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The Fifth Floor: Witch-hunting in Rajasthan

Documentaries

Witch-hunting in Rajasthan

22/12/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Witch-hunting in Rajasthan

"The word witch is changing people's lives and it's not a joke": India's witch problem

Witch-hunting in India; reggaeton in Puerto Rico; Iran's "sacrificing farmer"; learning Portuguese in Macau; Yalda, the longest night; Turkey's bird language.  With David Amanor.

The north Indian state of Rajasthan has registered 50 cases of witch-hunting since 2015 even though it has banned the practice. BBC Hindi's Sumiran Preet Kaur has been to one district and met women whose lives have been changed forever.

La Perla, birthplace of reggaeton 
The smash hit 'Despacito' by Luis Fonsi, popularised by Justin Bieber, brought attention to the La Perla neighbourhood of the Puerto Rican capital San Juan, where the music video was filmed. BBC Mundo's Lioman Lima has visited several times, and shares the story of the town from reggaeton to Hurricane Maria.

Iran's 'Sacrificing Farmer'
Earlier this month an 86-year-old Iranian farmer died in hospital.  He'd lived a simple life in the north west of the country, but his death was a huge story.  He was known nationwide as the "sacrificing farmer", and generations of children knew about his heroic deeds.  Majid Afshar of BBC Persian was one of them.

Portuguese classes in Macau  
Why are parents from mainland China keen on sending their children to school in Macau, a former Portuguese colony?  Tzu-Wei Liu of BBC Chinese says it's about language, and the expansion of Chinese influence around the world. 

Celebrating the longest night
In Iran and Afghanistan, the Yaldā festival on 21 December celebrates the longest night of the year.  Friends and family get together to eat special delicacies and read poetry.  Rana Rahimpour and Pooneh Ghoddoosi of BBC Persian share some Yaldā delights. 

The bird language of Turkey 
In the Black Sea region of Turkey there's a unique language - and it's whistled.  Bird language, a 500 year old dialect, is still used by 10,000 people - most of them live in the village of Kuskoy, or 'bird village'.  But the language is dying out - Oyku Altuntas from BBC Turkish gives us the inside story.

Image: 80 year old Ramkanya Devi, branded a witch
Credit: BBC

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