Fifth Floor

By BBC World ServiceNews

Fifth Floor episodes

February 11, 2022 No guns on the Ferris wheel
Afghanistan's Taliban Cabinet recently issued a statement that their fighters should not carry weapons while visiting amusement parks. It follows videos circulating online of fighters enjoying bumper car rides, as well as shooting for toys at the rifle range. BBC Afghan's Khalil Noori lived in Kabul until August last year when he was evacuated with his family. He shares his memories of days out in amusement parks, and the background to this story.
An icy bike ride on Lake Baikal
BBC Russian's Oleg Boldyrev took the opportunity of a far flung deployment to visit a frozen Lake Baikal, naturally with his bike. A place of ice stalactites, upended jagged ice shards, and strange, sci-fi sounding ice symphonies as the ice expands and contracts.
Turkish inflation
BBC Arabic's Shahdi Alkashif lives in Istanbul, and has been reporting on the dramatic rise in the cost of living. And it's not just a professional assignment - with a large family to provide for it's a story that's close to home.
The president ploughing a field for new year
Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc dressed as a farmer and ploughed a rice field with a buffalo during the Lunar New Year celebrations. It’s a ceremony formerly performed by Vietnamese kings, and the photos on social media received a mixed reaction, as Giang Nguyen of BBC Vietnamese explains.
India's most renowned female activist
Sudha Barawaj is an activist and trade unionist, who spent 30 years fighting for the rights of the tribal people in the mineral-rich state of Chhattisgarh. She was arrested in 2018 and then spent three years in jail. Soutik Biswas of BBC Delhi tells us what an eye opening experience this was for her.
(Photo: Taliban fighter with gun sits on fun ride in Afghan amusement park, November 2021. Credit: Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
41 min
February 04, 2022 Teenage mums back at school in Tanzania
Pregnant students in Tanzania are no longer forced to drop out of school, after a ban endorsed by former President John Magufuli was overturned. Girls who had to drop out in previous years have also started to return to the classroom. Aboubakar Famau of BBC Swahili has been to meet a young mother who has returned to school and hopes to become a lawyer.
Taiwan's burgeoning porn industry
Over recent years the production and sale of 'soft porn' movies in Taiwan has boomed. Japan had always led the industry in the region, but now Taiwan is creating its own rising stars, some of whom are popping up in mainstream programming. Benny Lu is a journalist with BBC Chinese in Hong Kong, and he spoke to people involved in the industry about this cultural shift around porn.
‘Save me from an arranged marriage’
A 29-year-old Londoner has received hundreds of messages from women around the world after launching a billboard campaign to find a wife. Muhammad Malik put up billboards in three cities, with the slogan 'Save me from an arranged marriage'. The BBC’s South Asia diaspora reporter Gaggan Sabherwal has met Malik and tells us about his campaign.
Why Venezuelans are 'killing tigers'
Venezuelans are killing tigers like never before. It’s not an animal rights issue – but a uniquely Venezuelan phrase that means doing an extra job to make ends meet. The phrase originated in the 1920s, but has come back in force in the 2020s as the economic crisis has worsened. BBC Mundo’s Daniel Pardo has returned to the capital Caracas after five years away, and noticed the phenomenon.
My Home town: Luanda, Kenya
We go to Luanda, Kenya with Beverly Ochieng for some homemade smoked fish soup with her grandmother.
(Photo: Teenage mother in a Tanzanian school. Credit: BBC)
39 min
January 28, 2022 Myanmar coup: One year on
It's a year since Myanmar's military removed the democratically elected government from power. We share key moments in Myanmar's journey towards democracy from The Fifth Floor archive, with BBC Burmese editor Soe Win Than, former editor Tin Htar Swe and presenter Yee Yee Aung. And we hear how the service is marking the anniversary, with stories about the opposition-run 'zoom government' outside Myanmar, the past year of military leadership, and how citizens will be marking the day.
Driving on the frozen sea
Around this time of year Estonia opens up its ice roads on the frozen Baltic sea. People can drive their cars and visit some of the islands off the coast, and in 2019, two intrepid reporters from BBC Russian - Ivan Chesnokov and Yury Baranyuk - couldn’t resist driving the ice road for themselves.
Reporting from the Democratic Republic of Congo
The risks of rebel activity, capsizing boats and an active volcano – some of the challenges BBC Africa’s health correspondent Rhoda Odhiambo faced on a recent trip to eastern DRC to report on child malnutrition and a vaccination campaign.
Brazil's pioneering female football referee
Lea Campos was one of the first women in the world to become a qualified football referee. But in her home country, Brazil, she was barred from working after being told women were too emotional to referee in men’s football games. Fernando Duarte of BBC Minute tells us how she fought back.
Celebrating Vietnamese Tet
Vietnam's lunar new year celebration of Tet is the time families come together to see out the old year and welcome the new. BBC Vietnamese journalist Tran Vo is spending her first ever Tet away from home in Bangkok, and put together a report on how Bangkok's Vietnamese community celebrates with the traditional Banh Chung rice cake, to remind her of home.
(Photo: Protestors after the military coup in Myanmar, February 2021. Credit: Reuters)
42 min
January 21, 2022 India's problem with sacred cows
Uttar Pradesh has a problem with cows. Cows are considered sacred by Hindus, and since the BJP state government banned illegal slaughterhouses five years ago, small farmers have had no way of legally disposing of unwanted cows. There are now nearly a million stray cows roaming around farmland, destroying crops, and causing injury and even death, as BBC Hindi's Nitin Srivastava reports.
Brownie, Chile's 'first dog'
Chile's recently elected president, Gabriel Boric, won with the highest number of votes in Chilean history. But equally popular is his dog, Brownie. With his own social media accounts, Brownie has proclaimed himself 'the first dog of the Republic of Chile'. BBC contributor Constanza Hola tells us more about her country's most popular pet.
Avocado rustling in Kenya
Kenya's avocado sector has become so lucrative that organised criminal gangs are targetting growers. Farmers have started to hire vigilantes and even use drones to guard their trees, as Emmanuel Igunza of BBC News in Kenya discovered.
Yoga refusenik Suhail Haleem
Another chance to enjoy BBC India's Suhail Haleem's lack of flexibility when it comes to India's famous export, yoga.
AFCON: 'fouled by the pitch' and other excuses
BBC Africa's Peter Okwoche and BBC Sport's Isaac Fanin share their experiences of covering the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon, and taking on Yaoundé’s Greenfield Football Academy Under 10s (and losing!).
Remembering Anita Mui
There’s nostalgia in Hong Kong for singing star Anita Mui, who died in 2003, but who’s remembered by many and celebrated in a new film, Anita. Zhijie Shao has been reporting for BBC Chinese on her enduring fame.
(Photo: A cow resting in Varanasi. Credit: Enzo Tomasiello/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
41 min
January 14, 2022 Journalism under Taliban rule
When the Taliban took over in Afghanistan five months ago, the BBC’s Shoaib Sharifi and his team had to decide how to adapt to the new reality. Shoaib is the country director of the BBC’s international charity, BBC Media Action. He tells us how they’re trying to meet the needs of audiences who face so many new challenges.
Chinese eye row
Chinese model Cai Niangniang recently found herself in the middle of a social media storm. Pictures of her were deemed 'deliberately offensive' and 'unpatriotic' due to her narrow eyes, with many online saying this perpetuated racist stereotypes of Chinese people. The BBC's Waiyee Yip in Singapore explains the debate.
Rise of the right in Georgia
The BBC's Rayhan Demytrie, based in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, has been investigating the rise of the far right in Georgia, particularly focussing on an attack last July on the offices of the LGBT group Tbilisi Pride. Many of those involved were supporters of the broadcasting group Alt-Info, which has recently registered as a political party. Rayhan shares her insights.
Pistachios from Aleppo
Aleppo is famous for its pistachios, eaten fresh as a summertime snack, and in all manner of sweet and savoury foods. BBC Arabic recently reported on efforts by farmers to revive the industry which was devastated by war. Lina Shaikhouni is from Aleppo and shares her memories.
(Photo: Shoaib Sharifi. Credit: Shoaib Sharifi, BBC Media Action Afghanistan)
42 min
January 07, 2022 The tale of the Gilgamesh Dream tablet
An ancient clay tablet looted from Iraq in 1991 was recently returned to the country. The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet is part of the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the world’s oldest surviving works of literature. BBC Arabic’s Eli Melki trained as an archaeologist, and he explains what makes this tablet so remarkable.
The magic of mahjong
We revisit a story from BBC Chinese, about the enduring appeal of mahjong, which started as an exclusive game played at the imperial court. Suping and editor Howard Zhang share their insights.
When the Koreans came to town
It was a town in the middle of nowhere in northern Mexico. “Not even lizards came here”, say the locals. But suddenly Pesquería’s population grew, and shop and restaurant signs started being written in Korean. It started with a new car factory and the arrival of Korean workers, as BBC Mundo´s Carlos Serrano explains.
The Passengers of the Yomei Maru. Part Two
Ilia Kizirov continues the tale told in his BBC Russian podcast, about a group of nearly 800 children caught up in the Russian Civil War. In May 1918, they were sent from Saint Petersburg to 'feeding colonies' in the countryside, but they ended up on the wrong side of the front line. They fled east, and finally returned home more than two years later, after a journey on a Japanese freighter that took them around the world.
(Photo: The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet. Credit: REUTERS/Saba Kareem)
42 min
December 31, 2021 Iraq 2021
BBC Arabic journalist Murad Shishani spent several weeks this year reporting from Iraq. He visited Mosul, liberated four years ago from so-called Islamic State, to gauge the mood ahead of October's election. More recently, he covered the stories of migrants, from those repatriated from Belarus to those lost in the English Channel, and those still planning to make the hazardous journey.
Benin's royal treasures
This year saw a historic moment for the West African nation of Benin, when France handed back 26 royal treasures that were looted by colonial troops in 1892. BBC Afrique contributor Rachida Houssou, interpreted by Rose-Marie Bouboutou, describes the power, wealth and craftsmanship of the former Kingdom of Dahomey.
Karachi's dwindling Parsi community
The Sohrab Katrak Parsi colony in Karachi was built nearly a century ago by the local Parsi population, who played a huge role in the development of the city. But today the community is dwindling, with many houses falling into disrepair, as BBC Urdu’s Saher Baloch discovered.
Is housework work?
A landmark ruling in Kenya answered that question with a yes, when a judge recognised its value in the division of a couple’s property. Carolyne Kiambo from BBC Nairobi explains the detail of this case, and what it means for Kenyan women.
The Passengers of the Yomei Maru
Ilia Kizirov tells the story of his BBC Russian podcast series, The Passengers of the Yomei Maru, which follows the adventures of nearly 800 Russian children who had to flee the Civil War. They travelled around the world on a Japanese freighter before arriving home over two years later.
(Photo: Election banners in Mosul on sites destroyed in the liberation battle of 2017. Credit: BBC)
42 min
December 24, 2021 Songs and social media
This month BBC Persian TV launched a new show. It’s called Update and aims to bring social media trends and online discussions around the news to TV audiences. One of its first stories was the social media campaigns around Isfahan's water protests. First time presenter Taraneh Stone tells us about their agenda, and about her own launch 'wobbles'.
The tattooed women of Sindh
The women of a Hindu community in Sindh in Pakistan have a tradition of tattooing themselves before marriage. Stars, flowers and Hindu symbols adorn their arms, necks and faces. For BBC Urdu, Nazish Ayaz went to meet them to find out why this tradition is so important.
Christmas dinner on the 5th Floor
For many in the language services, arriving on the 5th floor was their first experience of a traditional British Christmas dinner. Roast turkey and potatoes, stuffing and sauces, and the dreaded Brussels sprouts, as well as mince pies and Christmas pudding - we find out what they love and loathe, and how they make it their own. With BBC Russian's Janina Litvinova, Shekiba Habib from BBC Afghan and Pierre-Antoine Denis from BBC Afrique.
Arabic vintage vinyl revival
BBC Arabic's Omar Abdel-Razek has been investigating the growing enthusiasm for old records in the Arab world. He is a keen collector himself, but says the current demand comes mostly from young people, who are hunting down nostalgic recordings of the songs their parents loved.
Bangladeshi calligrapher awarded Saudi citizenship
A Bangladeshi man has been awarded Saudi Arabian citizenship for his extraordinary work as a calligrapher. Muqtar Alim has done calligraphy for the Gilaf, the cloth covering for the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam. Shahnewaj Rocky of BBC Bangla met him to find out what this meant to him.
(Image: Protesters in the dried up Zayandeh Rud River bed, Isfahan. Credit: Fatmeh Nasr/AFP/Getty Images)
42 min
December 17, 2021 Becoming a ‘foreign agent’
What’s it like to be named a ‘foreign agent’ by your own government? That’s what happened to BBC Russian journalist Andrei Zakharov in October. He’s worked in BBC Russian’s investigations unit for many years, and investigative journalists were some of the first on the list. We find out what becoming a ‘foreign agent’ has meant for him.
Reporting from the volcano
Mount Semeru in eastern Java erupted a week ago, killing dozens of people, and destroying thousands of homes. BBC Indonesian’s Valdya Baraputri reported from the path of the eruption, standing on lava and ash as high as rooftops. She explains what's happened to those who've lost their homes.
Arabic Language Day
18th December is World Arabic Language Day, and Dina Waqqaf of BBC Arabic TV is celebrating it with a Facebook live to explore the difficulties facing Arabic speakers in the modern world. She tells us what she found out.
Nigeria's women lawyers
Oluyemi Adetiba-Orija leads an all-women Nigerian law firm, which offers free support to those who cannot afford legal defence, as well as to people facing pre-trial detention. BBC Africa Women's Affairs journalist Azeezat Olaoluwa explains the problems they are tackling.
(Image: BBC Russian journalist Andrei Zakharov in the Moscow bureau. Credit: BBC)
42 min
December 10, 2021 Reporting the Channel migrant tragedy
BBC Persian’s Soran Qurbani was recently in Calais to report on the tragic deaths of 27 people, who were attempting to cross the Channel to England when their small boat sank. He explains why their stories brought back memories of his own difficult journey to the UK 10 years ago.
Story Story
An imaginary market place in West Africa is the setting for the long-running radio drama Story Story, made by the BBC’s international charity BBC Media Action. As buyers and sellers go about their business, the latest series explores attitudes towards disability and neurodiversity. Scriptwriter Bode Asiyanbi and actor E. Daniels take us behind the scenes.
Vietnamese spy
BBC Vietnamese has been revisiting the fall of Saigon in 1975, and telling the story of a long overlooked spy whose warnings to the CIA about its imminent capture were ignored. Editor Giang Nguyen is passionate about history and tells us more about the spy who could have changed history.
Encanto through Colombian eyes
The new Disney film Encanto tells the story of a Colombian family living in a magic house. BBC Mundo’s Carlos Serrano is Colombian himself and, watching the film, discovered five details that maybe only Colombians will 'get', including music, food and yellow butterflies.
(Photo: A refugee at a migrant camp on the outskirts of Calais. Credit: Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)
43 min