Africa

Deported U.S. Veterans Speak Out Against Treatment by Feds

March 30, 2018: The Texas Civil Rights Project estimates that in total, about 3,000 U.S. military veterans have been deported from the country, though the Department of Homeland Security does not officially keep track. Hector Barajas, once such veteran, operates a safehouse in Tijuana, Mexico, nicknamed "The Bunker." The storefront functions as a makeshift asylum for veterans deported to Mexico. Barajas served in the military for six years when he was expelled from the U.S. after serving two years in prison due to a weapons charge. The Takeaway brings you to Barajas, who speaks about the way undocumented veterans are treated by the federal government. Plus, the state of the #MeToo movement in Africa; an 'overlooked' woman some call Korea's Joan of Arc; and the selection of a white woman to curate African art at the Brooklyn Museum.

Deported U.S. Veterans Speak Out Against Treatment by Feds

The remorseful executioner.

August 08, 2017: Frank Thompson is the former superintendent of the Oregon State Penitentiary, where he oversaw and conducted executions. Now, he works as an advocate against the death penalty. He shares his story today. Plus, The Takeaway examines the turmoil in Venezuela, why some say the Trump Administration is playing politics with nursing homes, elections in Kenya and Detroit, and strategies for cutting the U.S. prison population in half. 

The remorseful executioner.
Cape Town, South Africa, waterfront

Bumps along South Africa's yellow BRIC road

South Africans' hopes and expectations that their country might become a democratic and economic leader in Africa, helped by a strong relationship with China and membership in the BRICS group — a collection of big countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) expected to emerge as economic leaders in this century — haven't turned out quite as planned. South Africa dipped into recession this year, has unemployment near 30 percent, and a deeply unpopular and, many South Africans say, ineffective president, Jacob Zuma. What happened, what now, and what do South Africans make of the similarities they see between their president, and President Donald Trump? Host Mary Kay Magistad reports from South Africa.
Bumps along South Africa's yellow BRIC road
Dandal Kura Radio International Logo

Radio Free(ing) Africa

An unsung weapon against terrorism that has proven successful in Africa is the power of the airwaves — shortwave radio reaching people with reliable information, and programming that helps educate them, connect them and imagine a different kind of future. The ubiquity of cellphones allows people in conflict regions to call in, challenge abuses of power and have a voice. That's worked in the Congo, with Radio Okapi. It's working now in areas where Boko Haram has been active in West Africa, and the new Dandal Kura radio network is now broadcasting. Host Mary Kay Magistad talks with her old editor and friend David Smith, who helped set up both.
Radio Free(ing) Africa

A White House in Crisis, Inside Immigration Detention, Love Letters to Africa

May 17, 2017:

1. Comey's Bombshell Memo Triggers Growing 'Firestorm' (13 min)

2. Israelis Keep a Close Eye on Trump's Classified Intel Leak (7 min)

3. Love Letters to Africa (7 min)

4. Cholera Outbreak Hits Yemen (3 min)

5. Voices from Inside Immigration Detention 11 min

A White House in Crisis, Inside Immigration Detention, Love Letters to Africa