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Factual: Life Stories

True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives.

Outlook: 27/11/2009

27/11/2009

BBC World Service - Outlook, 27/11/2009

Guatemala bus drivers; StoryCorps and Women Of Zimbabwe Arise.

Guatemala Bus Drivers

Guatemala has become one of Latin America's most dangerous countries. Its capital, Guatemala City, has been gripped by fear as criminal gangs terrorise the people who live and work there. Bus drivers have been targeted by gangs trying to extort money out of them - it's believed they make thousands of dollars a day doing this. To make sure the money flows their way they have been ordering the killing of some drivers to intimidate others. A human rights organisation has said that more than one-hundred-and-seventy-five drivers have been killed in 2009 and that figure's expected to rise before the end of the year. Outlook's Sarah Grainger reports from Guatemala City.

StoryCorps -  Your Best Listener

An  organisation called "StoryCorps" is asking people across the USA  to record a conversation with someone who's important to them   The idea is to build a collection of thousands of personal conversations  which will then be stored in the Library of Congress. Over the next week, we'll be running a series of these recordings. Today it's the turn of James Ransome and Cherie Johnson to tell us about a larger than life character from their childhood.

We're asking you to send us a photo of you with 'Your Best Listener' the person who you most like to sit down with for a good old chat. Our email is outlook@bbc.com


Women of Zimbabwe Arise

Two Zimbabwean women have received a prestigious human rights award -- and a kiss from President Obama . Magodonga Mahlangu and Jenni Williams are co-founders of Women of Zimbabwe Arise, or WOZA which means 'come forward' in the local Ndebele language.  They've organised hundreds of demonstrations for social justice since they formed in 2003, and although their movement is non-violent, the authorities have often responded in a heavy handed way. Magodonga and Jenni have been arrested at least thirty times each, and ended up in both hospital and prison as a result of their actions. Now their work has been recognised by with the 2009 Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Award. They told Ritula their very personal reasons for taking on the Zimbabwean establishment.

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