Other

BBC World Service Online

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

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

The Fifth Floor: Breaking taboos in Iran

Documentaries

Iranian women in Tehran.jpg

21/08/2020 GMT

Breaking taboos in Iran

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Breaking taboos in Iran

The podcast giving a voice to Iranian victims of domestic abuse

The podcast giving a voice to Iranian victims of domestic abuse.

The taboo of domestic violence in Iran is being tackled by a podcaster who calls herself Maryam.  She tells the story of her own abusive marriage, and is joined in each podcast by other women who share their experiences.  Nooshin of BBC Monitoring explains why this taboo persists in her home country. 

From the streets of Belarus to Franco’s Spain: the story of a song
The anthem being sung by protesters on the streets of Belarus has a story that starts in 1960s Spain, during the regime of General Franco.  It was written by a Catalan singer-songwriter and is a call for unity of action to achieve freedom.  Since then it has had several new lives in different countries, where many are unaware of its origins.  BBC Mundo’s Enric Botella, who’s from Catalonia, tells the story.

Changing attitudes to dogs in Egypt 
The Grand Mufti of Egypt recently sparked controversy by announcing that dogs are not 'impure', in the religious context.  It is a widely held belief throughout much of the Islamic world that dogs are unclean. Sally Nabil of BBC Arabic describes attitudes to dogs in Egypt. 

Nubia and her children
Before the coronavirus lockdown in Colombia, Nubia Gaona was struggling to bring up her two sons as a widow in the impoverished countryside.  But the family have turned around their fortunes and become famous in Colombia – by putting their lives on YouTube.   The BBC’s Daniel Pardo, who's based in the capital Bogota, has been to meet them.

My Hometown: Dar es Salaam
Another chance to visit hometown Dar es Salaam in the company of Zuhura Yunus of BBC Swahili, as she sneaks out of school and goes dancing. 

Picture:  Iranian women in Tehran
Credit:  ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Fifth Floor

Breaking taboos in Iran

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service