[Swprograms] Fwd: BBC World Service Marks Fiftieth Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution - Additional Programme Information

["Richard Cuff" <rdcuff@xxxxxxxxx>]

This was received after preparation of my December NASWA Journal column.

Times shown here are GMT and refer to the European stream.

If you're listening on shortwave, visit
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/programme_times/a_d.shtml
and look for the regional streams of interest (here in North America,
most likely Africa and East Asia).

For "Brand Cuba" check the Monday Documentary; for "Playing Castro's
Tune", check the Wednesday Documentary and the Friday Documentary for
relevant air times.

Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA  USA


---------- Forwarded message ----------


BBC World Service Marks Fiftieth Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution

>From Monday 29 December, BBC World Service is broadcasting Cuba Cuba,
a special season of programmes that investigate the world's
fascination with this tiny Caribbean island and its impact on the
world.

Fifty years on from the revolution that overthrew the Batista regime,
Cuba Cuba, explores the country's politics, music and culture and the
changes currently taking place there.

There'll be reports on the country's current housing crisis, analysis
of its history in the past five decades, debate and comment on the
future of communist control and prospects for political change in
Cuba.

Cuba Cuba

Brand Cuba - Monday 29 December and Monday 5 January
9.05 – 9.30am

The Cuba of the Castro brothers Fidel and Raul has endured decades of
sustained hostility from the United States, and survived near economic
collapse after the Soviet Union crumbled.  But it has, nevertheless,
often managed to punch above its weight in the global arena.

In Brand Cuba, Allan Little analyses some of the factors that have
kept Cuba alive in the public imagination; the iconic images of Fidel
Castro and Che Guevara; the missile crisis of 1962; Cuba's military
exploits in Southern Africa, and the island's unique approach to
diplomacy through medical aid.

Along the way, there are some surprising stories; personal and
political. Allan Little learns about Fidel Castro's first marriage to
Mirta Diaz-Balart and his successful custody battle for their son; and
hears how Che Guevara's theory of revolution almost brought disaster
to South Africa's ANC in its struggle against apartheid.

Presenter/Allan Little, Producer/Linda Pressly/Co-production with R4

Thursday 1 January

News Programmes

Throughout the day, BBC Cuba Correspondent Michael Voss, will provide
news packages focusing on Cuba's past, present and future. He'll be
reporting from Fidel Castro's old headquarters high in the Sierra
Maestra Mountains, with some of the original revolutionaries who
fought alongside Fidel, Raul and Che Guevara. He'll also be driving
through the island in a 1959 American car, built the year of the
revolution and still working – just.

Emilio San Pedro reports from Miami and there'll be news from around
the world offering a global perspective on Cuba's relations with Latin
America; Africa; Eastern Europe and the US.

Business Daily – Cuba
8.30 – 8.50am

Stephen Evans reports from a Havana back street garage, where a
mechanic manages to keeps 50 year old Chevrolets on the road; hears
from one of Cuba's most prominent economists; talks to a person who
says Castro stole his family's sugar plantations and meets a man who
argues that the US embargo prevents the import of vital medical
equipment.

Assignment: Cuba: Hurricanes and Housing
9.05 – 9.30am

More than half a million Cuban homes were damaged in the hurricanes of
2008 and as many as 60,000 were completely destroyed. This comes on
top of an acute housing shortage across the island, especially in
Havana.

The housing reforms of the early revolutionary years, which gave most
people deeds to their homes and prohibited the owning of multiple
properties, were some of the most popular of the Castro government.
But fifty years later, housing has become the biggest cause for
complaint among Cubans and the black market is massive. No one knows
how much cash swims around in this parallel economy, but it seems that
many Cubans have to pay out thousands of dollars to move house.

And the social impact can be acute - divorced couples forced to
continue to live together and parents sharing rooms with grown up
children.  Linda Pressly explores the uniquely Cuban ways people have
found to get around the system.

Presenter/Linda Pressly, Producer/Polly Hope

Outlook
1.30 – 2.00pm

Lucy Ash meets young Cubans in Miami - men and women born in the US
whose parents and grandparents once lived in Cuba. She hears from DJ
Laz - his morning show gets Miami out of bed - and Pitbull, the top
dog of Cuban hip hop whose grandmother fought alongside Fidel Castro.
And she talks to Carlos Frias who recently visited Cuba for the first
time, unearthed some astonishing family secrets and wrote a book about
it.

Presenter/Lucy Ash, Editor/Gavin Poncia

Wednesday 7 and Friday 9 January
Playing Castro's Tune
9.05 – 9.30am
Fifty years after the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power
Cuba has poverty and independence - and lots of music. In a two-part
series Stephen Evans explores the links between Cuba's music, its
revolution and the effect of political and social changes in music and
musicians' lives, both at home and for those living in exile abroad.

Castro closed the casinos and opened music schools. Stephen Evans
listens to some of the results with help from some of Cuba's leading
musicians and the broken pianos they play. He hears music that ranges
from early socialist revolutionary anthems to protest songs about
current power cuts, the Buena Vista Social Club, all-women orchestras
and hip hop.

Presenter/ Stephen Evans, Producer/Paul Evans/Co-production with R4

Arts Programmes

Tuesday 30 December
The Strand Special – Ry Cooder

Mark Coles talks to American singer guitarist and composer Ry Cooder.
In 1996 - 20 years after his first visit to Cuba - Ry Cooder went back
and with Nick Gold of  the British music label World Circuit, recorded
one of the most popular Cuban albums of all time - the Buena Vista
Social Club.

Setting up camp in Havana, the pair recorded an ad-hoc group of
elderly musicians they'd plucked out of retirement. The recording has
sold more than 8 million copies worldwide - the biggest selling world
music album ever

Wednesday 31 December
The Strand Special

Harriett Gilbert examines Cuba's contemporary literary and movie scene
and the impact of the revolution on artistic expression.

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