logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
51m 10s

International Women's Day

Bbc World Service
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Feb 28
Blood diamonds and the meeting between Florence Nightingale and Aga Khan III
We begin with the trial of the former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor. It was claimed that he traded in arms and ammunition in return for so-called blood diamonds.Our guest, gemmologist James Evans discusses the creation of synthetic diamonds.Next we head to Syria where a gr ... Show More
59m 57s
Feb 21
The Shetland Bus and toxic shock syndrome
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Professor Guri Hjeltnes, an author and World War Two historian. We start with Nazi Germany’s occupation of Norway during World War Two by hearing about a secret res ... Show More
1 h
Feb 14
Italian history
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Scottish writer, editor and music programmer Arusa Qureshi.We start in 1989 when the British rock band Pink Floyd played a highly controversial concert in Venice. T ... Show More
1 h
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2022
Peacebuilders: Ethel Snowden
Ethel Snowden (1881-1951) was a suffragist and social reformer, with a self-made political philosophy that put feminism front and center.Women’s contributions to peacekeeping efforts are often overlooked, but no more. This month on Womanica we're highlighting women who have spear ... Show More
5m 43s
Jan 2024
Women of Science Fiction: Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols (c. 1932-2022) is an American actress, singer, and dancer, best known for her iconic role as Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek television series. Renowned for breaking racial barriers onscreen in the 1960s, Nichelle became a cultural symbol of diversity ... Show More
6m 52s
Sep 2017
Britain's Land Girls
Around 80 thousand women and girls volunteered to join the Women's Land Army during the Second World War. They helped provide vital food supplies to a country under siege. Kirsty Reid has spoken to Mona McLeod who was just 17 years old when she started working 6 days a week on a ... Show More
10m 1s
Jan 2024
Women of Science Fiction: Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929 - 2018) was an American author who wrote works of speculative fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. Her literary career spanned nearly 60 years and resulted in more than 20 novels, over 100 short stories, poetry, literary criticism, and childrens books. F ... Show More
7m 25s
Oct 2023
Goddesses: Mazu
Mazu is a powerful Chinese goddess known for her protection of fishermen, sailors, and other sea faring travelers. Although she comes from humble roots, she has over two hundred million dedicated followers worldwide and has become a cultural touchstone, particularly in Taiwan. Fo ... Show More
4m 29s
Jan 2024
Women of Science Fiction: Pauline Hopkins
Pauline Hopkins (1859-1930) was a pioneering writer who published articles and serialized novels across genres. She’s known as the author of the first science fiction novel by a woman of color – written decades before the term sci-fi was widely used. Today, you can see her ideas ... Show More
5m 42s
Oct 2020
Women and homelessness, WTO, The Secret Garden, Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women's Rights
The number of women sleeping rough has risen over the last decade and as the economic impact of Covid 19 takes hold, social policy advisers fear the situation could worsen. Female rough sleepers with their complex profile have it worse on the street, and in wider homelessness ter ... Show More
42m 47s
Apr 2022
Forgotten Women of the Crusades
<p>Little has been known up until now about the involvement and power of women during the Crusader period. When Saladin's armies besieged Jerusalem in 1187, behind the city walls a last-ditch defense was being led by an unlikely trio - including Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem. She w ... Show More
24m 53s
Sep 2019
The first all-women peacekeeping unit
The UN deployed its first all-female contingent of peacekeepers in Liberia in West Africa. The country was still recovering from its long civil war when the Indian policewomen arrived in 2007. Jill McGivering has been hearing from Seema Dhundia of India's Central Reserve Police F ... Show More
8m 58s
Sep 2020
Wendy Moore, "No Man’s Land: The Trailblazing Women Who Ran Britain's Most Extraordinary Military Hospital During World War I (Basic Books, 2020)
Today’s guest is journalist and author, Wendy Moore. Her new book, No Man’s Land: The Trailblazing Women Who Ran Britain's Most Extraordinary Military Hospital During World War I (Basic Books) explores the WWI British military hospital known as Endell Street. A hospital run by tw ... Show More
56m 50s