British-Nigerian poet and activist Femi Nylander travels to West Africa to discover the modern-day impact on its people of atrocities that took place over a century ago.

Femi traces the footsteps of a French army officer, Paul Voulet, who forged a path of unspeakable barbarity across the West African state of Niger.

Voulet’s actions closely mirror the colonial horror depicted in Joseph Conrad’s celebrated novel Heart Of Darkness, which was written at the very same time that Voulet unleashed his killing spree in 1899.

In Niger, with words and images from Conrad’s time still echoing in his mind, Femi finds painful memories and communities still living with the traumatic consequences of the violence of a century ago. But amidst this terrible history, Femi also encounters beauty and a spirit of hope: young people working together and a country determined to find its way out of the horror by harnessing the power of its most precious resource - the light of the sun.

Naima's family are from Algeria. Naima is cooking a special Algerian borek for her friends to try. Borek is made from pastry, mashed potato, meat, cheese and olives. The great thing about borek is that you can add lots of different ingredients depending on what you like, and that's exactly what Naima is doing today. Naima mashes her potatoes, cuts some spring onions and sprinkles in some cinnamon before she gets the table ready for her Algerian feast. Naima's friends are not sure about the taste of cinnamon when they try it first, but will they like it cooked in her recipe? Let's hope so!

Kate Molleson travels to Jerusalem to meet a legend of Ethiopian music, the piano-playing nun, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou.

Born in 1923 to a noble Ethiopian family, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou was celebrated as a young musician in Addis Ababa - even performing for the Emperor Haile Selassie. But when she was mysteriously refused permission to take up a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, her life changed forever, and she abandoned music.

For 10 years she lived on the holy mountain of Guishen, barefoot, in solitary prayer and meditation, until the monastery had to close and Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam headed home to Addis Ababa. There, she slowly returned to the piano keyboard, composing languorous waltzes, infected with the spirit of ancient Ethiopian music and with a free-wheeling sense of time.

In 1996, as her music became the 21st release in the now famous Ethiopiques series of records, she came to international attention. By this time she had fled the communist regime in Ethiopia and moved to Jerusalem to work for the Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarchy, where she now lives in a small cell, surrounded by her religious paintings, photographs of her family and of Emperor Haile Selassie propped up on top of her piano.

In recent years she has been moved to publish her work, editing a lifetime of manuscripts with the help of the Israeli musician and composer Maya Dunietz, and has set up a foundation in her name to help children to acquire instruments and music education.

A long time fan of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam's music, journalist Kate Molleson talks with the musician turned nun who, now in her 90s, has led a remarkable life and is still driven to compose her unique music.

Produced by Peter Meanwell A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.

Tim Key is on a cultural pilgrimage to Cairo, as he grapples with the meaning of 'Egypt'.

Written and presented by Tim Key

Tom Basden plays guitar, while wearing a fez.

Producer: James Robinson

First broadcast on BBC Radio in March 2012.