As we become more connected and mobile than ever, BBC World News and BBC World Service examine how our individual identities are changing. A month long series of content looks at how the movement of people and the increasing exchange of ideas and information are changing who we are and how we live.
Throughout April, BBC World News, BBC World Service and bbc.com will host a range of programmes, short videos, live events and audience interactions – on air, online, and on social media – to share people’s experiences and intimate accounts of everyday life. The season will unravel a complex picture of human life where factors like the technology we use, our choice of music, our looks, language and gender are being influenced by this changing world. Content will be created in different languages and shared across the World Service’s 28 language services, and available at bbc.com/identity.
Using social media in different languages and the hashtag #bbcidentity, we will invite global audiences throughout the season to share their experiences and send in answers to the question “How is your identity changing?” By joining in they will become part of a worldwide conversation on whether we are changing as the world changes around us.
On Monday 18th April in London, the BBC World Service will offer a rare opportunity for our audience to experience the emotions and feelings around this topic, by bringing Identity alive through the performance of literature, music and dance theatre.
As part of the season the BBC will reveal the findings of a specially commissioned global poll on what matters most about identity and whether globally we feel increasingly like global citizens.
Director of World Service Group, Francesca Unsworth says: “The old certainties of gender, family, community and culture are all being questioned as never before. At a time when we can connect with each other further and faster, the season looks at different topics – from smart phones to smart hairstyles – and how globalisation is giving us all more choices but also raising more questions on identity.”
The programmes and reports come from all corners of the world including Bangladesh, Cyprus, Dubai, India, Iraq, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa and the US. Highlights from the Identity season include:
World on the Move (1/2 April)
BBC World Service, BBC World News and bbc.com/identity
People are moving as never before around the world for a range of reasons. World on the Move is a multiplatform project across TV, radio, online and social media which captures glimpses into the lives of passengers passing through Dubai Airport, the world’s busiest international hub, which connects 260 destinations. Featuring interviews with a range of passengers from every corner of the globe, World on the Move gives an insight into how diverse we are and how wide-ranging our reasons for travelling are.
Default World (2/3 April)
BBC World Service
This one hour documentary looks at how the ethics, philosophies and lifestyles of the tech elite influences the way we live all over the world and asks what choice the rest of us have in the matter. As internet technology is changing our lives irrevocably, David Baker travels to Silicon Valley, California, to find out what makes the internet pioneers tick.
Identity Season at the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival (3 April)
BBC World Service
On Sunday 3rd April between 14:00 and 16:00 BST, the BBC World Service will broadcast a special live programme looking at how ideas on Identity are being discussed at the Oxford Literary Festival. Presenters Anu Anand, Jamie Coomarasamy and Jo Fidgen will be hosting interviews and debates featuring international authors and thinkers, performers and festival-goers.
The Salon (from 8/9 April)
BBC World Service, BBC World News and bbc.com/identity
How we look – right down to our hairstyles – are being reshaped and remodelled by global ideas of fashion. But it is also an intimate decision which reflects who that women is, or who she wishes to be. The Salon takes you inside personal stories which very few people ever hear – stories of identity and womanhood revealed in the intimate, frank and sometimes secret conversations between a hairdresser and their client. From Beirut to London, Tokyo to Johannesburg, step inside The Salon for insights into race, sexuality, gender, beauty, class and money around the world.
Alongside this one hour radio programme for BBC World Service, a series of first-person videos by the women we have met will feature on BBC World News and will be shared on BBC News Online, as well as on the BBC News YouTube & Facebook pages and as part of the BBC Three Daily Drop playlist.
Trading Hair (13 April)
BBC World Service, BBC World News and bbc.com/identity
Thousands of tons of hair are sold in India every year with hundreds of women queuing up at the Hindu temple in Tirumala to have their locks cut off by the temple barbers. The global business is lucrative and growing rapidly with South Africa emerging as a key market. In this half hour radio programme Justine Lang embarks on a journey of discovery to find out why women in India sacrifice their natural hair and why an increasing number of South African women want to buy it.
Forgotten Girls of Dhaka (23 April)
BBC World Service, BBC World News and bbc.com/identity
If you are poor, and faced with limited choices, what kind of life will you lead compared to others? In the globalized world of opportunity, many of us are discovering and shaping our identities through new possibilities, while others less fortunate are having their identities shaped by circumstances out of their control. Farhana Haider enters the world of a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh to meet a group of teenage girls who were married and then abandoned by their husbands before they even reached 16 years old. Are their identities now fixed for the rest of their lives? What chances do they have to define who are they are? How does the tight-knit slum community hinder or help shape the girls’ futures? For the BBC World Service Identity season, Farhana hears them explain in their own words who they are and what they think the future holds.
Transgender: Back to Jamaica
BBC World News
Steffan and Romario are two transgender friends who take a life-changing journey from Britain to reveal their new identities to their families in Jamaica, where they both grew up. Jamaica is one of the most transphobic places in the world. Despite the potential risk to their safety and without knowing what reaction they’ll get from their relatives, the friends are determined to be open about who they are.
Intelligence Squared Debate: Society Must Recognise Trans People’s Gender Identities
BBC World News
Chaired by Simon Longstaff from the St James Ethics Centre in front of an audience in Sydney, Australia. Arguing for the motion are Peter Hyndal, Director of Transformative Solutions – an organisation providing gender related policy advice and training – and Andrea James – a transgender advocate, writer, film producer and director based in Los Angeles. Arguing against the motion are John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy, St Andrew’s University, Scotland and Bronwyn Winter, Associate Professor, University of Sydney.
The Why Factor: Dolly, Dylan, or Daft Punk (23 April)
BBC World Service
In a one hour special programme for The Why Factor series Gemma Cairney investigates the origins of our taste in music and what influences it. The programme asks what makes fans so passionate about the music they enjoy and why some music “travels” beyond borders and around the world while other music stays popular in its place of origin.
Beyond Binary (23 April)
BBC World Service
In communities around the globe, intersex, genderqueer and bi-gender people are rejecting the categories of ‘male’ and ‘female’, and attempting to re-define gender identity. Beyond Binary, a one hour documentary for BBC World Service, asks if being ‘gender-neutral’ breaks the last identity taboo, and explores the challenges it creates for the law, society and conventional concepts about the very nature of gender.
Artsnight: Black Culture with George The Poet
BBC World News
In this episode of Artsnight, George the Poet explores the meaning of black culture in four spoken word chapters and asks what black culture is. Racheal Ofori opens up some black female stereotypes, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Dennis Bovell look back at the beginnings of dub poetry, Professor Paul Gilroy explains some of the history of black diasporas, and Akala likens rap to the works of Shakespeare.
Notes to Editors:
The BBC attracts a weekly global news audience of 283 million people to its international news services including BBC World Service, BBC World News television channel and bbc.com/news. BBC World Service delivers news content around the world in English and 28 other language services, on radio, TV and digital, reaching a weekly audience of 210 million. As part of BBC World Service, BBC Learning English teaches English to global audiences. For more information, visit bbc.com/worldservice. The BBC attracts a weekly global news audience of 283 million people to its international news services including BBC World Service, BBC World News television channel and bbc.com/news.
BBC World News and BBC.com, the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour English news platforms, are owned and operated by BBC Global News Ltd. BBC World News television is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and 433 million households and 1.8 million hotel rooms. The channel’s content is also available on 178 cruise ships, 53 airlines and 23 mobile phone networks. BBC.com offers up-to-the minute international news and in-depth analysis for PCs, tablets and mobile devices to more than 85 million unique browsers each month.
Radio & TV
2024 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) to air LIVE on DStv
MTV has announced the 2024 “VMAs” will make its return to New York on Tuesday, September 10th at the UBS Arena. Airing LIVE on MTV, DStv Channel 130 on Wednesday, 11 September at 1:00am WAT and 2:00am CAT around the world in more than 150 countries. This year’s global fan-filled phenomenon will celebrate the best music videos of the past year with supersized performances, epic tributes, and unforgettable appearances from the world’s biggest celebrities.
“We’re excited to bring this year’s VMAs to UBS Arena, one of the country’s newest and most cutting edge venues,” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+. “Celebrating one of music’s biggest nights with the incredible, robust New York area fans is something we’ve been looking forward to since the moment last year’s show ended.”
“It’s an honor to host MTV and the VMAs at UBS Arena,” said Mark Shulman, Senior Vice President of Programming, UBS Arena. “This is the culmination of bringing a world class event to a venue that offers state of the art capabilities and the best in fan amenities. We look forward to welcoming this year’s top artists, fans, and viewers worldwide to experience our arena and campus at Belmont Park.”
“We are excited to welcome back the MTV Video Music Awards to New York State,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “From its origins at Radio City Music Hall in 1984 to this September’s event at the UBS Arena, the VMAs continue to captivate millions, showcasing the very best in music video artistry. As we prepare to host this 40th anniversary event, let’s embrace the spirit of creativity and innovation that defines our state’s cultural landscape.”
The “VMAs” will air across MTV’s global footprint of linear and digital platforms in more than 150 countries and territories, reaching over 319 million households.
Additional details will be announced closer to the show. Follow @MTV and @VMAs on social to keep up with all-things #VMAs.
Radio & TV
Who is the Real “Kitchen Mama”??? Bolanle Omotayo of Schneider Electric and Yemisi Obe of Grandios Pap Compete in a fierce Pasta Battle on Episode 3 of Cooking With GameChangers
It’s a battle for the best on the new episode of Cooking With Game Changers!
On this episode, Bolanle Omotayo, Marketing & Communications Manager at Schneider Electric, Anglophone West Africa, and Yemisi Obe, Founder of Grandios Pap, slug it out for the Ultimate GameChanger title by preparing their unique versions of pasta.
A day in the life of these GameChangers is explored after which they battle in the kitchen for the title of “Ultimate GameChanger” even as our Judges M.I Abaga, Kaffy and Captain Toba determine who wears the crown. Daniel Etim-Effiong, the show host, makes their time on Cooking with GameChangers extremely delightful.
Who will win this episode? Watch now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Watch a day in the life of Bolanle Omotayo of Schneider Electrics- https:/www.youtube.com/watch?
Watch a day in the life of Yemisi Obe of Grandios Pap – https://www.youtube.com/watch?
You can watch previous episodes of Cooking with GameChangers here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?
Cooking with GameChangers follows a-day–in-the-life of a top corporate executive and entrepreneur who ends up in the Cooking with GameChangers kitchen for a cook-off supervised/judged by celebrity host, Daniel Etim-Effiong and judges M.I Abaga, Kaffy, and Captain Toba.
Cooking with GameChangers is a spinoff of Nigeria’s most syndicated talk show, “Binging With GameChangers” which garners over 60 million monthly viewers and airs on TV stations nationwide.
Watch the latest episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Subscribe to YouTube Channel: @B2GNetwork
Watch the show every weekend on TV stations nationwide:
SATURDAYS:
NTA Network: Saturdays at 10.30 AM
Silverbird: Saturdays at 1.30 PM
Views Channel: Saturday 6:30 PM; Repeat: Mondays at 9:30 PM; Wednesdays at 9 PM
SUNDAYS:
Africa Magic Family: Sundays at 3.30 PM: Repeat: Wednesdays at 1.30 PM
TVC: Sundays at 5.30 PM
NTA2: Sundays at 5.30 PM
Wazobia Max: Sundays at 5.30 PM; Repeat Mondays at 7 PM
Wazobia TV: Sundays at 5.30 PM; Repeat: Mondays at 7 PM
Follow the show across social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@
LinkedIn: @CookingwithGameChangers
Cooking with GameChangers is proudly supported by Power Oil, 2Sure and Aquafina.
Media Partners: BellaNaija, Pulse.ng and Ameyaw Debrah.
Radio & TV
Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio this Friday with Ruger & BNXN
This Week’s Episode Features a Conversation With Ruger and Bnxn, the 5 Hottest Tracks of the Week, Africa Rising and Nandi Madida’s Favourite Track of the Week!
Tune in to Africa Now Radio with Nandi Madida this Friday, April 19th 9a Lagos/London / 10a Johannesburg/Paris / 1a LA / 4a NYC on Apple Music 1 and broadcast on YFM Accra every Sunday at 2pm, YFM Kumasi on Saturdays at 3pm and YFM Takoradi on Saturdays at 6pm.
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Radio & TV
Watch Trailer: The Real Housewives of Nairobi is back for S2
Radio & TV
Turn your home into a wonderland of fun with DStv’s 30 days of free Kids Channels
The school bells may be resting, but DStv entertainment bells are ringing even louder! This school holiday season, we’re gifting DStv Access customers and up with 30 days of access to all our kids channels, offered at no additional cost from Friday 12 April to Saturday 11 May. It’s our way of adding more fun and more choice to your family’s holiday entertainment.
This holiday, DStv’s line-up is more than just television; it’s a doorway to new worlds that spark imagination and joy. Join our favourite feline hero in the daring adventures of The Adventures of Puss in Boots on Dreamworks, as he goes on exciting quests in a quest for redemption, armed with his legendary charm and wit. On the Disney channel, join Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug & Cat Noir as two Parisian teenagers, Marinette and Adrien, transform into the superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir to protect the city from supervillains, all while navigating the challenges of teenage life. And don’t miss the premiere of Lu & the Bally Bunch on Cartoonito, where Lu and her family of lovable creatures explore the magical world of Ballyland, teaching valuable lessons about friendship, empathy, and understanding along the way.
At DStv, we believe in entertainment that educates, inspires, and protects. Our Parental Control feature is developed with your family’s safety in mind, allowing you to personalise your kids’ viewing experience with customisable settings. Whether it’s setting viewing limits or selecting suitable content, DStv empowers you to create a safe viewing environment, giving you peace of mind while the little ones enjoy their holiday to the fullest.
Don’t let this holiday be just another break. Let it be the perfect time for your children to explore, learn, and grow with DStv’s wide variety and carefully curated content. And when the holidays are over, you don’t have to say goodbye to the fun. Stay connected or upgrade your subscription through the MyDStv app, and continue to explore a world where entertainment and education go hand in hand.
If you’re on the go, DStv Stream can guarantee your holiday stays packed with access to educational and entertaining content. Let DStv be the gift that keeps on giving, offering your family with endless options and memories.
Radio & TV
DStv Delivers Choice and Value for Exciting Entertainment Moments In April
Get ready to be glued to your screens this month as DStv brings you an exciting line-up of drama, action, edutainment, and more. With a diverse range of content catering to every taste, DStv ensures that there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Renowned for its commitment to local content, DStv continues to captivate audiences with compelling dramas that strike a chord with viewers nationwide. This month is no exception, as viewers can anticipate on Akwaaba Magic now opened to Access customers the return of Inspector Bediako Mondays at 9pm (Ch. 150), continuing episodes of Ahenfie and endless love stories on Love Notes at 8pm on Sundays.
As usual DStv brings viewers a selection of world’s best international, first to Ghanaian homes, offering customers a carefully scheduled experienced with minimal repeats This month, we’ve made some strategic adjustments to our channel line-up, streamlining it to ensure a more optimised and high-quality programming experience. Now we ensure more quality on the international channels you have remaining.
In April, catch a line-up of top-tier international content, including the gripping political thriller The Regime on M-Net (DStv channel 102), starring the talented Kate Winslet. Get ready for an action-packed adventure as The Flash on MM1 (DStv channel 104) takes superheroes back in time. Delve into the intriguing world of drug smuggling with Narco Wars on National Geographic (DStv channel 181). Don’t miss this April’s unparalleled movie offering of a new movie every day with the specially curated movie channels, including blockbusters and family favourites like Meet Dave starring Eddie Murphy on Studio Universal (DStv channel 112) and Last Seen Alive with Gerard Butler on MM2 (DStv channel 106).
Additionally, DStv continues to be the home of the best sports, with coverage of major events like the FA Cup Semi-Finals on Supersport and plenty other sporting action.
Kids also have a reason to tune in for The Adventures of Puss in Boots on Dreamworks (DStv channel 304) and the wonderful world of Hailey’s On It! on Disney Channel (DStv channel 303) and much more!
Plus, DStv remains your window to the world, with 15 news channels providing comprehensive coverage of African and international events. This comprehensive selection guarantees you’re always informed, entertained, and connected, no matter where you are.
Entertainment across all packages
- Premium package: Unlock over 15 local content channels, alongside flagship sports channels covering everything from Motorsport to Tennis, and over 15 kids’ channels including DreamWorks and Disney Channel.
- Compact+: Enjoy homegrown entertainment and exclusive sports content like UFC and NBA, alongside 14 kids’ channels for endless family fun.
- Compact: Choose from 14 local content channels, and step into the excitement with WWE, offering a blend of entertainment and athleticism, complemented by 10 kids’ channels.
- Family package: Enjoy a wide selection of comedies, dramas, and lifestyle shows, alongside engaging sports content and 10 local content channels.
- Access package: Access over 30 hours of the best local stories and a wide range of sports content, alongside 8 educational and entertaining kids’ channels.
- Lite package: Catch up with local stars and the pulse of sports entertainment with DStv Lite, offering 5 kids’ channels for our youngest viewers.
Stay connected and never miss a moment of your favourite shows and sports. Whether you’re on the move or cosy at home, the MyDStv app is your access point to connect or reconnect to your home of entertainment. With just a few taps, you can manage your account, explore our vast entertainment options, and ensure you’re always up to date with the latest from DStv.
And there’s more – with DStv Stream, your favourite stories are always at your fingertips. No matter where life takes you, you’re covered.
For a complete list of what’s on, be sure to check out your TV Guide on the DStv Website.
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