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Kate Adie introduces reports on Rwanda's elections, bride stealing in Chechnya, Georgian patriotism, rarely-seen photos of Fidel Castro and the threatened gardens of Berlin.

Andrew Harding reports on Rwanda's presidential election, due on Monday. There's no real doubt who'll win. In the last election, President Paul Kagame took more than ninety percent of the vote. And he's faced no major challenge this time round. Rwanda lives in the shadow of the 1994 genocide that swept away eight-hundred-thousand lives.

The Russian republic of Chechnya is now supposed to be at peace. And the war-torn capital, Grozny, is being impressively rebuilt. But killings and disappearances are still common. Over the years, large numbers of Chechens have left their troubled homeland. Many of these exiles chose to leave, but as Lucy Ash has been hearing..others were given no option.

This time two years ago tensions in the Caucasus exploded. Moscow sided with the tiny territory of South Ossetia in a war with Georgian forces. And within days the Russians had won a crushing victory. But the Georgians have forgotten nothing. They see themselves as victims of vast injustice. And as Tom Esslemont explains, they're passing that message on to the next generation....

The Cuban revolution was played out very much in front of the cameras. Photographers made the revolutionary leaders famous around the world. But in Havana, Christine Finn came across a less well-known cache of images. And they shed light on a friendship between Fidel Castro and a remarkable Cuban explorer and adventurer.

On hot summer days the parks and gardens in Europe's cities seem more valuable than ever. The islands of greenery are a refuge in the heat of the concrete sea. And the heart of the German capital, Berlin is blessed with many allotment and garden areas. But now, as Joanna Robertson has been finding out, some of these open spaces are in danger of being lost.

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30 minutes

Last on

Sat 7 Aug 2010 11:30

Chapters

  • Introduction

    Duration: 00:25

  • Holding Rwanda together

    As the country prepares for national elections, Andrew Harding finds that the genocide of 1994 still shapes the nation's politics.

    Duration: 05:50

  • Stolen brides and life in exile

    Over the years, large numbers of Chechens have left their troubled homeland. Many chose to leave but, as Lucy Ash discovered in Kazakhstan, others were given no option.

    Duration: 05:22

  • Lingering resentment in Georgia

    Two years after the Russians sided with the tiny territory of South Ossetia and crushed Georgian foces, Tom Esslemont hears how feelings of injustice are being passed on to the next generation.

    Duration: 05:02

  • Inside Castro's revolutionary hideout

    Christine Finn says an unpublished archive of photographs of Fidel Castro and his fellow revolutionaries paints a fascinating picture of their life in the caves and mountain hideouts of Cuba.

    Duration: 05:36

  • The battle for Berlin's gardens

    Having sustained the inhabitants for more than a 100 years, Berlin's urban gardens are struggling to survive the property developers, as Joanna Robertson discovered.

    Duration: 05:28

Broadcast

  • Sat 7 Aug 2010 11:30