The Interview

Healing a society traumatised by sectarian violence is hard - anyone doubting it should take a look at Northern Ireland today. The de facto war between the IRA and the British state is over, but a legacy of bitterness remains. Hardtalk speaks to Geraldine Finucane, whose husband Pat - a Catholic lawyer - was murdered 25 years ago. The killing exposed collusion between the British security services and Protestant paramilitaries - the Finucane family still wants a full public inquiry. But for the greater good of Northern Ireland, is it time to move on?

Picture: Geraldine Finucane, Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The British military pull out from Afghanistan will soon be completed. Digesting the painful lessons from a 12-year deployment will take a whole lot longer. Hardtalk speaks to Richard Streatfeild, a former infantry officer in Helmand during some of the toughest fighting with the Taliban. Back then he kept an upbeat audio diary of life on the frontline; now he takes a more jaundiced view of Britain’s Afghan commitment. Is it time to acknowledge failure?

(Photo: Major Richard Streatfield)

Environment minister Izabella Teixeria's government says it is now protecting Brazil’s unique biodiversity. But agribusiness and urbanisation are still taking their toll. Is the rainforest safe in her hands?

Hardtalk is in Johannesburg to talk to the only black woman in South Africa to head a mining company. Daphne Mashile-Nkosi has made a fortune out of her business ventures, but with much of the mining industry beset by strikes over pay and conditions, how far has the country’s mineral wealth benefited its poorest people?

(Photo: Daphne Mashile Nkosi, CEO, Kalagadi Manganese, SA)

In a special edition of HARDtalk broadcast live from London, as part of the BBC’s Freedom Season, Zeinab Badawi speaks to the acclaimed South Sudanese singer and political activist, Emmanuel Jal. He was captured and forced to fight as a child soldier during the Sudanese civil war. His country South Sudan - the world's newest nation - may now be independent but it has descended into vicious ethnic fighting. What lies behind this new wave of conflict and how can it be stopped?

Picture: Emmanuel Jal, Credit: BBC

South Africa holds elections in May and complaints from workers are getting louder. Unofficial figures show that nearly half of the working population does not have a proper job. So what happened to the post-apartheid dream of work and education for all? Hardtalk is in Johannesburg to speak to Zwelinzima Vavi, the now suspended head of COSATU, the powerful trade unions alliance – is it holding back South Africa’s progress?

(Photo: Zwelinzima Vavi. Credit: Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images)

As part of the BBC’s Freedom season, Zeinab Badawi speaks to Kenneth Kaunda – leader of the struggle for independence, he was sentenced to hard labour in prison by the British before he went on to become Zambia’s first president of the post-colonial era. It is a landmark year for Zambia – this is the 50th anniversary of its independence - and Kenneth Kaunda himself turns 90 in April. What has 50 years of freedom brought the people of Zambia?

(Photo: Kenneth Kaunda in 1978, Credit: AFP/GettyImages)