The Focus on Africa Podcast turns 1. On this special edition, we look back at the year that's been. We re-visit kidnappings in Nigeria, we head back to the Seychelles where an opposition leader was accused of witchcraft and remember the challenges and opportunities of being a first-born daughter.
Presenters: Richard Kagoe and Audrey Brown
Producers: Rob Wilson, Nyasha Michelle, Daniel Dadzie, Patricia Whitehorne, Stefania Okereke, Sunita Nahar, Lola Schroer, Amie Liebowitz, Nour Abida and Tom Kavanagh in London. Charles Gitonga, Susan Gachuhi, Frenny Jowi in Nairobi and Todah Opeyemi in Lagos
Senior Journalists: Karnie Sharp and Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Jonny Hall
Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard
After North Korean balloons delivered trash to South Korea, we explore balloons of all kinds, why they can be useful, and when they’re not.
Scientists have been using balloons for a long time, from pig bladders dropped from great heights, to Michael Faraday inventing the rubber balloon.
Floating through the air seems like a great, energy-efficient way to fly. So why isn’t the sky full of airships?
And party balloons are fun… but do we want to waste our precious helium on parties? What is this limited gas worth saving for?
Also, why you’re likely smarter than your grandparents were at your age, why snails climb up walls, and scientists looking at clouds from space.
Presenter: MarnieChesterton
Panellists: Andrada Fiscutean, Meral Jamal
Guests: Prof Andrea Sella (University College London) and Prof Dave Hodgson (University of Exeter)
Producer: Florian Bohr with Harrison Lewis, Julia Ravey and Noa Dowling
The ‘origami’ superpowers of a single-celled pond hunter, it hunts by launching a neck-like proboscis that can extend more than 30 times its body length. Manu Prakash of Stanford University reveals the amazing mathematical mechanisms of the protist, Lacrymaria olor.
It’s a microbe-eat-microbe world out there, with bacteria waging constant war against each other. It’s by dipping into their ever-evolving chemical arsenal that we keep our pharmacies supplied with the antibiotics we use to fight infectious bacteria - and computer biologist Luis Coelho of Queensland University of Technology has turned to genetics and AI to speed up the search for novel compounds.
Research from Elana Hobkirk at Durham University has found that the process of domestication and selective breeding has limited the ability of domestic dogs to use facial expressions to convey emotions as effectively as their wolf ancestors. Whilst we may be easily manipulated by the ‘puppy eyes’ of our pet dogs, they are no longer able to display the same range of emotions that wolves can, who need strong visual communication to maintain their packs.
Who discovered the first black hole? Science writer Marcus Chown tells us about the discovery of Cygnus X-1 discovered by Paul Murdin and Louise Webster in 1971.
And 100 years ago this week, Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose posted his revolutionary paper to Albert Einstein, which went on to influence quantum mechanics, low-temperature physics, atomic physics, and the physics of the particles that shape the Universe. Physicist Ajoy Ghatak and presenter Roland Pease discuss the story of the man who had the word ‘boson’ coined to memorialise him in the late 1920s.
Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
Russia and Sudan have formally agreed to set up what they call " a logistical support point on the Red Sea". It will be Russia's first naval base in Africa. Why does Russia need a naval base close to the Red Sea?
Also, a jail term for Senegalese citizens for criticising Prime Minister Sonko on gay rights. What's going on?
And we'll find out more about what's it like living with endometriosis, after the popular Kenyan DJ Jahmby Koikai died from the disease.
Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Charles Gitonga, Yvette Twagiramariya, Bella Hassan and Joseph Keen
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov is back in Africa having visited the continent several times in the past couple of years. What is Russia looking for in these frequent visits to the continent? And can it help with Libya?
Also, how internet scams in Nigeria are impacting the lives of teenagers in different parts of the world
And why Madagascans are unhappy about internet access in their country.
Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Charles Gitonga, Bella Hassan, Kaine Pieri and Joseph Keen
Technical Producer: Chris Ablakwa
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
The first-ever summit of African leaders and South Korea is underway in Seoul. South Korea has promised to boost development aid for Africa by up to $10 billion over the next six years. The country also aims to tap into Africa's rich mineral resources. How else can Africa benefit from this new forged relationship with South Korea?
Also the UN warns that millions of people in Sudan are at risk of malnutrition and starvation
And new initiatives on tackling bullying, are being discussed and planned in schools on the continent.
Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Nyasha Michelle, Charles Gitonga, Yvette Twagiramariya, Bella Hassan and Emmanuella Aluasa
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
Following last week's elections, South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, has lost its majority. The ANC now needs a coalition partner to ally with. It's begun closed-door negotiations with its political opponents, but who will it choose and why?
Also Nigeria's public workers begin an indefinite nationwide strike following failed negotiations with the government
And have you heard of 'adaptive' clothing? It's a new much needed fashion trend, helping people with disabilities to shop with ease.
Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers; Rob Wilson, Charles Gitonga, Susan Gachuhi, Yvette Twagiramariya and Bella Hassan
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
In Miriam Toews’s novel, Women Talking, the women of a remote Mennonite colony are hold secret meetings to talk about the crimes of the men who they live alongside. After years of being told that they were suffering from hysterical delusions, the women “came to understand that they were collectively dreaming one dream, and that it wasn’t a dream at all.”
Women Talking is a response to the real life events on a Mennonite settlement in Bolivia between 2005 and 2009.
Miriam Toews talks to World Book Club readers in Toronto and around the world about her unique and powerful story about the power of language and solidarity.
(Photo: Miriam Toews, Canadian author at the Hay Festival, 4 June, 2022 in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. Credit: David Levenson/Getty Images)
In Miriam Toews’s novel, Women Talking, the women of a remote Mennonite colony are hold secret meetings to talk about the crimes of the men who they live alongside. After years of being told that they were suffering from hysterical delusions, the women “came to understand that they were collectively dreaming one dream, and that it wasn’t a dream at all.”
Women Talking is a response to the real life events on a Mennonite settlement in Bolivia between 2005 and 2009.
Miriam Toews talks to World Book Club readers in Toronto and around the world about her unique and powerful story about the power of language and solidarity.
(Photo: Miriam Toews, Canadian author at the Hay Festival, 4 June, 2022 in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. Credit: David Levenson/Getty Images)
It’s often said that fine wine gets better with time, and this week’s oenophile listener Jeremy has a cellar full of dust-covered bottles. He is curious whether chemistry can account for the range of flavours that develop as wine matures, but also wonders why some of it tastes like vinegar if you leave it too long?
We head off to the Bordeaux region of France, where vines were planted almost 2,000 years ago. Here, winemakers are joining forces with scientists to better understand wine ageing, a process so subtle and intricate that even the scientists refer to it as magic.
In the world-famous vineyards of Chateau Margaux, presenter Marnie Chesterton learns that the key ingredient for good grapes is a sandy soil type; and that in this part of France, the warming climate is actually having a positive effect on the vines, which need very little water to thrive. Over in the lab, we meet the chemist mapping the molecules responsible for aromas associated with a well-aged Bordeaux.
Featuring:
Philippe Bascaules, Chateau Margaux
Prof Cornelis van Leeuwen, Bordeaux Sciences Agro
Dr Stephanie Marchand-Marion, ISVV
Alexandre Pons, ISVV
Presented by Marnie Chesterton
Producer – Marijke Peters
Editor – Cathy Edwards
Production Co-ordinator – Liz Tuohy
Studio Manager – Sarah Hockley
(Photo: Aged bottles on wine racks in a cellar. Credit: Morsa Images/Getty Images)
