Main content

A Sunny Place for Shady People

The stories behind news events in Morocco, India, South Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Gaza

Long Eccentric expats once came to Tangier in search of sun, sea, gay sex and drugs. Today only their ghosts remain as the Moroccan authorities try to find for their country a successful balance between Islam and the West. Peace and prosperity never quite arrived when South Sudan won its independence from Sudan four years ago. But, despite tensions, people on both sides of the border still often depend on each other -- these are long-standing, if complicated, bonds. We travel to Dubai to examine a claim that this Islamic nation is a place where people of other faiths can practise their religion without fear of harassment or rebuke. The Parsis used to enjoy leading roles in Indian society. Today, their numbers are declining sharply and we're in Mumbai looking at a glorious past and wondering if the Indian government will have any success in its attempt to prevent a truly distinctive community from fading away altogether. And family life in Gaza: how the rituals of life -- working, eating and courtship -- continue amid the ruins of last year's war.

Available now

28 minutes

Podcast