A special report on technology in Namibia, including mobile phones and satellite conservation. Also in the programme a look at computer recycling in a country which has an excellent internet infrastructure, but still suffers from electricity black outs.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the link between archaeology and imperialism. In 1842 a young English adventurer called Austen Henry Layard set out to excavate what he hoped were the remains of the biblical city of Nineveh in Mesopotamia. On arrival he discovered that the local French consul, Paul Emile Botta, was already hard at work. Across the Middle East and in Egypt, archaeologists, antiquarians and adventurers were exploring cities older than the Bible and shipping spectacular monuments down the Nile and the Tigris to burgeoning European museums.What was it about the ancient cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia that so gripped the 19th century imagination? How did nationalism and imperialism affect the search for the ancient past and how did archaeology evolve from its adventuresome, even reckless, origins into the science of artefacts we know today?With Tim Champion, Professor of Archaeology, University of Southampton; Richard Parkinson, Assistant Keeper in the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum; Eleanor Robson, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.
A special report from Cape Town in South Africa. How new technology is help poor townships; a digital monkey, and the medical workers using text messaging to improve the care they offer patients. Presenter: Gareth Mitchell.
The Kenyan school where children are learning via satellite. In Africa a remote part of Kenya is using an e-learning system to help educate its children who use a device called an e-slate. Also, the launch of the stripped down Apple computer, the Mac Mini, and the latest thinking on e-health.
Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the poet Dr Jack Mapanje who is one of the most important living African poets. He was born into a poor household in a typical African village in 1944, when Malawi (then Nyasaland) was a British colony, but while he was still a child it became part of the Central African Federation, together with Northern and Southern Rhodesia.
Jack started writing poems, inspired by his despair at the political woes besetting his country. Although his book, Of Chameleons and Gods, was only sold in one book shop in Malawi, it won considerable acclaim around the world and was awarded the Rotterdam International Poetry Prize. He was ambitious and set up a writers group within his own University and, although he knew it was dangerous, felt compelled to continue with his writing. He was arrested in 1987 while drinking in a bar. The World Service broadcast a news item about Mapanje's arrest the following day and his cause was taken up by writers' groups and activists across the world. Dr Mapanje was held without charge or trial in Mikuyu Prison for more than three years, scarcely aware of the international campaign to free him. When he was finally released, again it was without warning or explanation. Believing his life was still in danger, he fled with his wife and children to Britain. He has lived here ever since and now lectures at the University of Newcastle.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Ave Maria by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Luxury: A guitar
Drama based on the novel by Gillian Slovo.
A woman leaves her law career in New York to return to South Africa to assist an old friend as prosecutor on a Truth Commission hearing.
The man she is representing, a social activist, is shocked to discover that the former police deputy who once tortured him is now seeking amnesty for his actions.
How digital projects in Ghana are helping to shape its economy and schools. How information technology is being used in the African country, including a bus which helps gets deprived communities online.
Novelist Ahdaf Soueif chooses legendary Egyptian singer, Umm Kulthum. With Humphrey Carpenter.
The biographical series in which a distinguished guest chooses someone who's inspired their life. Will their hero stand up to intensive scrutiny and merit the description of having led a great life? From 2002.
A show on Zambian radio called Sex, Radio and the Truth is aimed to get partners discussing family planning. It is one of many health promotions planned to be interesting. Are any of these campaigns effective?
This is a programme from the BBC World Service Archive and was originally broadcast in 2002.
This week Sue Lawley's castaway is judge Albie Sachs. The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs, his account of being placed in solitary confinement by the South African authorities, highlighted the dangers of campaigning against apartheid in the 1960s. After a long exile in Britain, Albie Sachs returned to his homeland in the 1990s to help shape its new constitution and become one of its most senior judges.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: The Hammerklavier-Piano Sonata No.29 in B Flat by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Charterhouse of Palma by Stendhal Luxury: Little bottle of aftershave
Louis Theroux continues his exploration of the weirder fringes of society. He visits whites-only communities in South Africa that are refusing to accept the end of Apartheid and also meets white supremacist Eugene Terreblanche.
Rebuilding Mozambique after the floods- Reviewing the engineering challenges after the floods. Going underground where a little bit of sound could save some money. Plus, computers with feeling.
Cleaning up Kenya's water supply. A search for renewable fuels, in parts of the world where fossil fuels are expensive. Plus, modern surgical robot technology to help perform delicate heart surgery.
How Kenya dealt with the Millennium bug. Developing countries were thought to be at greater risk because they were using older reconditioned computers. But do they need to be Year 2000 compliant?
One of the few truly wild places on Earth, Gabon. A tropical rainforest in West Africa and also the home of a hot air ship. Find out how it's being used by scientists. Plus, designing better cars.
Engineering and technology behind these small scale industries in Zimbabwe and Uganda. Making cheese, grinding corn, making a television commercial and making better-tasting peanut butter.
This special African edition reviews technology projects in Uganda and Zimbabwe, speaks to leading lights in the world of engineering and examines homes of the future.
Renewable energy takes a leap forward with wind power and reducing emissions from transport. Power efficiency- South African nations are co-operating to make the most of their power plants.