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The Fifth Floor

Factual: Life Stories

Global stories from the BBC’s 40 Language Services, with Faranak Amidi

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services.

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services

The Fifth Floor: The Manden Charter: Mali's Magna Carta

The Magna Carta

19/06/2015

The Manden Charter: Mali's Magna Carta

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, The Manden Charter: Mali's Magna Carta

The story of the 13th Century charter which established laws for the clans of West Africa

Mali's Magna Carta, why yoga is not for everyone in India, the story of the fall of Morsi and the songs that define Burundi.

As the UK celebrates 800 years since the sealing of the Magna Carta, The Fifth Floor tells the story of a lesser known 800 year old document which enshrined the rights of noblemen and established an effective government across a kingdom - the Manden Charter.  Established in the Malian Empire in the 13th Century, the charter established the laws under which Mandinka clans of West Africa would live. Ibrahima Diane of BBC Monitoring tells the story of the charter and what the ancient document continues to mean today, in West Africa and beyond.

Yoga Salutation
June 21st is International Yoga Day. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is marking the event by promoting what is billed as the biggest single yoga session ever. While the virtues of yoga for mind, body and soul are being endorsed in India, the BBC's Suhail Haleem is keeping a low profile - the only way he has ever been able to touch his toes is with a selfie stick. For The Fifth Floor Suhail explains the great divide - of those who bend and those who can't.

The Fall of Morsi
Following the confirmation by an Egyptian court of the death sentence on deposed President Mohamed Morsi, BBC Arabic's Ranyah Sabry tells the story of the key moments that took him from president to death row. 

Tracking Islamic State Recruits
Turkey is the main route to Syria for would-be Islamic State recruits, and the authorities receive frequent requests to look out for and intercept the nationals of third countries. Cagil Kasapoglu of BBC Turkish has been covering the journeys of the jihadists and explains why so many of them succeed in crossing the country undetected. 

Burundi: Hear my Country
After weeks of violence in Burundi over the president's controversial bid for a third term, two BBC journalists from the country - Prime Ndikumagenge and  Robert Misigaro - pick the music that defines Burundi, past and present. It ranges from ancient inanga harp music to contemporary reggae.

And Fifi shares her favourite stories from the web this week.

(Picture: The Magna Carta
Picture credit: Getty Images)

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