Podcast
The Comb
Fri, March 24 2023 12:05:00 GMT
BBC World Service
Episodes
24 Mar
Striking gold
“This is a diamond!”: In 2017, two young miners, Komba and Saffea, struck gold. They uncovered a huge 709 carat diamond - the ‘Peace Diamond’ - worth millions of dollars, in Sierra Leone. It was a dream come true for them both. They were rich beyond their wildest dreams. And then, their dream began to unravel.
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Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com
Produced by Mary Goodhart 17 Mar
Am I in a cult?
“I was losing myself”: When Mbali was introduced to a new church through a bible study group she was excited at the prospect of finding a new religious community. But as she became more involved with the church, she began questioning some of their unusual teachings and approaches. It left her asking the question ‘Am I in a cult?’ Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think.
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Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com 10 Mar
Not guilty
Accusations, imprisonment, and vindication: The lie that changed Ishmail's life, taking away his freedom, and breaking up his family in Malawi. Nearly 20 years later, Ishmail reflects on the painful reality of being falsely accused.
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Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com
Produced by Mary Goodhart 03 Mar
Parenting and punishment
“My dad beat me.” How the physical punishment of a child changed the lives of a Nigerian family forever. Behaviour which was the norm for a mother who grew up in Nigeria was treated as assault in the UK.
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Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com 24 Feb
Lives in limbo
‘Dadaab is a prison’: Making a life in Africa’s largest refugee camp. When Anab and Mark came to Dadaab as refugees fleeing conflict, they thought the camp would be a temporary shelter. Three decades on, they are now both raising their families in the camp with no hope of relocation and no home to return to.
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Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com
Produced by Aisha Afrah 17 Feb
Finding Humanism
A different kind of faith: Navigating life as a non-believer in a highly religious society can be deeply lonely. Leo and Balm both found community and belonging in Humanism - a form of atheism which strives for a life of meaning and purpose anchored in the strength of humankind.
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Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com
Produced by Mary Goodhart 10 Feb
When violence goes viral
Ethiopians on social media have been dealing with a wave of violent and graphic content in recent years. Multiple conflicts have seen violent pictures and videos regularly shared online, often alongside threats, hate speech, or disinformation.
For Moti, this hit close to home in a devastating way when his father was the target of a political killing, and pictures of his dead body were posted on social media.
Rehobot also shares her experience of combating this online hate through fact-checking, but how exposing herself to so much violent content eventually impacted her mental health.
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Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com
Produced by Rob Wilson 03 Feb
Motherhood, mania and me
‘She’s not my baby’: How giving birth triggered a woman’s mental health crisis, leaving her desperate, delusional and detached from reality. Chebet found herself on a journey of illness and recovery, after her ‘baby blues’ morphed into something much darker. How do women embrace motherhood after postpartum psychosis?
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Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com
Produced by Kim Chakanetsa 27 Jan
Mogadishu’s daughter
Ready to run: Aisha’s story of a childhood shaped by conflict in Somalia, and her complicated journey to finding herself and finding peace. How do you navigate a normal life after a childhood of “chaos and conflict”?
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Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com
Produced by Mary Goodhart 20 Jan
Who is Shebeleza?
Unmasking online hate: How the courage of a domestic abuse survivor won her an unlikely alliance in the fight against misogyny and gender-based violence in Namibia.
Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think.
#TheComb
Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com
Produced by Mary Goodhart