Lives Less Ordinary

Soweto Uprising: what happened to my dad?


Listen Later

In 1976, the Johannesburg township of Soweto erupted into protest. Students were furious with the government decision to make Afrikaans a language of instruction in South African schools. Afrikaans was associated with apartheid and white rule by many black South Africans, and not everyone could speak it. The protests were met with brutal force by the police, and hundreds of students died in the ensuing gunfire. In the midst of the chaos was Dr Edelstein, a white man involved in various humanitarian causes in the township. Students who had fled the gunfire suddenly turned their anger on him, and he was killed in the street. His daughter Janet was just 12 at the time, and she's spent many years trying to find answers about what happened that day. After the end of apartheid she spoke at South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, telling her father’s story and giving an emotional plea for more information. Now she’s followed in her father's footsteps, and is working to help young people in Soweto.
Image and credit: the Edelstein family
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Lives Less OrdinaryBy BBC World Service

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

469 ratings


More shows like Lives Less Ordinary

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,761 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

369 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,058 Listeners

Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

398 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,516 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,790 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

965 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

591 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,848 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,078 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,096 Listeners

The Food Chain by BBC World Service

The Food Chain

350 Listeners

File on 4 Investigates by BBC Radio 4

File on 4 Investigates

41 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

735 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

839 Listeners

People Fixing the World by BBC World Service

People Fixing the World

246 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,213 Listeners

The Missing Cryptoqueen by BBC Sounds

The Missing Cryptoqueen

1,072 Listeners

The Slow Newscast by The Observer

The Slow Newscast

169 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,038 Listeners

Life Changing by BBC Radio 4

Life Changing

70 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

57 Listeners

Strangers on a Bench by Tom Rosenthal

Strangers on a Bench

767 Listeners