Podcast appearances and mentions of martin plaut

The Africa Report with Mr Martin Plaut by Radio Islam

Conflicted comes to the end of our Ethiopia series with an episode beginning at the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974, and charting the country's tumultuous course through the late 20th century. This was a time characterised by a brutality the country had not witnessed before, as the Communist military dictatorship, known as the Derg, wreaked havoc on the country. Ethiopia in the 70s and 80s was one dominated by horrifying episodes of mass death – from the Red Terror which engulfed the country in 1977 to 1978, to the terrible famine in the 1980s which caught the world's attention, birthing Live Aid and songs from Western Musicians to raise money, which would come to be so common (if later criticised) in the decades to come. It was also an era of Cold War intrigue, with Ethiopia thrust into wider geopolitical games involving the US and the USSR – even Cuba! – as well as warring with its neighbours and, eventually, with its own dictatorship.  Thomas and Aimen bring our discussion of the fascinating and fraught land of Ethiopia to a close with a tour de force, as they discuss all this and more, also setting up the context for the Tigray war which took place in Ethiopia in 2020 - 2022, with devastating consequences. And if you want to find out more about the Tigray War, we recently completed an episode for our Conflicted Community with journalist Martin Plaut, to explain the specifics of the conflict. New Conflicted Season 5 episodes will be coming every two weeks, but if you want to have your Conflicted fix every single week, then you'll have to join our Conflicted Community. Subscribers will get bonus episodes every other week, and can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up to the Conflicted Community is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/  Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today I talked to Martin Plaut and Sarah Vaughan about their new book Understanding Ethiopia's Tigray War (Oxford UP, 2023) The ongoing war and consequent famine in the Ethiopian province of Tigray are increasingly critical. International journalists are not being allowed to travel to the region, which is almost completely sealed off from the outside world. This is a deliberate strategy by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments prosecuting the war: their aim is to crush the Tigrayans at almost any cost. This differentiates the current crisis from the famine of 1984-5, when 400,000 died of starvation primarily as the result of a prolonged drought, exacerbated by war and government inaction.  Today's famine is a direct result of supplies to the region being cut off. Hatred of Tigrayans has been stoked by senior advisers to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed: they have called Tigrayans "weeds" who must be uprooted, their place in history extinguished. This language is reminiscent of the statements that preceded the genocide in Rwanda. The present situation has been orchestrated since 2018 by Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki, who wields considerable influence over Ethiopian affairs. His troops are deep inside Ethiopia, his security agents in its towns and cities. For both the Eritrean President and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, this appears to be a fight to the finish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Today I talked to Martin Plaut and Sarah Vaughan about their new book Understanding Ethiopia's Tigray War (Oxford UP, 2023) The ongoing war and consequent famine in the Ethiopian province of Tigray are increasingly critical. International journalists are not being allowed to travel to the region, which is almost completely sealed off from the outside world. This is a deliberate strategy by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments prosecuting the war: their aim is to crush the Tigrayans at almost any cost. This differentiates the current crisis from the famine of 1984-5, when 400,000 died of starvation primarily as the result of a prolonged drought, exacerbated by war and government inaction.  Today's famine is a direct result of supplies to the region being cut off. Hatred of Tigrayans has been stoked by senior advisers to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed: they have called Tigrayans "weeds" who must be uprooted, their place in history extinguished. This language is reminiscent of the statements that preceded the genocide in Rwanda. The present situation has been orchestrated since 2018 by Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki, who wields considerable influence over Ethiopian affairs. His troops are deep inside Ethiopia, his security agents in its towns and cities. For both the Eritrean President and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, this appears to be a fight to the finish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Today I talked to Martin Plaut and Sarah Vaughan about their new book Understanding Ethiopia's Tigray War (Oxford UP, 2023) The ongoing war and consequent famine in the Ethiopian province of Tigray are increasingly critical. International journalists are not being allowed to travel to the region, which is almost completely sealed off from the outside world. This is a deliberate strategy by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments prosecuting the war: their aim is to crush the Tigrayans at almost any cost. This differentiates the current crisis from the famine of 1984-5, when 400,000 died of starvation primarily as the result of a prolonged drought, exacerbated by war and government inaction.  Today's famine is a direct result of supplies to the region being cut off. Hatred of Tigrayans has been stoked by senior advisers to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed: they have called Tigrayans "weeds" who must be uprooted, their place in history extinguished. This language is reminiscent of the statements that preceded the genocide in Rwanda. The present situation has been orchestrated since 2018 by Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki, who wields considerable influence over Ethiopian affairs. His troops are deep inside Ethiopia, his security agents in its towns and cities. For both the Eritrean President and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, this appears to be a fight to the finish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Today I talked to Martin Plaut and Sarah Vaughan about their new book Understanding Ethiopia's Tigray War (Oxford UP, 2023) The ongoing war and consequent famine in the Ethiopian province of Tigray are increasingly critical. International journalists are not being allowed to travel to the region, which is almost completely sealed off from the outside world. This is a deliberate strategy by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments prosecuting the war: their aim is to crush the Tigrayans at almost any cost. This differentiates the current crisis from the famine of 1984-5, when 400,000 died of starvation primarily as the result of a prolonged drought, exacerbated by war and government inaction.  Today's famine is a direct result of supplies to the region being cut off. Hatred of Tigrayans has been stoked by senior advisers to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed: they have called Tigrayans "weeds" who must be uprooted, their place in history extinguished. This language is reminiscent of the statements that preceded the genocide in Rwanda. The present situation has been orchestrated since 2018 by Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki, who wields considerable influence over Ethiopian affairs. His troops are deep inside Ethiopia, his security agents in its towns and cities. For both the Eritrean President and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, this appears to be a fight to the finish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

Today I talked to Martin Plaut and Sarah Vaughan about their new book Understanding Ethiopia's Tigray War (Oxford UP, 2023) The ongoing war and consequent famine in the Ethiopian province of Tigray are increasingly critical. International journalists are not being allowed to travel to the region, which is almost completely sealed off from the outside world. This is a deliberate strategy by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments prosecuting the war: their aim is to crush the Tigrayans at almost any cost. This differentiates the current crisis from the famine of 1984-5, when 400,000 died of starvation primarily as the result of a prolonged drought, exacerbated by war and government inaction.  Today's famine is a direct result of supplies to the region being cut off. Hatred of Tigrayans has been stoked by senior advisers to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed: they have called Tigrayans "weeds" who must be uprooted, their place in history extinguished. This language is reminiscent of the statements that preceded the genocide in Rwanda. The present situation has been orchestrated since 2018 by Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki, who wields considerable influence over Ethiopian affairs. His troops are deep inside Ethiopia, his security agents in its towns and cities. For both the Eritrean President and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, this appears to be a fight to the finish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies

Today I talked to Martin Plaut and Sarah Vaughan about their new book Understanding Ethiopia's Tigray War (Oxford UP, 2023) The ongoing war and consequent famine in the Ethiopian province of Tigray are increasingly critical. International journalists are not being allowed to travel to the region, which is almost completely sealed off from the outside world. This is a deliberate strategy by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments prosecuting the war: their aim is to crush the Tigrayans at almost any cost. This differentiates the current crisis from the famine of 1984-5, when 400,000 died of starvation primarily as the result of a prolonged drought, exacerbated by war and government inaction.  Today's famine is a direct result of supplies to the region being cut off. Hatred of Tigrayans has been stoked by senior advisers to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed: they have called Tigrayans "weeds" who must be uprooted, their place in history extinguished. This language is reminiscent of the statements that preceded the genocide in Rwanda. The present situation has been orchestrated since 2018 by Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki, who wields considerable influence over Ethiopian affairs. His troops are deep inside Ethiopia, his security agents in its towns and cities. For both the Eritrean President and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, this appears to be a fight to the finish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/genocide-studies

Today I talked to Martin Plaut and Sarah Vaughan about their new book Understanding Ethiopia's Tigray War (Oxford UP, 2023) The ongoing war and consequent famine in the Ethiopian province of Tigray are increasingly critical. International journalists are not being allowed to travel to the region, which is almost completely sealed off from the outside world. This is a deliberate strategy by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments prosecuting the war: their aim is to crush the Tigrayans at almost any cost. This differentiates the current crisis from the famine of 1984-5, when 400,000 died of starvation primarily as the result of a prolonged drought, exacerbated by war and government inaction.  Today's famine is a direct result of supplies to the region being cut off. Hatred of Tigrayans has been stoked by senior advisers to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed: they have called Tigrayans "weeds" who must be uprooted, their place in history extinguished. This language is reminiscent of the statements that preceded the genocide in Rwanda. The present situation has been orchestrated since 2018 by Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki, who wields considerable influence over Ethiopian affairs. His troops are deep inside Ethiopia, his security agents in its towns and cities. For both the Eritrean President and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, this appears to be a fight to the finish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I talked to Martin Plaut and Sarah Vaughan about their new book Understanding Ethiopia's Tigray War (Oxford UP, 2023) The ongoing war and consequent famine in the Ethiopian province of Tigray are increasingly critical. International journalists are not being allowed to travel to the region, which is almost completely sealed off from the outside world. This is a deliberate strategy by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments prosecuting the war: their aim is to crush the Tigrayans at almost any cost. This differentiates the current crisis from the famine of 1984-5, when 400,000 died of starvation primarily as the result of a prolonged drought, exacerbated by war and government inaction.  Today's famine is a direct result of supplies to the region being cut off. Hatred of Tigrayans has been stoked by senior advisers to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed: they have called Tigrayans "weeds" who must be uprooted, their place in history extinguished. This language is reminiscent of the statements that preceded the genocide in Rwanda. The present situation has been orchestrated since 2018 by Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki, who wields considerable influence over Ethiopian affairs. His troops are deep inside Ethiopia, his security agents in its towns and cities. For both the Eritrean President and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, this appears to be a fight to the finish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ethiopian and Tigray rebels have reached an agreement aimed at implementing a peace deal. It will allow humanitarian aid deliveries into the war-torn region. But will the truce hold? And is peace possible? Join host Hashem Ahelbarra. Guests: Teklay Gebremichael - associate editor of Tghat. Martin Plaut - senior research fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. Bizuneh Getachew Yimenu - teaching fellow at the University of Birmingham.

Isaias Afwerki, usually known as Isaias, is Eritrea's only ever President, having served in the role since 1993. After rising through the ranks of Eritrea's liberation movement during a thirty-year war for independence against Ethiopia, Isaias has instituted a colossal centralisation of power around himself; Eritrea has no free newspapers, no constitution, no parliament; it doesn't even have a formal budget. The country also has one of the strictest systems of conscription in the world.  Though this state of affairs is very unpleasant to the ordinary Eritreans wo have to live  with it every day, the international community would probably be happy leaving Isaias be if he left the world alone. But this isn't what Isaias has done. Since 1993, Isaias has involved Eritrea in wars in Sudan, Somalia, the DRC and most significantly Ethiopia, where, since 2020, the Eritrean and Ethiopian governments have been waging war against the Tigrayans. This war is the deadliest war the world has seen this decade so far, and Isaias, who hates the Tigrayans, is largely to blame for it. Never more than Isaias has my guest and I discussed a single person so singularly to blame for so much harm. My guest today is Martin Plaut. Martin is a journalist specialising in the Horn of Africa region, he worked as a BBC news journalist for nearly thirty years and currently works for Chatham House. Along with Sarah Vaughan, he is the lead author on an upcoming book, Understanding Ethiopia's Tigray War, due to be released in February 2023. As well as the War in Tigray, we discuss Eritrea's colonial history, the country's long struggle for independence, and the implications of being governed not just by one group of people for thirty years, but by a single individual. 

In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with broadcaster, journalist and researcher, Martin Plaut, about ending conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa. Martin is a well-known commentator on African affairs, having served as an Africa correspondent for the BBC for many years. A large chunk of my adolescence and young adulthood was spent watching Martin's dispatches from the frontlines of wars or political upheavals in various far-flung parts of the continent, so I have long admired his journalism. Martin and I start the conversation by examining the recent spate of coups d'état (or attempted coups) in Africa, including Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea-Bissau. Could citizens of these countries be losing faith in democracy or civilian government, I ask? Martin also has a deep knowledge of the Horn of Africa, and we spend some time examining the unfolding civil war in Ethiopia. We also interrogate why the system of ethnic federalism that was in place since the 1990s failed to resolve the country's many ethnic tensions. Throughout the discussion, Martin and I speak about the impact of colonialism on Africa, but he also stresses that any understanding of Africa's contemporary problems also requires coming to terms with the continent's pre-colonial period. Martin says that he is never happier than when he has "the dust of Africa between his toes and in his hair." His passion for Africa is unmistakable, and our conversation is as rich and diverse as the continent itself. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Introduction (01:04) Martin Plaut on recent coups d'état in Africa (06:20) Martin Plaut on instability in West Africa (08:42) Martin Plaut on France as a regional power (12:31) Martin Plaut on the civil war in Ethiopia (17:23) Martin Plaut on ethnicity and kinship (20:56) Martin Plaut on pre-colonial Africa (27:22) Martin Plaut on the origins of conflict in Africa (31:28) Martin Plaut on democracy in South Africa (35:48) Martin Plaut on why he loves Africa (38:37) Martin Plaut on the politics of Kenya (41:37) Martin Plaut on overcoming Africa's problems (47:39) Conclusion RESOURCES Visit Martin Plaut's website: https://martinplaut.com/ Follow Martin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/martinplaut

In this episode William discusses the neglected narrative of Dr Abdullah Abdurahman with Stephen Langtry. Dr Abdullah was South Africa's first elected black politician.Here are some of the questions we look at:·         The life and times of Dr Abdullah·         We discuss Martin Plaut's biography of Dr Abdullah·         Are there many lost figures in South African history?·         Why are some stories remembered at the expense of others?·         What is the balancing point in writing history?·         A short biography of Dr Abdullah·         The friendship between Dr Abdullah and Mahatma Gandhi·         The schools set up by Dr Abdullah·         Some background on District 6 (Was it similar to Sophiatown?)·         Why did Dr Abdullah call it the African Political Organization?·         Was there ever something like a Coloured nationalism?·         Who were some of Dr Abdullah's contemporaries?·         Does Dr Abdullah deserve more recognition?·         Do we neglect the historical context when we write biographies?·         Being mindful of person, context and contemporaries·         How did 1910 lie the foundation for the politics of the 20th century?·         Why did Dr Abdullah fall out of favor?·         Why is the Western Cape considered an island in South Africa?·         What is the main lesson we can learn from Dr Abdullah's legacy?Find us on twitter:William H PalkStephen LangtrySupport the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=Q8KGSAT37YCPA&source=url)

President Isaias Afwerki has become virtually synonymous with the state of Eritrea, having single-handedly molded the country in his image since its inception in 1991. Alan is joined this week by Martin Plaut – author, journalist and now Senior Fellow at the University of London – who has covered Eritrea’s trajectory for almost 40 years.   Together they explore how Isaias has maintained his unyielding grip on power while pursuing his geopolitical ambitions in the region and further afield. Martin describes a country pervaded with regime paranoia, extreme domestic repression, and isolationism that has somehow also managed to leverage itself into strategic partnerships with actors ranging from the UAE and Saudi Arabia to insurgent groups. This in-depth conversation offers insights into the inner workings of the Horn of Africa’s most off-the-radar country, the shape-shifting quality of Isaias’ shrewd foreign policy as well as the uncertain future of a post-Isaias Eritrea. 

The Rohingya village elder reduced to rags and the flash youngster who’s become kingpin. Kate Adie introduces stories, insight and analysis from correspondents around the world: Helen Nianias meets two men trying to bring peace to the chaos of Bangladesh’s refugee camps which are home to almost a million Rohingya people many of whom fled a violent crackdown by the Burmese military in neighbouring Myanmar. Guy De Launey reflects on a tale of identity that’s veered from absurd comedy to physical violence as Macedonians prepare to vote on plans to rename their country North Macedonia. Martin Plaut was one of the thousand or so students who staged a ‘sit-in’ at the University of Cape Town, angry at its decision to withdraw the appointment of a black lecturer. Fifty years on, he’s reunited with some of his fellow protestors. Mark Stratton learns about the scarification ceremonies in Papua New Guinea in which boys have their torsos, backs, and shoulders cut with razor blades so their skin will resemble a crocodile's – a mark of their progression to manhood. And Jenny Hill meets a man who’s been trying for decades to rekindle Britain’s taste for Hock – the German wine favoured by Queen Victoria.

At the annual summit of the African Union, the continent's leaders have discussed how to tackle one of the biggest barriers to development and effective governance - corruption. The organization's incoming Chairman is the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame. He has grand plans to reform the regional body. But can the African Union effectively fight corruption? Joining us on the panel is Alfred Dube from Addis Ababa, he's the Director of the Institute for Security Studies and a former diplomat, and Martin Plaut, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London

Institute of Commonwealth Studies What are the pressures on freedom of the press in South Africa today? Mr Martin Plaut (former Africa Editor, BBC World Service News) Martin Plaut worked for the BBC World Service 1984-2013. He has also author...

Fine Music Radio — "To cheer you this chilly hour Andrew Marjoribanks, Wordsworth Books, brings a bagful of good reads. With Downing Street much in the news right now, we chat to the brilliant social historian and biographer Anne de Courcy about her latest: 'Margot at War - Love and Betrayal in Downing Street 1912 – 1916'. Equally topical with Oscar Pistorius’s sentencing in two days’ time, Vanessa Levenstein looks at the unanswered questions in 'Oscar vs the Truth by Thomas Mollett and Calvin Mollett'. Sheila Chisholm keeps us on our tippy toes with 'Recollections of a Life in Dance' by Cape Town born, international Spanish dance authority, Dame Mavis Becker, while Beverley Roos Muller brings us back to earth with 'Promise and Despair: The First Struggle for a Non-racial South Africa' by former BBC journalist Martin Plaut. Philip Todres gives us a gorgeous glimpse into the first comprehensive history of fine art potteries in 'Scorched Earth – 100 years of southern African potteries' by Wendy Gers, where you’ll see even some of Philip’s original collection. Jay Heale links children to the unique sounds of Africa in 'The African Orchestra' by Wendy Hartmann and Joan Rankin. Peter Soal takes us to FIFA’s financial fixings behind the 2010 World Cup in 'The Big Fix' by Ray Hartley, editor of the Rand Daily Mail online. Finally, and not for the faint hearted, Cindy Moritz reviews the psychological crime thriller, 'The Teacher' by Katarina Diamond."

"To cheer you this chilly hour Andrew Marjoribanks, Wordsworth Books, brings a bagful of good reads. With Downing Street much in the news right now, we chat to the brilliant social historian and biographer Anne de Courcy about her latest: 'Margot at War - Love and Betrayal in Downing Street 1912 – 1916'. Equally topical with Oscar Pistorius's sentencing in two days' time, Vanessa Levenstein looks at the unanswered questions in 'Oscar vs the Truth by Thomas Mollett and Calvin Mollett'. Sheila Chisholm keeps us on our tippy toes with 'Recollections of a Life in Dance' by Cape Town born, international Spanish dance authority, Dame Mavis Becker, while Beverley Roos Muller brings us back to earth with 'Promise and Despair: The First Struggle for a Non-racial South Africa' by former BBC journalist Martin Plaut. Philip Todres gives us a gorgeous glimpse into the first comprehensive history of fine art potteries in 'Scorched Earth – 100 years of southern African potteries' by Wendy Gers, where you'll see even some of Philip's original collection. Jay Heale links children to the unique sounds of Africa in 'The African Orchestra' by Wendy Hartmann and Joan Rankin. Peter Soal takes us to FIFA's financial fixings behind the 2010 World Cup in 'The Big Fix' by Ray Hartley, editor of the Rand Daily Mail online. Finally, and not for the faint hearted, Cindy Moritz reviews the psychological crime thriller, 'The Teacher' by Katarina Diamond."

We are joined by Martin Plaut and Gushwell Brooks to discuss the deplorable state of South African politics.   Subscribe: RSS | iTunes | Soundcloud | Stitcher Follow us and our guests: Desné Masie (co-host): Twitter Peter Dörrie (co-host/producer): Twitter | Facebook | Homepage Martin Plaut (guest): Twitter Gushwell Brooks (guest): Twitter African Arguments: Twitter | Facebook | Homepage Notes William Kentridge "Notes Towards a Model Opera" exhibition at the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg Justice Malala - We have now begun our descent: How to Stop South Africa losing its way "West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song" exhibition at the British Library in London JT Rappé Thanks for listening! We are grateful to African Arguments and the Royal African Society for supporting the podcast. If you would like to support us, have a suggestion for a topic we should cover or a guest we should invite, please get in touch! There are links to the social media profiles of our hosts above, or drop us a line at africanargumentspodcast@gmail.com. The music on this podcast was kindly provided by DJ Maramza.

The United States of America: after the election excitement the Obama team start planning for four more years. Paul Adams. Mali: preparations well advanced for a military operation to repel Islamist rebels from the north of the country. Afua Hirsch. Oman: the Arab Spring comes calling at the Gulf state once called 'a place of wind and spiders.' Matthew Teller. Georgia: Can the new government act to restore parts of the country now effectively under Russian control? Martin Plaut. The USA: A visit to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a realisation that driving on Mars is harder than it looks. Richard Hollingham. Producer: Tony Grant

Anybody who has been following the news in recent months knows that bloodshed has returned to South Africa. The recent violence and deaths among strikers in the country’s platinum mining industry resonate strongly in a country with such memories of the last years of apartheid. But they also point to a different reality – that South Africa is now undergoing a crisis of leadership, despite the continued electoral success of the ANC, and a crunch point in its history. Martin Plaut, the co-author of Who Rules South Africa? (Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2012), is himself a South African who wound up here in London many years ago and then ended up working as Africa Editor in the newsroom of the BBC World Service. He knows the country inside out but is also able to bring a deep level of understanding that comes from his own personal history and experience. In the book Martin and his co-author examine the roots of the ANC and move on to ask what kind of force it is now, in a South Africa that is itself changing rapidly. On one hand it’s a familiar story – the liberation force that then confronts a whole new array of challenges when it takes power. But on the other it’s one that lurks uncomfortably below the surface of a country that otherwise has so much to shout about, from its success in hosting the last football World Cup to its inclusion in the thrusting BRICS grouping. The book is sobering, particularly when it deals with questions such as South Africa’s widening inequality, education and economic frustrations. I’d go so far as to say that it is a ‘must read’ for anybody interested in either South Africa or politics and current affairs in modern Africa. Enjoy the interview! PS: The book is due to be published in the US in 2013, although it’s already available in the UK and worldwide on e-readers. PPS: Martin’s blog is here and his twitter handle is @martinplaut (my own is @npw99) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anybody who has been following the news in recent months knows that bloodshed has returned to South Africa. The recent violence and deaths among strikers in the country’s platinum mining industry resonate strongly in a country with such memories of the last years of apartheid. But they also point to a different reality – that South Africa is now undergoing a crisis of leadership, despite the continued electoral success of the ANC, and a crunch point in its history. Martin Plaut, the co-author of Who Rules South Africa? (Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2012), is himself a South African who wound up here in London many years ago and then ended up working as Africa Editor in the newsroom of the BBC World Service. He knows the country inside out but is also able to bring a deep level of understanding that comes from his own personal history and experience. In the book Martin and his co-author examine the roots of the ANC and move on to ask what kind of force it is now, in a South Africa that is itself changing rapidly. On one hand it’s a familiar story – the liberation force that then confronts a whole new array of challenges when it takes power. But on the other it’s one that lurks uncomfortably below the surface of a country that otherwise has so much to shout about, from its success in hosting the last football World Cup to its inclusion in the thrusting BRICS grouping. The book is sobering, particularly when it deals with questions such as South Africa’s widening inequality, education and economic frustrations. I’d go so far as to say that it is a ‘must read’ for anybody interested in either South Africa or politics and current affairs in modern Africa. Enjoy the interview! PS: The book is due to be published in the US in 2013, although it’s already available in the UK and worldwide on e-readers. PPS: Martin’s blog is here and his twitter handle is @martinplaut (my own is @npw99) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anybody who has been following the news in recent months knows that bloodshed has returned to South Africa. The recent violence and deaths among strikers in the country’s platinum mining industry resonate strongly in a country with such memories of the last years of apartheid. But they also point to a different reality – that South Africa is now undergoing a crisis of leadership, despite the continued electoral success of the ANC, and a crunch point in its history. Martin Plaut, the co-author of Who Rules South Africa? (Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2012), is himself a South African who wound up here in London many years ago and then ended up working as Africa Editor in the newsroom of the BBC World Service. He knows the country inside out but is also able to bring a deep level of understanding that comes from his own personal history and experience. In the book Martin and his co-author examine the roots of the ANC and move on to ask what kind of force it is now, in a South Africa that is itself changing rapidly. On one hand it’s a familiar story – the liberation force that then confronts a whole new array of challenges when it takes power. But on the other it’s one that lurks uncomfortably below the surface of a country that otherwise has so much to shout about, from its success in hosting the last football World Cup to its inclusion in the thrusting BRICS grouping. The book is sobering, particularly when it deals with questions such as South Africa’s widening inequality, education and economic frustrations. I’d go so far as to say that it is a ‘must read’ for anybody interested in either South Africa or politics and current affairs in modern Africa. Enjoy the interview! PS: The book is due to be published in the US in 2013, although it’s already available in the UK and worldwide on e-readers. PPS: Martin’s blog is here and his twitter handle is @martinplaut (my own is @npw99) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2000, President Robert Mugabe introduced "fast-track land reform" to Zimbabwe in a wave of often violent takeovers of mainly white-owned farms. Led by veterans of the second Chimurenga - the Zimbabwe War of Liberation of the 1960s and 1970s - the takeover was seen internationally as a disaster. It was widely reported that cronyism and corruption meant only the country's politically-connected elite were benefiting from the land reform programme, and in the process were leading Zimbabwe's lucrative agricultural export industry into freefall. But what is the situation a decade on? Martin Plaut travels across Zimbabwe to investigate new research which suggests that farm production levels are recovering. He meets some of Zimbabwe's new black farmers - some of whom took part in the land seizures - who reveal how land reform has transformed their lives. He also examines the fortunes of Zimbabwe's remaining white farmers and the black farm workers they employed and asks if country's wider economy has recovered from the massive disruption caused by land reform. Reporter: Martin Plaut Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith.

In South Africa a mining company whose owners include the grandson of Nelson Mandela and the nephew of President Jacob Zuma has left thousands of its employees without work and, they claim, without pay. Back in 2009 the company, Aurora Empowerment Systems, bid R605 million (£55 million) to take over two gold mines on the outskirts of Johannesburg, despite having no experience in mining industry. Aurora promised steady jobs, housing and bursaries for miners' children. The reality has been poverty, despair and even suicide, and mining unions claim the company still owes workers around R12 million in unpaid wages (£1.1 million). Aurora denies this, and says they have paid 80 per cent of the outstanding salaries. Martin Plaut travels to South Africa and sees first hand the personal despair of the affected mine workers, and learns how the Aurora debacle has created a schism between the ruling ANC party and the working-class black South African voters, who feel the country's political elite no longer care about their plight. Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith.

The unrest sweeping north Africa and the Middle East reaches Bahrain and Bill Law explains some of the tension in this island kingdom. Paul Adams travels through Egypt to see if calm is returning after the recent disturbances. As a momentous election approaches in Ireland, Fergal Keane says there's a sense of betrayal among the electorate. Robin Lustig travels through Italy in the week its prime minister is told he's facing serious criminal charges and Martin Plaut is in Sudan as the country prepares to split in two. There's a large unresolved question: what will happen to the cattle?

On the eve of celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, the Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CG+HR) hosted a roundtable discussion at King's College, Cambridge, with leading academics on Southern Africa - Stephen Ellis, Saul Dubow and Jocelyn Alexander - and Paul Trewhela, the author of a provocative new book 'Inside Quatro' on the human rights records of the ANC and SWAPO in exile. Chaired by the BBC World Service's Africa Editor, Martin Plaut.

On the eve of celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, the Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CG+HR) hosted a roundtable discussion at King's College, Cambridge, with leading academics on Southern Africa - Stephen Ellis, Saul Dubow and Jocelyn Alexander - and Paul Trewhela, the author of a provocative new book 'Inside Quatro' on the human rights records of the ANC and SWAPO in exile. Chaired by the BBC World Service's Africa Editor, Martin Plaut.

Seventy years after the start of the Second World War the overwhelming impression is of a conflict fought on the battlefields of Europe by white troops. Britain's war effort was bolstered by soldiers from the white Commonwealth – Australia, Canada and New Zealand and later by the United States. The war in the Far East is often overlooked, as is the fighting that took place in Africa. Yet one million African troops participated in the conflict, fighting their way through the jungles of Burma, across the Libyan deserts and in the skies over London. In this documentary we hear first hand from the African troops who participated in the war – and who played a critical part in freeing the world from the threat of fascism. Martin Plaut reports.

The BBC's Africa editor Martin Plaut sets out to examine serious new allegations of corruption and wrongdoing within the United Nations' peacekeeping operations.