The Interview

“The time has come for the international community to be honest, not to be hypocritical, not be selective, not engage in erasure, but to admit that the gravest crime against humanity took place and it took place on this continent. And that the time to repair what was broken, what undermines our collective humanity, what is a scar on our collective conscience, the time and the only way to repair that is now.”
Aleem Maqbool speaks to Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, about his country leading a global campaign for reparations for the transatlantic slave trade.
Earlier this year, the United Nations adopted an historic resolution that declared the transatlantic slave trade "the gravest crime against humanity", although every European nation chose to abstain in the vote. Meanwhile, the US was one of three countries to vote against.
Between the 16th and 19th centuries, it’s estimated that around 12 million people were forcibly trafficked from Africa to European colonies in the Americas, although some historians place this figure even higher.
Accra’s campaign has been supported by countries all over the world, and although not so much by European nations, it has been recognised by some European institutions, like the Church of England.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with former Sudanese leader Aisha Musa, microfinance pioneer Jennifer Riria, and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presenter: Aleem Maqbool
Producers: Catherine Wyatt and Ben Cooper
Editor: Justine Lang
Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
(Image: Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. Credit: Getty)

Leanna Byrne speaks to Sumant Sinha, the founder of ReNew, one of India's largest renewable energy companies about why he thinks green and clean energy will win out.
Sinha began his career in finance, working in New York and London, before walking away from the corporate world to make a bet on renewable energy. He founded his company in India, which is one of the world’s most polluted countries. It also imports around 85% fossil fuels.
Sinha says that moving as quickly as possible to clean energy will also help ensure the country’s energy security.
Thank you to the Business Daily team for its help in making this programme.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, US journalist Maggie Haberman, and Jim Continenza CEO of Kodak. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.
(Image: Sumant Sinha speaks and gestures with his hands. He has short black hair and wears a blue jacket, a white shirt and light blue tie. Credit: Getty Images)
Presenter: Leanna Byrne
Producer: Cordelia Hemming
Editor: Justine Lang

“This is a legitimate concern of South Africans, where there’s illegal foreigners, people with no paperwork. No country in the world allows that to happen. Why should we? Our message is very simple. We say, South Africa is open for our brothers on the continent, but come here legitimately. Come here like a civilised human being that wants to come and contribute towards our country.”
Waihiga Mwaura speaks to Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture and leader of the Patriotic Alliance, a party that has built much of its support on a hardline stance on illegal migration.
As South Africa is gripped by protests, violence and political division over immigration, McKenzie responds to criticism that his views betray Nelson Mandela’s legacy of humanity, social justice and freedom.
He rejects accusations that he’s blaming migrants for South Africa’s wider problems and argues his approach reflects the concerns of many South Africans.
The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and author Maggie O’Farrell.
You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Waihiga Mwaura
Producer: Osman Iqbal
Editor: Justine Lang
(Image: Gayton McKenzie. Credit: Reuters)

‘Their love was so innocent, so sweet, so organic and we just wanted them to end up together because even they knew that some of the queer films always end in tragedy and they were worried that something like that's going to happen but that didn't happen and so people were really happy with it.’

Nikki Bedi speaks to Rohan Kanawade, the acclaimed director whose debut feature Cactus Pears or Sabar Bonda, made history as the first Marathi-language film to premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. It also became the first Indian drama to win the festival's International Grand Jury Prize.

Set in Kanawade’s home state of Maharashtra, Cactus Pears is a groundbreaking Marathi-language love story between two men.

Drawing on his experience of mourning his father, he reveals how grief, memory and identity found their way into his film.

He also talks about growing up in a poor area of Mumbai with parents who accepted and supported his sexuality.
Thank you to the Arts Hour team for their help in making this programme.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with director Christopher Nolan, actor Diego Calva and the legendary musician Ringo Starr. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presenter: Nikki Bedi
Producer: Farhana Haider
Editor: Damon Rose
Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
(Image: Rohan Kanawade. Credit: Getty)

“Due to geopolitical divides, countries are having second thoughts about non-proliferation or their non-proliferation obligations, in the sense that many countries were relying or are still relying on nuclear umbrellas which they might feel are not so protective as they used to be in the past… Without wishing to exaggerate things, there is a perception that the nuclear factor is back on the table and it is growing in its relevance in terms of decision making, in terms of what nations do.”
Rob Young speaks to Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The IAEA was founded in 1957, and is an autonomous international organisation within the UN system. Its job is to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology, and to check that nuclear material is not used for military purposes, including nuclear weapons.
Grossi, a former Argentinian diplomat, was appointed in 2019 and has steered the IAEA through multiple challenges. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, concerns were raised about the prospect of nuclear weapons being used, but also about Ukraine’s nuclear power plants coming under attack.
The organisation’s resources were stretched further still when the recent Middle East conflict began. The US, along with Israel, have had concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions for many years, and reject the country’s claim that their nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.
Rafael Grossi is considered a front-runner to become the new Secretary General of the UN which he believes should be accepted more as a keeper of the peace.
Thank you to the Newsday team for their help in making this programme.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Russia’s nuclear envoy Mikhail Ulyanov, UNICEF chief Catherine Russell, and Artemis 2 astronaut Victor Glover. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presenter: Rob Young
Producers: Sharon Hemans, Farhana Haider, and Ben Cooper
Editor: Damon Rose
Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
(Image: Rafael Grossi. Credit: Reuters)