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Outlook: My Childhood Escape From Cuba

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Jessi Calzado-Esponda

21/07/2016 GMT

My Childhood Escape From Cuba

BBC World Service - Outlook, My Childhood Escape From Cuba

Jessi Calzado-Esponda was 6 when she was accidentally sent to America without her parents

When Jessi Calzado-Esponda was 6 she was accidentally separated from her family in Cuba and placed in a makeshift raft headed for America

Jessi Calzado-Esponda was just 6 when she was accidentally separated from her family in Cuba and placed in a makeshift raft making the dangerous journey to the United States. Thousands of others attempted to cross the Caribbean sea from the Communist island to the shores of Florida, but Jessi was perhaps the only one who did it by accident. She settled in the USA, completed her education and for eighteen years had no contact with her parents. Relations between the US and Cuba have recently improved and Jessi has launched a travel agency for Americans visiting Cuba. Her clients include the Kardashian family. 

Ahmed Ezzarghani is fighting to keep the Moroccan storytelling tradition alive. Every week he teaches a group of young apprentices the tales he has been collecting since he first started back in 1959.

Ghulam Sediq Wardak is an Afghan inventor who has come up with 344 clever ideas to solve everyday problems. Now aged 73, his inventions include a solar-powered pump to raise water from deep wells and a kettle that cuts itself off when it boils. Even if major companies have got there first, Ghulam still pushes ahead although he struggles to make a living. 

Star Trek is fifty years old this year. To mark the anniversary a new film called Star Trek Beyond has been released. As ever the film follows Spock, Captain Kirk and their friends exploring the universe. The British actor Simon Pegg plays the character of Scotty and is also one of the writers. 

(Photo and credit: Jessi Calzado-Esponda.)

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