The State We're In, 11 December 2010. After a British man was taken hostage in Colombia, he becomes friends with one of his captors, surprising everyone - including himself. An auto-rickshaw driver in Bangalore, India returns lost jewellery to rich passengers and saves a woman from being assaulted: all in a day’s work. And the reunion of a mother in Uruguay with her son... after 26 years.
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My kidnapper, my friend
In 2003, Mark Henderson (pictured above) was taken hostage while trekking in the Colombian mountains. What had started as an innocent tourist adventure, ended up as 101 terrifying days of captivity. Yet Mark eventually was eventually freed and made his way back home to the UK where the unlikeliest of friendships awaited him. Eleven months after his release Mark got an email. It was from one of his kidnappers in Colombia. What followed was a five year correspondence that eventually drew Mark and his fellow backpacker hostages back to Colombia for what turned out to be a surprisingly touching reunion.
Video: excerpt from Mark Henderson's film My Kidnapper - the hostages meet with the families that have been displaced from the mountains where they were held. As one of them tells her story, it becomes obvious they've met her before.
Sara and Simón
In the 1970s and 80s, military dictatorships in South America waged a brutal war against thousands of left-wing activists. Sara Méndez in Uruguay was one of them. She was abducted in 1976 and separated from her 20-day-old son, Simón. After being held for 5 years as a political prisoner, Sara began to look for Simón. It took her 26 years to find him.
Rickshaw hero
Shiv Kumar used to drive an auto-rickshaw in Bangalore, India. He didn’t make enough money, his days were long and dirty, and yet he’s unfailingly kind and thoughtful. In fact, he’s received many awards for having returned gold jewellery to passengers and rescued a woman from being assaulted. A poet and singer, and now radio presenter, Shiv tells host Jonathan Groubert why kindness is his chosen route.
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I'm trying to imagine that my sister or brother is one of those hostages who NEVER came back alive, and I'm trying to imagine watching Mark's film. I think I would vomit.
During your broadcast with Mark Henderson, you played music duing the interludes, do you happen to have a list of what was played, it was beautiful and lovely. Thanks
David, we're looking into this for you. If you can reply and tell us the point - in minutes and seconds - where the music is playing on the player above, that would help, thanks.
How did Simon react to the information that the father who had raised him had beaten and imprisoned his mother and then stolen him from her? Has Sara interacted with Simon's adoptive parents at all?
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