Original version

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

The History Hour

Podcasts

Factual: Life Stories

Factual: History

A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes

A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes.

Escaping Eritrea and inventing Zumba

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Australasia

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 Online

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

The History Hour: Escaping Eritrea and inventing Zumba

Discussion & Talk

08/04/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - The History Hour, Escaping Eritrea and inventing Zumba

One woman's journey to escape Eritrea and how Zumba was invented by accident

We hear about one woman's journey to escape Eritrea, how Zumba was invented by accident. Plus how a giant peace statue on a Japanese island, crumbled into a ghostly ruin.

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.

We hear about the lengths one woman goes to to escape Eritrea, how Zumba was invented by accident and how a giant peace statue on a Japanese island, crumbled into a ghostly ruin.

Plus the arguments then, and the arguments still over the Good Friday Peace Agreement for Northern Ireland, and a picnic for peace that breached the Iron Curtain.

This programme contains descriptions of sexual violence.

Contributors:
Martin Plaut - Senior Research Fellow at University of London
Semhar Ghebreslassie - Eritrean graduate
Beto Perez - Choreographer and inventor of Zumba
Jane Morrice - Yes campaigner in 1998 referendum on the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement 
Lee Reynolds - No campaigner in 1998 referendum on the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement
Yusuke Natsukawa - Local resident of Awaji Island
Goro Otsubo - IT worker who enjoys visiting weird sites around Japan
Walburga Habsburg Douglas - an organiser of the Pan-European picnic

(Photo: Zumba creator Beto Perez. Credit: Getty Images)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The History Hour

Escaping Eritrea and inventing Zumba

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

About BBC World Service