Sounds like a local situation change, Ish. Bird patterns change. This show looks good.
FRONTLINE
pbs.org
+ This Week: "Forbidden Iran," Thurs., Jan. 8, at 9 p.m. on PBS (check
local listings).
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We were just finishing up our lead story for this week's episode of
FRONTLINE/World, "Forbidden Iran," when that horrific earthquake
devastated the city of Bam in the Islamic Republic, claiming more than
25,000 lives. In response to the massive disaster, the U.S. suspended
some sanctions against Iran and provided a measure of relief aid, which
Iran accepted. But Washington's relations with Iran's theocratic
government remain severely strained. The Bush administration still calls
Iran part of the "Axis of Evil," and is demanding that the government
hand over alleged members of al-Qaeda, give up its nuclear pursuits, and
stop the suppression of political dissent.
We sent correspondent Jane Kokan to Iran to report on the opposition
movement, where students are leading the drive to gain greater freedom
for Iranian citizens. Risking her own safety, Kokan travels undercover
as an archaeologist interested in ancient Iranian ruins. She escapes the
constant surveillance of the Iranian authorities to record exclusive
interviews with students and activists who have been victims of the
regime's repression.
"When you are first arrested, you are put in these solitary cells which
are 1 meter by 2 meters," one Iranian student, arrested four times,
tells Kokan. "[You're] left alone for months, and they force you to make
false confessions."
Kokan makes contact with other movement leaders who talk of personally
witnessing murders of student activists. All the while, Kokan follows in
the footsteps of Canadian journalist Zhara Kazemi, who just months
before Kokan's visit was beaten to death in an Iranian prison for
attempting to report on Iran's suppression of the student movement.
Kokan returned safely, but brought back a chilling report from a country
in turmoil.
On our Web site learn more about the history of protest and change in
Iran, and read interviews with both reporter Kokan and one of her
interview subjects, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, who has taken
on the case of slain journalist Zahra Kazemi.
Also in this episode: The story of a shipwreck and an environmental
disaster -- a spill that spewed nearly twice as much oil as the infamous
Exxon Valdez. It took place off the coast of Spain in November 2002, and
was a huge story in Europe, but largely ignored here in the United
States. Part of our mission at FRONTLINE/World is to expand the horizons
of our viewers, and we think the saga of the Prestige, an aging oil
tanker, is well worth your attention.
FRONTLINE/World reporter Mark Schapiro pieces together the hidden
history of the tanker and its final journey, unlocking clues to
understanding the secretive and largely unregulated international
maritime industry.
Schapiro obtains faxes sent by the Prestige's former captain, Esfraitos
Kostazos, to the ship's owners and to the Houston-based American Bureau
of Shipping, the classification society that held the contract to
inspect the condition of the Prestige. The documents include complaints
of cracked and corroded beam parts and other warnings that the ship
wasn't seaworthy. The Spanish Government is currently suing ABS for
million over the Prestige disaster, which devastated some of the world's
richest fishing grounds.
In our Web coverage we include a copy of Kostazos's fax and a written
response by ABS, which claims never to have received it. You can also
see a gallery of other ships registered under foreign flags and learn
more about the system critics call "flags of convenience."
Finally, if you are a regular fan of FRONTLINE/World, you know that we
like to borrow veteran music journalist Marco Werman from PRI's The
World to report on world music. For us, he's traveled to Iceland to
survey the pop music scene and to France where he profiled
Jewish/Algerian musician Maurice El Medioni.
This time, in our third and concluding story, "The Exile's Song," Werman
travels to the small country of Belize on the Caribbean Sea to hear the
old roots music of the Garifuna people. Descendants of West African
slaves, the Garifuna settled in Belize two centuries ago, after the
British forced them off the island of St. Vincent. Today the Garifuna
are on the United Nation's list of endangered cultures and languages.
Werman meets one of the last great Paranda musicians, Paul Nabor, as
well as some of the younger musicians of the more upbeat Punta Rock, who
are trying to preserve the musical tradition of the Garifuna.
Listen to a preview of the music, check local listings, and, after the
broadcast on Thursday, let us know what you think of our stories. It's
all live and available at:
pbs.org
Thanks for watching.
Sincerely,
Stephen Talbot
Series Editor |
