The Essay: Becoming Animal

Original version

BBC Radio 3 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced Third Programme.

BBC Radio 3

Radio 3

The Essay Podcast

The Essay

Discussion & Talk

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

Leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond, themed across a week - insight, opinion and intellectual surprise.

The Essay: Becoming Animal: Belinda Zhawi

Episode 2

Belinda Zhawi

Becoming Animal

BBC Radio 3 - The Essay, Becoming Animal, Belinda ZhawiClose menu

Writer and sound artist Belinda Zhawi imagines life as a southern African plains Zebra.

Writer and sound artist Belinda Zhawi describes life as a southern African plains Zebra, in a series where writers imagine life as an animal of their choice.

In our world of dissolving distinctions, five contemporary writers imagine life as an animal of their choice and investigate the boundaries between animal and human - each with the help from different animal experts. In this edition, writer and sound artist Belinda Zhawi imagines life as a southern African plains Zebra. 

In other editions of the series Toby Litt is the brown hare at the outskirts of a wood, Sarah Kosar at the edge of a London park is a soprano pipistrelle bat, Ned Beauman makes dams with the Devon beaver and poet Isabel Galleymore clings to the side of a rock pool as a limpet.


Producers Kate Bland and Toby Withers.
Becoming Animal is a Cast Iron Radio production for BBC Radio 3.
Photo Theo Ndlovu

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Five writers each choose different animals and imagine what it's like to become them.

Belinda Zhawi, Sarah Kosar, Toby Litt, Isabel Galleymore and Ned Beauman each choose a different animal and with help from species experts, imagine what it's like to be it.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Essay

Becoming Animal

Belinda Zhawi

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC Radio 3

About BBC Radio 3