:57] Break
[36:22] The Spanish-American War (and Teddy Roosevelt’s ‘Rough Riders’)
[39:49] An independent Cuba, the Banana Wars and US Interventions
[43:45] World War 1 and, inter-war years and President Muchado
[46:42] Batista leads the Uprising of the Sergeants
[47:25] World War 2 ,Ernest Hemingway’s ‘Crook Factory’, and the ‘St Louis Affair’
[50:58] America’s Playground and a handful of boring presidents
[53:52] Return of Batista: who needs democracy?
Here are a few things you may want to read/watch more about:
“Guide to Pre-Columbian Cuba” (ThoughtCo, archaeology etc)
A translation of the contemporary account of Columbus’ First Voyage
Story of Hatuey’s Rebellion of indigenous people and also an account from History of Cuba
“Slave Resistance in Latin America” (Joseph E. Holloway) – an article with a general view of slavery in the region including Cuba
Article about the “sugar boom” on Cuba History (which gives a clear and concise overview of a number of topics)
The Haitian Revolution is covered in detail by the Revolutions podcast by Mike Duncan (season 4), which is highly recommended for its level of detail! So if you want to learn more about slavery in the Caribbean in the late 18th century, give it a listen
“Origins of Wealth and the Sugar Revolution in Cuba, 1750-1850” (Franklin W. Knight) – an article in Hispanic American Historical Review
Revolutionary figures and movements from the 19th century include: Juaquin Infante (ES), José Aponte [link to a book about his rebellion], The Suns and Rays of Bolívar, the Venerable Félix Varela (priest and independence leader), Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (Ten Years War), Máximo Gómez (promoter of the “machete charge” tactic), José Marti
José Marti, as well as a revolutionary, was a poet, and his words form the lyrics of the famous song “Guantanamera” (YouTube, Pete Seeger performance)
“The Year of the Lash: Free People of Color in Cuba and the Nineteenth Century” (Michele Reid-Vazquez)
Origin of the Cuban flag and Venezuelan Narciso López
The sinking of the USS Maine and US entry into the Cuban War of Independence (including Theodore Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders“)
Second US Occupation of Cuba (1906-09)
“The Banana Wars: US Intervention in the Caribbean 1898-1934” (Lester D. Langley)
A summary of the so-called “Negro Rebellion” in 1912 (also called the “1912 Massacre“), which arose from inequality
President Gerardo Muchado was deposed and followed by the short-lived Pentarchy of Five Government, set up by the Sergeants’ Revolt and introducing Fulgencio Batista to the national stage
“SS St Louis: The Ship of Jewish Refugees Nobody Wanted” – BBC article on the ship turned away from both the US and Cuba
The comments by Walter Cronkeit about the US view of Cuba come from this much longer video
“When the Mob owned Cuba” (Simon Worall, Smithsonian Journals Quarterly) – an article that gives a sense of Mafia involvement in 1950s Cuba
Thanks to our sponsor Hairy Baby, who in addition to making the funniest Irish-themed t-shirts, have also produced the official 80 Days shirt for our supporters. Find it by clicking here. You can get 10% off anything on www.hairybaby.com by using our promo code “80DAYS”.
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://80dayspodcast.com/
1 hr
May 28, 2017Uruguay (S2.05)
S02E05: Uruguay Audio
In this episode of 80 Days: an exploration podcast, we’ll be talking about Uruguay, a small but prosperous country sandwiched between two massive South American powerhouses, Brazil and Argentina. Widely considered one of the most politically stable and progressive countries in Latin America, Uruguay is home to just over 3.5 Million people and almost ten times as many sheep.
By land mass, it is the second-smallest nation in the region. After a four-way struggle between Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay declared its independence in 1825. The country then stabilised until the 1950s, when political turmoil ensued.
In more recent years, Uruguay escaped the recession that spread throughout South America in the early 2000s, and has since emerged as a bastion of democracy, progressive policies and free speech.
Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Hong Kong, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Switzerland. (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle).
http://media.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/content.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/S02E05-Uruguay.mp3
Table of Contents:
[02:12] Intro – Homer Simpson and trampy birds
[08:30] Horny dirty Europeans and laissez faire gauchoing
[15:00] The inevitable British interest
[18:08] Artigas uncontemplative – not a calm guy
[27:23] If you liked Artigas you’ll love many endless wars forever
[33:46] Colorados vs Blancos – mob on mob violence
[40:39] Flores – Warlords don’t like peace, shoot your gauchos
[49:30] Jose Batlle – Mr 20th Century Uruguay
[57:54] WW2 – neutral, until it’s over and then they’re totally against Hitler
[1:06:08] Old timey radio show on Uruguay… is a bit dismissive of poor women
[1:14:46] Pacheqism – NOT to be confused with pacifism, too much torture for that
[1:16:30] Alive – plane crash and things only get worse from there
[1:23:28] South America in the 80s, how do you think it’s gonna go – “Politics is finished, I’m the leader.”
[1:30:38] Modern day – cannabis, football, music and good times
Here are a few things you may want to read/watch more about:
Firstly, a link to the discussion on the Uruguay subreddit, and some useful and interesting suggestions made by Uruguayans
Article in the Journal of Lithic Studies about early archaeological finds in Uruguay
Some information (in Spanish) on beliefs and customs of the indigenous people, and an article in The Prisma marking the 180th anniversary of the extinction of the Charrúa people
Early European visitors to the area include: Juan Diaz de Solis, Sebastian Cabot and Governor of Buenos Aires, Henandarias
An overview of the history of Afro-Uruguayans (by historian George Reid Andrews) can be found on BlackPast.com
Watch this documentary about “Candombe in Uruguay” to hear this unique style of music and further understand where it comes from
Guillermo Brown and Peter Campbell are the fathers of the Argentinian and Uruguayan navies, respectively – not bad for two Irish lads.
“Uruguay” by Leslie Jermyn (from the Marshall Cavendish Cultures of the World series) gives a great overview of the country’s history
Also, particularly for the various wars, Uruguay: a country study, edited by Rex A. Hudson and Sandra W. Meditz for the US Library of Congress, gives a lot more details than we did
Significant political figures include José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (father of the nation), Fructuoso Rivera (first Colorado), Manuel Oribe (first Blanco), José Batlle (radical reformer and 20th century leader)
The US Office of Inter-American Affairs made a number of short films about Uruguay. We mentioned this one, about life in Montevideo, but there was also a video entitled “Young Uruguay” and one that shows gauchos at work
On the topic of gauchos, read this article in the Telegraph about modern gauchos and the annual gaucho festival in Uruguay
Uruguay Airforce Flight 571 plane crash in the Andes in 1972 has had movies, books, documentaries and podcasts made about it, more than we could possibly include in our episode; some recommendations: Disaster Area Podcast, Air Crash Investigation Disasters (YouTube), Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado (a book by one of the survivors) and Alive, the famous movie based on the event
On President José Mujica (the world’s “poorest president”) you can watch this documentary from Vice and also read this article from Mic about the impact of his recent laws to decriminalise marijuana
And finally, here’s the full clip of Luís Suarez sharing a cup of mate with a young Liverpool FC fan
Some of the music we used in this episode, and other music we recommend:
A Spotify playlist of Uruguayan music prepared for us by some users on http://www.reddit.com/r/uruguay
An example of some candombe music
And another called “Maestros del Candombe”
Los Shakers were Uruguay’s answer to the Beatles, to such an extent that they dressed like them and sang in English. You heard “Rompan Todo/Break It All”
Famous artist Rubén Rada plays the well known tune “Candombe para Gardel”
At the end of the episode, there is a clip from a comedy song “Uruguay is the Best Country”, by by musicians Aleksey Igudesman and Richard Hyung-ki Joo. It opens with the dramatic lyrics “I am going to Uruguay / Because I like the people. / I am going to Uruguay / because the weather is nearly always hot”
Thanks this week to Nick Ison and Eoin Byrne, who backed our Kickstarter campaign. Your t-shirts should be on their way to you already. Thanks to our sponsor Hairy Baby, who in addition to making the funniest Irish-themed t-shirts, have also produced the official 80 Days shirt for our supporters. Find it by clicking here. You can get 10% off anything on www.hairybaby.com by using our promo code “80DAYS”.
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://80dayspodcast.com/
1 hr 43 min
May 14, 2017Newfoundland (S2.04)
S02E04: Newfoundland Audio
In this episode of 80 Days: an exploration podcast, we return to the north of North America and explore Newfoundland, a Canadian island in the North Atlantic. At over 100,000 square kilometres (40,000 sq mi), Newfoundland is the world’s 16th-largest island, and Cape Spear, just south of the capital, St John’s, is the easternmost point of North America, excluding Greenland. Newfoundland has long been a sparsely populated and harsh land, with residents traditionally relying heavily on fishing to survive. The area has a significant Gaelic heritage, with strong connections to Ireland and Britain. Modern-day Newfoundland has a population of just under half a million, and is the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Hong Kong, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Switzerland. (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle). Our guest contributor this week is Dr Philip Hiscock (Department of Folklore, Memorial University, Newfoundland)
http://media.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/content.blubrry.com/80_days_an_exploration/S02E04-Newfoundland.mp3
Table of Contents:
[01:16] Intro
[01:57] Early history – indigenous peoples and pushy Catholics
[09:00] Eric the Red – bad egg/ass
[13:00] Soil update – no codding you
[20:10] As usual the British turn up
[25:40] 80 Days Guest Dr Philip Hiscock – with some local knowledge
[30:00] The French arrive and shrug disinterestedly
[41:54] Beothuk people try to avoid conflict… uh oh
[47:40] Census, politics and telegraphy
[54:11] World wars, & reluctant Canadification
[1:09:06] I’m here from the government and I’m here to help (resettlement, cod & seals)
[1:20:24] 9/11 “We’re diverting you to Newfoundland. All of you.”
Here are a few things you may want to read/watch more about:
Controversy about size of the membership of Newfoundland native band (The Globe and Mail, 2014)
Explorer Helge Ingstad (read his obituary in the New York Times) and his wife Anne Stine discovered the Viking site at L’Ainse aux Meadows (UNESCO citation), giving credence to the sagas of Lief Ericsson. The Born Yesterday podcast also deals with this topic
A review of Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky (New York Times)
An account of explorer John Cabot and his ‘discovery’ of “New Found Land” in the name of the English King in 1497
Article on early trade with Newfoundland and its fisheries, particularly the triangular trade with Europe. George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore is mentioned.
A huge amount of useful information and articles are available on the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage website; such as desciptions of explorations inland in the 18th and 19th centuries, or Newfoundland customs (the latter article by our guest Dr Philip Hiscock)
Here’s Dr Hiscock talking about Newfoundland language and folklore on the Living Heritage podcast
UpAlong.org also has some helpful information
“Tracing the Irish: a geographical guide” by John Mannion describes the Irish settlement patterns in Newfoundland
An account of the last full-blooded Beothuk woman Shawnadithit
Vanished in the Mists – a documetary about Newfoundland
Website dealing with Newfoundland’s regiment entering World War 1
Don’t Tell the Newfoundlanders by Greg Malone; book dealing with the contentious period of Newfoundland being somewhat coerced into joining Canada
The 1981 Radharc documentary “The Forgotten Irish in Newfoundland” can be watched on RTÉ’s Archive website
The Brothers Byrne – a documentary about two brothers affected by the controversial 1960s Canadian government resettlement program, with nice music and interviews
NBC Documentary on “Operation Yellow Ribbon” and Gander Airport during 9/11 is well worth a watch – it’s a fascinating story
The really useful discussion we had on Reddit with locals, where they pointed us in the right direction
There is a lot of music (particularly Irish-inspired folk), some examples of which we would recommend if you enjoyed what you heard in the episode:
“Heave Away“ – Fables
“I’s the Boy that builds the boat” – Great Big Sea; I also recommend their version of “Donkey Riding”
“The Old Fisherman’s Song” by Wayne Morgan (about the cod moratorium); “She Gone Boys, She’s Gone” is on a similar theme
“North Atlantic Squadron” a world war-era song performed by Stompin’ Tom Collins (a more risqué version by MacLean & MacLean also exists, NSFW)
“Feller from Fortune” Maura Volante
A list of typical Newfoundland songs by Kim Stockwood
Some further songs listed on Free Candie
Thanks this week to Dr Jenn Jones and Jeffrey Doker, who backed our Kickstarter campaign. Your t-shirts should be on their way to you already. Thanks to our sponsor Hairy Baby, who in addition to making the funniest Irish-themed t-shirts, have also produced the official 80 Days shirt for our supporters. Find it by clicking here. You can get 10% off anything on http://www.hairybaby.com by using our promo code – just listen in to the episode for exact details.
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://80dayspodcast.com/
1 hr 30 min

About 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast

From the publisher's feed

80 Days is a podcast dedicated to exploring little-known countries, territories settlements and cities around the world. We're part history podcast, part geography podcast and part ramble.