Lives Less Ordinary

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The Palestinian tapes, part 2 Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

In 2020, Mo’min Swaitat unearthed a treasure trove of lost Palestinian music in an abandoned building. Out of thousands of dusty cassettes there was one that caught his eye: a bright yellow tape, completely unmarked except for a handwritten label that said ‘Intifada.’ Mo’min loved the music and a series of clues led him to Hanan Awwad, an elderly Palestinian woman living in occupied East Jerusalem. In this episode, Hanan tells the story of how her brother Riad made the Intifada tape. There was disco, protest and poetry, but the consequences would be dangerous. Through an underground network of music lovers, Riad’s songs would survive and eventually end up with Mo’min.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Maryam Maruf Editor: Munazza Khan Sound design: Joel Cox Mix: Giles Aspen With thanks to Diana Alghoul for translation support

The Palestinian tapes, part 1 Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

Mo’min Swaitat unearthed a vast trove of forgotten Palestinian music. Not only did it hold long-lost recordings of his own Bedouin family, but also a mysterious yellow cassette of protest songs set to an electro-disco beat. Mo’min became captivated by the yellow tape. It would open up a world of underground music from one of the most turbulent times in Palestinian history, the first Intifada. But could he track down who’d made it?

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Maryam Maruf Editor: Munazza Khan Sound design: Joel Cox Mix: Giles Aspen With thanks to Diana Alghoul for translation support

I hit puberty, then burned down my family home Nov 21, 2022

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At 18 Nikki Owen set fire to the family home – and she didn’t know why. Nikki awaited trial in solitary confinement, but her father searched for answers in medical science, and started working on a ground-breaking legal defence to get her out.

If you've been affected by any of subjects in this programme you can find support and additional information below: BBC Action Line: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/ Befrienders Worldwide: https://www.befrienders.org/ The International Association for Premenstrual Disorders: https://iapmd.org/ National Association for Premenstrual Syndromes https://www.pms.org.uk

Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Tom Harding Assinder

He knocked on my door and said: 'I believe you' Nov 14, 2022

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How the friendship of a stranger helped Betsy Sailor when she needed it most. Betsy was living alone at university in the late 1970s when a man broke into her apartment and raped her at knifepoint. He was later caught, and it turned out he was a student, and a player on the successful Penn State football team. Taking him to court was a daunting task but then a fellow football player, Irv Pankey, stepped up and told Betsy he was on her side and would look after her. Their remarkable friendship changed the course of Betsy’s life.

Film clip: Betsy and Irv/ Nicole Noren/ ESPN Films

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Rebecca Vincent

My father’s hidden crimes Nov 07, 2022

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Analía’s father was accused of being a government torturer — he said it was a lie.

A phone call turned Analía Kalinec’s comfortable life upside down. Her father was accused of crimes committed during the Argentine dictatorship twenty years previously, when around 30,000 people were disappeared by security forces. He denied it, but Analía decided to investigate. Her findings would change her view of the father she had loved.

Analía has written a book called Llevaré su Nombre (I Carry Your Name).

Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Louise Morris Interpreter: Salomé Paulo

The child spy and her secret agent parents Oct 31, 2022

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Sue-Ellen Doherty was trained by her parents to spy for Australia during the Cold War.

For Sue-Ellen Kusher, nee Doherty, growing up in the suburbs of Brisbane was far from normal. Both her parents worked for the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation, ASIO, and in the early days of their marriage, they brought up their three children to be part of the family business. It was the 1950s, and Russian and Chinese communists were regarded as enemies.

Sue-Ellen spoke to us in 2021.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Katy Takatsuki Editor: Munazza Khan

A fake billionaire in North Korea, part 2 Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

Jim is deep undercover in North Korea — but will he find proof of illegal weapons deals...

He'd been sent to the isolated country by a documentary film-maker called Mads Brugger, to pose as a fake investor interested in arms. Jim, Mads and the team had spent years infiltrating a North Korean network in Europe, but now they were on North Korean turf the risks were bigger than ever. Jim is treated like a king, but no weapons deals emerge, until suddenly he's driven out of town and taken down into a mysterious basement.

Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Harry Graham Editor: Munazza Khan Sound design: Joel Cox

A fake billionaire in North Korea, part 1 Oct 16, 2022

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Jim Latrache-Qvortrup posed as a weapons dealer to expose a North Korean criminal network.

Jim was an unusual secret agent. He'd grown up poor in Denmark, and had gone on to become a drug dealer to the rich and famous in Copenhagen. After years in prison, he was reformed but bored. Then, a filmmaker called Mads Brügger approached him, and asked him to take part in a high-stakes sting in North Korea. Mads needed someone to pretend to be a dodgy billionaire investor interested in a sanctions-breaking weapons deal. It was a perilous mission, failure would mean prison or death.

Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Harry Graham

Editor: Munazza Khan

Opiyo’s law: Never let fear rule your life Oct 09, 2022

Show notes

In September 2020, Nicholas Opiyo awoke to a commotion in his flat. There had been a robbery and all his personal electronics had been stolen. He says he tracked his devices to a shocking and impenetrable location: the headquarters of Uganda’s military intelligence. He believes he was targeted because of his work.

The Ugandan authorities chose not to respond to these allegations.

Opiyo, as he prefers to be known, survived civil war to become one of Uganda’s top human rights lawyers. He’s taken on huge cases, including successfully overturning the country’s anti-LGBTQ legislation in 2014. He’s received awards for his efforts but also hostility. The break-in at his home was ominous. Months later, Opiyo would be arrested – on false charges – and he'd need to make a life-changing choice.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Maryam Maruf

(Photo: Nicholas Opiyo. Credit: Courtesy of Nicholas Opiyo)

Hip hop, lies and the ultimate prize, part 2 Oct 02, 2022

Show notes

Silibil N’ Brains found fame as fake American rappers - but how long can you live a lie?

A record deal with Sony, celebrity parties and touring with his heroes, life looked good for Gavin Bain, one half of the duo. But with fame came visibility, the pressure mounted and they could no longer outrun the truth.

Gavin's written a book about his undercover life called Straight Outta Scotland and is making music with his new band Hopeless Heroic.

If you need support relating to any of the issues we've covered in this interview, you can find more information on the BBC Action line website or at Befrienders.org.

Clip: MTV TRL/ the MTV Entertainment Group

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Louise Morris

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