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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

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The Fifth Floor: The Refugee Crisis as Seen from Syria

Documentaries

Syria's migrant crisis

18/09/2015 GMT

The Refugee Crisis as Seen from Syria

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, The Refugee Crisis as Seen from Syria

Life in Damascus today, farming cows on your rooftop, a changing Cuba told through one family's story, an African art utopia and love across the Russian-Ukrainian divide.

At the heart of the migrant crisis is the war in Syria. But what is the reality of life in Damascus now? Assaf Abboud is the only person living and reporting from the country for the BBC. He paints us a picture of the city through the different districts, and tells us what residents are making of the coverage of the refugee story.  

Inside an African Utopia 
The Africa Utopia Festival on London's Southbank came to an end last weekend. It was billed as featuring "some of Africa's greatest artists across music, dance, literature and the arts". The line-up included legendary drummer Tony Allen, one of the acknowledged co-founders of Afrobeat, Senegalese super group Orchestra Baobab, and lively talks and debates with a keynote speech by Africa Utopia champion and collaborator Baaba Maal. The BBC's Manuel Toledo, expert on African music, was there - as was DJ Rita Ray, a regular on Focus Africa. They will be sharing their insights and giving us their highlights. 

Bangladesh's Truly Urban Farmer
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is a pretty busy bustling city with a population of nearly 15 million, so you can imagine how it might be hard to find space for a dairy farm in the heart of the old town. But one farmer in the city has come up with a bit of a novel solution. He keeps his cows on the roof. Farhana Parveen of BBC Bangla went to meet him and his cows.

Love Across the Frontline
Natalya Moiseyeva is a Russian journalist working for BBC Monitoring. Earlier this year she moved to Kiev to marry her boyfriend and BBC colleague, Yuri Martynenko, from Ukraine.  But when she left Moscow to start her new life it was with a degree of trepidation. Hostilities between the two countries are still intense and the level of anti-Ukrainian propaganda coming nightly from her Russian TV meant that even she, who is used to scanning a wide range of media, felt that she might have something of a difficult ride ahead. Natalia tells David about what she found in Ukraine and about organising a wedding with guests from two countries in conflict.

Changing Cuba: One Family's Story
In Emilio San Pedro's final report from Cuba, he sets out in Havana to trace the history of Cuba through the story of his family. From the independence struggle led by Jose Marti through the 1959 revolution and now to the present day thaw in relations with the superpower over the water, the United States.

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

Picture: Syria conflict. Credit: Sameer Al-Doumy/Getty Images

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