Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Indian-based author and podcaster Purba Chakraborty talks about the history of fiction writing.We hear about the rise in popularity of 'Nordic Noir', following the publication of Henning Mankell's crime novels.Then we listen to BBC archive of writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges - regarded as one of the most influential Latin American writers in history.Plus, the trial of two Soviet writers, Yuli Daniel and Andrei Sinyavsky, accused of smuggling their works to the west.Helen Fielding looks back at her weekly newspaper column about a 30-something, single woman in London, which became a cultural phenomenon in the 1990s.The niece of Finnish writer and artist Tove Jansson talks about her iconic Moomin books - which have been published in more than 60 languages.And finally, we hear the personal story of young Nepalese athlete Mira Rai, which shocked the ultra-running world. Contributors:
Anneli Høier - literary agent.
Jorge Luis Borges - short story writer and poet.
Purba Chakraborty - writer and podcaster.
Andrei Sinyavsky - Russian writer and Soviet dissident.
Alexander Daniel - son of Yuli Daniel, Russian writer and Soviet dissident.
Helen Fielding - journalist and writer.
Sophia Jansson - niece of Tove Jansson, author and artist.
Mira Rai - Nepalese trail runner.(Photo: Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell and a copy of one of his books. Credit: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)
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The evacuation of Tristan da Cunha and Japan surrenders to China at the end of World War Two
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. We start with a BBC archive interview where one woman recounts what it was like to survive the earthquake and landside in 1961 following the volcanic eruption in Tristan da Cunha. Our guest is Anne Green, a retired schoolteacher from the island of Tristan da Cunha. She describes what it was like to return to the island in 1963. Then, the rare eyewitness account from a 105-year-old who is the only Briton alive today, that was at the ceremony when Japan surrendered to China in Beijing at the end of eight years of brutal occupation. Next, the economist who in 2001 wrote a report about countries set to shape the world economy, accidentally coining the acronym BRICS. Plus, the man who won the national competition to design the Indian rupee symbol when he was just a student. Finally, the story of how VHS and Betamax battled over which video recorder would win the home entertainment market. Contributors:
Anne Green - former teacher from Tristan da Cunha
Archive interview with Mary Swain - resident of Tristan da Cunha
John Stanfield - British Army veteren
Jim O'Neill - economist
Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam - Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Marc Wielage - digital colourist(Photo: Tristan Da Cunha islanders arriving in England in 1961. Credit: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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India's nine day tea strike and the birth of the Excel spreadsheet
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes.Tea expert Sabita Banerji talks about the history of tea in India. We look back at how women teapickers in 2015 fought for justice - and improved the lives of thousands of tea plantation workers.We hear the story of a famous photo of American president John F Kennedy working at his desk in the White House - with his cheeky young son underneath.Also, from 1985 one of the most notorious killings from the apartheid era in South Africa of the men who became known as the Cradock four - this includes graphic descriptions of violence.It’s 30 years since American football star OJ Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend. We hear from one of his former friends who testified against him in the criminal trial including his desciptions of the injuries suffered by the victims.And finally, it’s 40 years this week since the release of Microsoft Excel, the spreadsheet software that's now used all over the world. We hear from one of the creators.Contributors:
Rajeshwary - tea plantation worker.
Sabita Banerji - founder of Thirst tea charity.
Lukhanyo Calata - son of Fort Calata, one of the Cradock Four.
Ron Shipp - who testified against OJ Simpson.
Mike Koss – one of the creators of Microsoft Excel.
Plus, archive recordings of American photographer Stanley Tretick from the John F Kennedy Library and Museum.(Photo: Female tea pickers on strike in Munnar. Credit: Countercurrents.org)
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The origins of Indian cinema and the start of Scouting
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes taking us from India to Texas. Professor Sunny Singh, author of A Bollywood State of Mind, discusses the origins of Indian cinema in 1912. And we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of Bollywood romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. We also head to Paris in 1971, to the launch of what would become one of the world’s best known humanitarian organisations: Médecins Sans Frontières.And we learn how Lord Robert Baden-Powell laid the foundations for one of the largest international youth organisations.Finally, we discover how Bette Graham, a single mum from Texas cooked up the first correction fluid in her kitchen. Contributors:
Kajol, Bollywood actress
Professor Sunny Singh, author of A Bollywood State of Mind
Asmaou Diallo, mother of a protestor who was killed in the 2009 Guinea rally
Dr Xavier Emmanuelli, one of the founders of Medecins San Frontieres(Photo: Maratha Mandir cinema in Mumbai. Credit: Indranil Mukherjee AFP via Getty Images)
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The fight against sexual harassment in Egypt and Omar Sharif enters the world stage
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes, all with an Egyptian theme.We find out more about the 2014 fight against sexual harassment. And we hear from Professor Nicola Pratt, an expert on Middle East feminism about the significance of that moment in the fight for women's rights.Also, we go to the 1960s when antiquities were saved to make way for the Aswan High Dam on the River Nile. And recollections from Egypt's first free democratic presidential election in 2012. Plus, the woman who broke the convention of the role of a first lady to help change divorce laws. And finally, we remember the moment the egyptian actor Omar Sharif swept onto the world stage in Lawrence of Arabia.Contributors:
Engy Ghozlan - co-founder of HarassMap
Professor Herman Bell - scientist
Rabab El-Mahdi - chief strategist to one of Mohamed Morsi's rival candidates
Jehan Sadat - wife of President Anwar Sadat who helped change divorce laws
Archive recordings of Egyptian actor Omar Sharif(Photo: Women at a protest in Cairo, Egypt, in 2014. Credit: Getty Images)
Colombia