Brass, Conrad, Colonies

Studio 360

Long after the European powers pulled out of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, we still find echoes of colonialism in literature, music, and photography. This hour is our contribution to the Public Radio Collaboration’s “Think Global,” a week of programming across radio networks and local stations. Studio 360 will trace the beginnings of an interdependent world in the race to empire that began in the 16th century. We’ll look at how British-style brass bands have become a centerpiece of Indian weddings. And we’ll hear about Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, a novel set in colonial Africa that still warns us about overreaching around the world. Plus: a Hasidic Jewish reggae singer tells us how he got that way, and we drop on in Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell talking frankly about what it’s like to wage Star Wars.

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