The Documentary Podcast Folgen

It has been a month since the twin earthquakes in Venezuela, estimated to have killed more than five thousand people. But there have also been some remarkable stories of rescue with people being pulled alive from the rubble many days after the disaster.In our conversations, we bring together people who survived disasters to discuss the long-term impact the events have had on their lives.Marinel lived through Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in 2013 and was one of the strongest typhoons in recorded history.Jeff was a pupil at the junior school in Aberfan in South Wales. In 1966, 116 children were killed when waste from coal mines crashed down the mountainside engulfing his school.“I did go to one counsellor and that counsellor said to me, when you review what you’ve been through, think of happy things like birthday parties,” Jeff tells us. “Well, the majority of people that would have come to my birthday party were now gone.”We also bring together rescue workers to hear what motivates them and how they cope with confronting death and destruction.This edition of The Documentary is from BBC Conversations where we bring people together to share their personal experiences of world events.Presenter: James Reynolds BBC producers: Ryan Keane, Lindsay Brown and Isabella Bull Boffin Media producer: Richard Hollingham Editors: Arja Haikonen and Harriet OliverA Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC World Service Outside Source team.

When her mother dies, Rimi Tanaka regrets that she never truly got to know her. And so when her mother’s literary agent calls Rimi out of the blue, and asks her if she wants to write the book Akemi was writing when she died, Rimi seizes the opportunity. Akemi was researching her samurai ancestry, learning more about their philosophical code, and how it can teach us to live a fuller life today. Can completing her mother’s spiritual quest help Rimi finally come closer to someone she felt she never fully knew?

In 2014, Tonga had no national netball team, coach, squad, or training facilities. Determined to change that, former television news anchor Salote Sisifa became CEO of Tonga Netball and promised the board that within five years she would build a team capable of competing internationally and reaching the world’s top 10 by 2025. If she failed, she would resign. Alongside, Head Coach Jaqua Pori-Makea-Simpson, Salote propelled Tonga from 42nd to seveth in the world rankings navigating national disaster, the Covid-19 pandemic, and restricted resources along the way. This episode of The Documentary Podcast examines Tonga’s extraordinary journey and how they have become a formidable force on the international stage. Their next milestone is their Commonwealth Games debut in 2026.