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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: A Tale of Two Flowers in Afghanistan

Documentaries

(L) Damask Rose in Syria (R) and poppy in Afghanistan

25/05/2018 GMT

A Tale of Two Flowers in Afghanistan

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, A Tale of Two Flowers in Afghanistan

Roses and opium poppies in Afghan life and culture

Afghanistan's war of flowers; an Indian in Vietnam; slavery abolition in Brazil; North Korea's test site; Hometown Athens; Shanghai Rainbow Chamber Singers. With David Amanor.

It's a bumper year for two lucrative flower crops in Afghanistan. Rose-growers are harvesting flowers for rose oil whilst at the same time, opium production has reached a record high. BBC Afghan's Auliya Atrafi tells the stories behind the flowers.

An Indian perspective on Vietnam 
Political relations between India and Vietnam are getting closer, but how much do the Indians and Vietnamese know about each other?  BBC Hindi's Zubair Ahmed went to Vietnam to find out. 

Brazilian slavery
This month sees the 130th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Brazil.  It's usually presented as the benevolent act of a ruling elite, but BBC Brasil tells the lesser known stories of the slaves, former slaves and free blacks who fought for abolition.  Amanda Rossi has the story.

Life next door to North Korea's nuclear test site
As North Korea announces the destruction of its Punggye-ri nuclear test site, BBC Korean reporter Kim Hyung Eun talked to defectors who used to live just a few kilometres away.

My Hometown: Athens, Greece 
In this episode of My Hometown, we speak to Elisa Kriezis of BBC Brasil about her hometown, the Greek capital Athens.

Shanghai's millennial choir
The Shanghai Rainbow Chamber Singers are a young choir whose eclectic hits have covered parental pressure, losing keys and finding love. Their latest, 'A Trip to the White Horse Village', is about a utopian village, far from the stresses of modern day life in China. Howard Zhang explains.

Image: (L) Damask Rose in Syria (R) and Poppies in Afghanistan
Credit: (L) LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images
Credit: (R) JAVED TANVEER/AFP/Getty Images

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