logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2016
34m 45s

An Extraordinary Meeting Between Two For...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In 2002, the French Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt became perhaps one of the best-known hostages in the world when she was kidnapped and held for over six years, deep in the Colombian jungle, by the Farc or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Watching Ingrid's emotional release on TV in 2008, was a young Canadian journalist called Amanda Lindhout. A month later she herself was taken hostage at gun-point, on a work trip to Somalia. For the 460 days of Amanda's captivity, she thought about Ingrid nearly every day, inspired by the thought that she too could one day end her ordeal.

This is the first time they have spoken to each other.

(Photo: Amanda Lindhout (L). Credit: Steve Carty. (R) Ingrid Betancourt. Credit: Barker Evans)

Up next
Today
Weavers reviving an ancient technology
<p>Across continents and generations, the art of weaving has connected humans for thousands of years. But it’s dying out. Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to two women from The Netherlands and Turkey about their passion for preserving the traditional craft.</p><p>Turkish social entrepreneu ... Show More
26m 28s
Nov 19
Women at the forefront of medical research
<p>After the discovery of a new gene therapy for Huntington's, a devastating brain disease, Datshiane Navanayagam talks to one of the women in the UK who worked on it and a biologist from India who's made recent discoveries that could improve treatment for TB, which still kills o ... Show More
26m 29s
Nov 10
Behind the smiles of artistic swimming
Artistic swimmers are known for making perfect synchronicity look effortless. Datshiane Navanaygam talks to athletes from Spain and Slovakia to reveal why the sport is far tougher than it appears. Silvia Solymosyová from Slovakia was the first artistic swimmer to reach 1 million ... Show More
26m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2022
2. A priest, a drug lord, and a journalist
At the end of the 1980s, Colombia had become one of the epicenters of drug trafficking in the world. But a change of government in 1990 opened the possibility for peace and the Colombian government began telephone negotiations with Pablo Escobar for his surrender and an end to th ... Show More
18m 40s
Oct 1
Everyone LOVES This Criminal - The Jan-Erik Olsson Story
Jan-Erik Olsson was a Swedish convict who, on August 23, 1973, attempted to rob the Kreditbanken in Stockholm's Norrmalmstorg Square. During the robbery, he took four bank employees hostage and demanded the release of his former cellmate, Clark Olofsson, who was serving a prison ... Show More
8m 12s
Mar 2025
Argentina's Death Flights
In 1976, a military coup led to an authoritarian regime in Argentina. The military and its new leader, Lieutenant General Jorge Rafaél Videla, then launched a campaign to eradicate political dissidents. Thousands of Argentine citizens were kidnapped, illegally detained, tortured, ... Show More
48m 40s
May 2025
The mystery of the nameless girl found dead in a Spanish border town
On a summer morning in 1990, the body of a young woman appeared in a small town close to the frontier. For those who saw her, finding her identity became an obsession that would last 30 years By Giles Tremlett. Read by Luis Soto. Help support our independent journalism at theguar ... Show More
38m 52s
Jul 2025
The Mom Who Fought a Cartel
Karen Rodríguez was kidnapped and murdered by one of Mexico’s most feared cartels in 2014. Most families would have been forced into silence, but not hers. Refusing to give up, her mum, Miriam Rodríguez, launched her own relentless quest for justice. In a country where cartels op ... Show More
40m 42s
Oct 21
Grooming gangs, Eve Muirhead, Lily King, Menopause
Two sexual abuse survivors have resigned from their roles on the national inquiry into grooming gangs. Fiona Goddard and Ellie Reynolds both stood down from the victims' liaison panel which was overseeing the process. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in the summer that t ... Show More
54m 14s
Nov 2024
Florence Rey et Audry Maupin : fusillade et baiser d’adieu (4/4)
C'est l’histoire tragique d’un jeune couple qui a défrayé la chronique dans les années 90 : Florence Rey et Audry Maupin. L’histoire de deux étudiants amoureux qui se transforment le temps d’une soirée invraisemblable en Bonnie & Clyde parisiens…  Fusillade et baiser d’adieu “Vol ... Show More
10m 25s
Aug 2024
The story behind a landmark prisoner swap
<p>Today, we hear about the secret negotiations that led to an extraordinary prisoner swap on Thursday. Among the freed: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, other Americans, Russian dissidents – and a convicted assassin.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Read more:</p><p><br></p> ... Show More
31m 32s
Sep 2024
From Kidnapping to Empowering Youth with Hanin Al Qoreishy
Today, we share the incredible journey of Hanin Al Qoreishy, whose life story unfolds like a tapestry of courage and determination.  Born into a politically and religiously influential family in Iraq, Baghdad, Hanin's early years were shattered by conflict and personal tragedy, i ... Show More
1s