Exchanges - Ideas And Argument Podcast

The recent upsurge in violence against foreigners, mostly from elsewhere in Africa, is raising fears that xenophobic attacks in South Africa are on the rise. Political leaders from across party divides have been accused of tapping into existing anti-African sentiment and have helped create a hostile environment and stoked anti-immigrant sentiment for political gain rather than addressing the issues of poverty and job creation. But where does this Afrophobic violence have its roots and what does it mean for its relationships with neighbouring countries across the continent?

Nigeria is one of the world’s largest oil producers, but national infrastructure, youth unemployment and insecurity are huge challenges for its civilian government. Jihadist attacks and separatist movements threaten to tear the country apart and despite being the biggest economy south of the Sahara, extreme poverty is very high. What next for Nigeria?The BBC’s Toyosi Ogunseye is joined by a panel of leading politicians and opinion formers for a public debate in Lagos, the country’s largest city.The panel: Chude Jideonwo, Social Entrepreneur Dr Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, Professor of Mass Communication, University of Lagos Joe Igbokwe, Former Lagos State Spokesman of governing APC Aisha Yesufu, Human Rights ActivistBBC World Questions is a series of international events created in partnership with the British Council.

This month, World Questions comes to Lisbon to bring together leading politicians and the public to discuss the issues that matter to Portuguese people: education and public health services, the environment, housing, tourism and how best to grow the economy. The programme, which will be presented by the BBC’s Manuela Saragosa, will be recorded in front of an audience at the CCB Cultural Centre in Lisbon.

Gun rights, racism, climate change, impeachment are some of the big issues convulsing the United States. In downtown Houston, Congressman Joaquin Castro, Judge Lina Hidalgo, Congressman Randy Weber and State Senator Joan Huffman join Jonny Dymond to debate questions raised by the audience in Houston. BBC World Questions is a series of international events created in partnership with the British Council.

In the last few days Turkey has launched an air and ground offensive in Northern Syria and this unilateral decision has been widely condemned that’s been widely condemned with the European Union urging Turkey to end its offensive. What implications does this have for Turkey’s future role as a power in the region? Zeinab Badawi travels to Istanbul to find out. Turkey has long been at the crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia – a crucial gateway between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a nation that is pivotal economically, militarily and strategically. It’s a key member of NATO, but feels undervalued by the United States. It wants membership of the EU, but feels snubbed and spurned by Brussels, despite its help in stemming the flow of Syrian refugees into Europe. So now Turkey is being courted by Eastern powers, Russia and China in particular. Zeinab and guests will take questions from a local audience. Panel: HUSEYIN ALP-TEKIN works at SETA, which is a think tank that supports gover

In a world already facing the challenges of exploding population growth and climate change, will super-rich global elites foster resentment, dangerous discontent and political populism? Zeinab Badawi discusses the issues with a high-profile panel at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers event in New York

Worries about jobs, inequality, waste, corruption and issues such as the country's elephant population and the decriminalisation of homosexuality give the sense that Botswana is at a turning point, and the opposition and the government are both promising change. World Questions comes to Botswana for a vibrant debate in the heat of an election campaign. The BBC's Toyosi Ogunseye is joined by a panel of leading politicians and thinkers as well as an audience of the public in Gaborone, the country's capital.

Anu Anand and a panel of leading correspondents from around the world discuss the big political trends of the year. The rise of populist political parties, Brexit, powerful leaders and immigration are just some of the big issues up for discussion. Panellists include Ethiopian journalist and editor of The Addis Standard, Tsedale Lemma; Susan Glasser from the New Yorker; and BBC Europe correspondent Kevin Connolly.

Multiculturalism was once the dream of many countries around the world, encouraging ethnically diverse cultures to live side by side in harmony. But critics say that dream has failed: that too many communities live separately – pursuing segregation rather than integration, fuelling dangerous resentment. Can you have a multi-racial, multi-faith society, without forcing people of different cultures to assimilate?

What does the left wing Social Democratic Party's narrow victory mean for Finland?

World Questions comes to Ethiopia at a crucial time in the country’s history. Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, has initiated a series of unprecedented reforms in his first year in office. He's made peace with Eritrea, freed 60,000 political prisoners, unbanned opposition groups and appointed women to half his cabinet. The BBC’s Jonathan Dimbleby is joined by a panel of leading Ethiopian politicians in a debate led by questions from the audience.

As European leaders meet to discuss Britain’s request for more time to leave the European Union, a special edition of Europe, Have Your Say with Chloe Tilley joins radio stations throughout Europe to hear what people are making of the Brexit dilemma.

China’s extraordinary economic boom is finally cooling. And it’s locked into a damaging trade war with the United States. Is the Chinese economic miracle grinding to a halt? If so, what will be the impact on the global economy? Could it even trigger another financial crisis?

The deep divisions of Brexit Britain are explored with a raucous London audience and an expert panel. A further referendum? The Prime Minister's withdrawal deal? How has voting to leave the European Union affected Britain’s standing in the world? BBC World Questions is in the capital to debate some of the contentious issues that are still dividing the UK.

Following a popular and peaceful uprising last year, the country’s new Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, won over 70% of the vote at recent elections. He says his political bloc will now lead an economic revolution that will help pull many of its people out of poverty. How will the new government deliver this transformation? Will it balance growth and investment with environmental concerns? And what will drive Armenia’s foreign policy goals?

Some believe Europe is more divided than ever. After years of austerity and migration, populists are on the rise in countries like Italy, framing politics as a battle between ordinary voters and a corrupt European ‘establishment’. But the continent is also divided over how to move forward in a world where rising economic powerhouses threaten to dominate. Zeinab Badawi and her panel - Hugh Bronson from Germany’s AFD party, Marta Grande from Italy’s 5Star Movement, Anna Maria Corazza Bildt from the European People’s Party and Pauline Bock, a French journalist and political commentator - take questions from an audience in Rome about the future of the continent.

The cannabis industry, reparations for slavery, how to tackle the fourth highest murder rate in the world: World Questions is in Jamaica to debate the big issues of a country which despite its problems has a host of successes in fields as diverse as academia, athletics, literature and reggae music.

Brazil’s burning issues are discussed with an audience of Brazilians at the Cultura Inglesa in São Paulo. Jonny Dymond and a panel of leading politicians and commentators tackle the recent election of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, the environment, racism and crime.

India’s key issues are hotly debated with a Delhi audience at the British Council’s HQ. Anu Anand and a panel of leading politicians and commentators tackle jobs, pollution, fake news and the controversy over spending $430m building the world’s tallest statue.

Following a swing to the right in elections last year, Austria is governed by a coalition between the ruling Conservative People’s Party and the far-right Freedom Party. It has taken over the presidency of the Council of the European Union with the motto, “A Europe that protects”, with a focus on efforts to prevent illegal immigration into the EU. Jonathan Dimbleby chairs a public debate on Austria’s political and economic future at the Theatre Museum in Vienna.