Homelands Productions :: Worlds of Difference

Worlds of Difference

Exploring the responses of societies with strong local traditions to the pressures and opportunities of a globalizing world. Forty features from 27 countries, plus six hour-long specials and a 60-page website. Broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR), Living on Earth, and Common Ground Radio from 2003 to 2005.

Visit the Worlds of Difference series website

Stories

The Street of the Cauldron Makers (13:26) | Elif Shafak, Sandy Tolan, and Melissa Robbins
Aired October 15, 2005 on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday | Learn more
Modern Turkey emerged in the 1920s as a secular, westernized nation where the rule was always to look forward, never back. But novelist Elif Shafak says even where memories are buried, they have a way of rising to the surface. Shafak takes us on a walking tour of an Istanbul street, where the nation's battles over identity, modernity, ethnicity, and minority rights have played out in miniature over the decades. Produced by Elif Shafak, Sandy Tolan, and Melissa Robbins.

Fighting The Water (7:55) | Melissa Robbins | web only | Learn more
On the tangled braids of earth and marsh that form the Mississippi Delta, the Houma Indians have lived for centuries, isolated by water. But now the land is dissolving beneath their feet, and many Houma fear that their unique culture will dissolve along with it. Some want the tribe to move to higher ground. Others vow to remain until the water takes them away. Produced by Melissa Robbins.

Relearning The Peace (7:55) | Marianne McCune
Aired July 17, 2005 on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday | Learn more
Culturally Burundi's Hutus and Tutsis practice the same religion and speak the same language. Intermarriage is common. But decades of violence have made even the most imaginary differences tragically real. In 2005, voters in Burundi approved a constitution that requires the two groups to share power. For the country's new leaders, that means unlearning bad habits. Marianne McCune attends a retreat for the newly integrated national police.

Bhutan: Seeking the Middle Way (8:26) | Karen Michel
Aired May 20, 2005 on NPR's Living on Earth | Learn more
Perhaps no country on earth has worked as hard as Bhutan to develop on its own terms. For decades, the goal of the tiny Himalayan Buddhist kingdom has been neither to keep pace with the rest of the world nor to hide from it, but rather to increase what King Jigme Singye Wangchuck calls "Gross National Happiness." Karen Michel goes to find out how the Bhutanese are faring.

Café Rebeldía (10:36) | Tatiana Schreiber
Aired May 15, 2005 as part of the Public Radio Collaboration | Learn more
The Mutvitz cooperative in Chiapas, Mexico, sells a portion of its coffee on the growing global "solidarity market." The farmers, who are part of the Zapatista rebel movement, see the coffee business as a way not just to move forward economically, but to strengthen their Mayan heritage. Producer Tatiana Schreiber reports on a visit by American and European buyer-activists.

A Map of The Sea (14:58) | Chris Brookes
Aired January 28, 2005 and August 12, 2005 on NPR's Living on Earth | Learn more
For centuries, the Newfoundland fishery was hailed as the greatest in the world. Then, in 1992, the cod disappeared. Fishing was at the heart of the oldest non-aboriginal culture in the Americas. Now the islanders must find a way to keep that culture from going the way of the cod. Chris Brookes, who lives in Newfoundland, produced this meditation on memory, fishing, music and dance.

Saints and Indians (15:40) | Kate Davidson
Aired January 23, 2005 on NPR's All Things Considered | Learn more
Between 1954 and 2000, tens of thousands of Native American children went to live with Mormon families during the school year. For some, it was a chance to overcome the stresses of reservation life. For others, it was a repudiation of their identity. For everyone, it was a life-changing experience. Kate Davidson spent a year visiting former students, host families, and program officials. Her story was edited by Deborah George.

Cotopaxi Pilgrimage (5:45) | Nancy Hand and Alan Weisman
Aired December 17, 2004 on NPR's Living on Earth | Learn more
For the Tigua Indians of Ecuador, the spectacular 19,000-foot Cotopaxi volcano is both a sheltering spirit and a source of artistic inspiration. But the Tigua stopped visiting their sacred mountain when the government declared it a national park and began charging admission. Recently two Tigua painters led an improvised pilgrimage to the volcano's glacier. Producers Nancy Hand and Alan Weisman went with them.

Kinvara: A Spirit of Place (11:13) | Frank Browning
Aired December 4, 2004 on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday | Learn more
For much of the 20th century, the town of Kinvara, on Ireland's west coast, was rich in charm but poor in just about everything else. Then the Celtic Tiger awoke. Today, Ireland is one of the richest countries in the world, and Kinvara is crawling with developers and speculators. As Frank Browning discovers, the boom has forced the townsfolk to ask tough questions about where they want their community to go.

The Reindeer People (7:45) | Lorne Matalon and Allan Coukell
Aired November 26, 2004 on NPR's Day To Day | Learn more
About 40 percent of all Mongolians are nomads, but officials there say they want most of them to settle down. Lorne Matalon and Allan Coukell traveled to northern Mongolia to spend time with the Tsachin people, a band of about 200 reindeer herders. With their herds dwindling and government support disappearing, the Tsachin have to decide whether to abandon their ancient way of life.

The Face of the Shaman (7:44) | Allan Coukell
Aired November 25, 2004 on NPR's Day To Day | Learn more
For thousands of years, the Mongolian shaman has been the intermediary between the human and spirit worlds: part healer, part prophet, part historian, part priest. Shamanism was suppressed for 70 years under communism. Now it's back in the open, competing for customers in a market that's crowded with alternatives. Allan Coukell spends time with both traditional and modern shamans.

The Zapotec Bible (10:31) | Marianne McCune
Aired October 23, 20041 on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday | Learn more
In the indigenous Mexican village of Yaganiza, Rebecca Long is translating the New Testament into the local Zapateco language. Long works with a Dallas-based Christian group that has helped document and preserve hundreds of dying languages. But her presence—like the group she works with—has not been without controversy. Producer Marianne McCune tells a complex story about language, religion, tradition, and trust.

Competing For Souls (7:01) | Alan Weisman
Aired October 12, 2004 on NPR's Day To Day | Learn more
South Korea has gone through one of the most dramatic economic makeovers of any country on Earth. Its transformation into an industrial powerhouse has been accompanied by an equally dramatic spiritual shift. With Christians now dominant in political and economic life, Buddhists wonder whether they have a role to play in the country's future. Alan Weisman reports.

Roma Love Story (11:32) | Frank Browning
Aired August 28, 2004 on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday | Learn more
In May 2004, eight Eastern European countries joined the European Union, whose laws forbid child marriage. Some Roma (or Gypsies) see this as a death sentence for their culture. But not Gyula and Marika Vámosi of Pecs, Hungary. As Frank Browning reports, their marriage began as a love story, but turned into a campaign to change the world.

Occitan Rock (8:33) | Julian Crandall Hollick
Aired August 21, 2004 on NPR's All Things Considered | Learn more
Two centuries ago, Napoleon declared the language spoken in northern France the official language of the republic. Since then, French has been at the core of national identity. Now some southerners are challenging that notion, using a blend of reggae, Brazilian rhythms, and the musical forms of the medieval troubadors. Julian Crandall Hollick listens in.

The Free Monks (7:24) | Jon Miller
Aired June 2008 | Learn more
In Greece, the Orthodox Church has always presented itself as the guardian of national identity. But some in the Church don't think it's doing enough to protect the country from western domination. The Free Monks is a rock band made up of black-robed monks whose music rails against globalization and the "New World Order." Jon Miller visits them in their monastery in central Greece.

The Return of The Hellenes (6:27) | Jon Miller
Aired August 5, 2004 on NPR's Day To Day | Learn more
More than 95% of all Greeks are Greek Orthodox. But in the last few years there's been a revival of interest in the pre-Christian past. For some, that means taking another look at ancient Greek ideals like freedom, reason, and democratic debate. For others, it means worshiping the ancient gods. All say their eyes are on the future. Jon Miller attends their annual convergence on Mount Olympus.

Resurrecting the Zápara (14:33) | Alan Weisman and Nancy Hand
Aired July 30, 2004 on NPR's Living on Earth | Learn more
The Zápara people once ranged far across the western Amazon. By the 1970s, anthropologists concluded that their culture was extinct. But a handful of native speakers survived in Ecuador and Peru. With help from UNESCO, the Zápara are now trying to resuscitate their language and culture. But a new danger looms. Alan Weisman and Nancy Hand go to see how they are faring.

Tell Me Wai (3:54) | Dmae Roberts
Aired July 26, 2004 on NPR's Day to Day | Learn more
Musicians Mina Ripia and Maaka McGregor learned to speak Maori in college, after the New Zealand government made it an official national language. Now they're part of a new generation of Maoris who have decided to move their culture forward rather than leave it behind. Dmae Roberts meets them at their home in Wellington.

Connecting the Hebrides, Parts I & II (6:37 and 8:54) | Vera Frankl
Aired July 5 and 6, 2004 on NPR's Day to Day | Learn more
Scotland's Outer Hebrides are home to some of the purest Gaelic culture on earth—but they're a tough place to make a living. That may be changing. In Part I, Vera Frankl visits "crofters" (small-scale farmers) who are finally taking control of their land after centuries of working for absentee landlords. In Part II, she looks at how the Internet is transforming the economy and keeping the culture alive.

Connecting The Hebrides, Part 1: Crofters reclaim their land (6:37)

Connecting The Hebrides, Part 2: Internet transforms economy (8:54)

Ladino Transformation (7:56) | Sandy Tolan
Aired July 5, 2004 on NPR's All Things Considered | Learn more
Bulgaria's Jews are survivors, but the language they have spoken for centuries is in trouble. Since the 1940s, Ladino—a mix of Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, and several other languages—has retreated from the streets to the kitchen to the social club. Now it may be headed for the archives. Sandy Tolan visits with some of Bulgaria's last Ladino speakers as they try to keep the tongue from going silent.

Basque Family Ties (9:39) | Victoria Mauleón
Aired July 3, 2004 on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday | Learn more
In Spain's Basque country, tensions are high—not just between pro-independence Basques and the Spanish government, but among the Basques themselves. Bay Area filmmaker Victoria Mauleón has always avoided political topics on her yearly visits to her father's family near Pamplona. This time she packed a microphone.

The Imaginary Village (16:57) | Sandy Tolan & Melissa Robbins
Aired June 5, 2004 on Transom.org and PRX | Learn more
In 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes to make way for the new state of Israel. More than 50 years later, the villages of Palestine remain intact in the imaginations of refugees and their descendents. Produced by Sandy Tolan and Melissa Robbins. Original music composed and performed by Mohsen Subhi Abdelhamid.

Mezcal Dreams (8:47) | Marianne McCune
Aired April 21, 2004 on NPR's All Things Considered | Learn more
Mexican migrants to the US send back billions of dollars to their families every year, but their absence comes at a price. In many parts of Mexico, families are divided, villages are half-deserted, and traditions are in danger of slipping away. Marianne McCune reports on one tiny pueblo that is brewing up plans to keep its people from leaving in the first place.

North End Neighborhood (6:16) | Allan Coukell
Aired April 13, 2004 on NPR's Day to Day | Learn more
Boston's North End is bursting with Old World charm. But a proposed commercial development has newcomers and old-timers at odds over the type of neighborhood they want to live in. As Allan Coukell reports, their positions aren't what you might expect.

Maasai Schools (7:10 and 8:52) | Jon Miller
Aired June 7, 2004 on NPR's Morning Edition | Learn more
The Maasai people of Kenya have long considered public education as a trick designed to rob them of their culture. Now many see the schools as a key to survival—and as a way to change some aspects of their culture that need changing. Jon Miller reports.

Listen to the Morning Edition story (7:10)

Listen to a longer version (8:52)

Singapore Renewal (9:03) | Reese Erlich
Aired March 2, 2004 on Common Ground Radio | Learn more
A generation ago, Singapore's Chinatown was a crowded and chaotic place. Then the government renewed the life right out of it. Authorities are working to restore the neighborhood's authenticity, but with little success. Little India, meanwhile, has retained its distinctive character. Is there a lesson here? Reese Erlich reports.

Rethinking France's Republican Deal, Parts 1 and 2 (8:00 and 7:58) | Frank Browning
Aired February 18 and 19, 2004 on NPR's Day to Day | Learn more
In France, the notions of liberty, equality, and fraternity apply to individuals, not groups. And indeed for more than 200 years, members of ethnic and religious minorities have tried to integrate as completely as possible. But today, French Muslims and Jews are under tremendous pressure to declare their differences. Frank Browning takes us into the worlds of the Alters, a Jewish family from Toulouse, and the Chefegs, Muslims from the suburbs of Paris.

The Alters: Part I (8:00)

The Chefegs: Part 2 (7:58)

Higher Ground: Borneo Resettlement (10:05) | Reese Erlich
Aired February 17, 2004 on Common Ground Radio | Learn more
In the late 1990s, the government of Malaysia uprooted 15,000 indigenous people to make way for the giant Bakun dam. Most were resettled in "model" towns, where unemployment, drugs and crime took root. About 400 members of the Kenyah tribe decided to build their own resettlement center instead. Why does this model community work better than the official ones? Reese Erlich reports.

Bringing Home the Bones, Parts 1 and 2 (4:27 and 6:03) | Allan Coukell
Aired January 15 and 16, 2004 on NPR's Day To Day | Learn more
Producer Allan Coukell follows members of the Haida nation as they retrieve the remains of more than 100 ancestors from a museum collection in Chicago and carry them home for proper burial in the Queen Charlotte Islands, off Canada's Pacific coast. It's a journey full of pain and healing—and part of a worldwide movement among native groups to reclaim what is theirs.

Part 1 (4:27)

Part 2 (6:03)

Andean Harvest (10:21) | Jon Miller
Aired January 11, 2004 on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday | Learn more
Peasant farmers in Peru's central highlands grow hundreds of varieties of potatoes, almost all for their own consumption. Now they're being encouraged to sell them to high-end consumers. But potatoes are more than just food in the Andes—they're part of a complex spiritual, biological, and cultural universe. Will the market change that? Jon Miller visits during the harvest.

Welsh Renaissance (4:02) | Jon Miller
Aired December 25, 2003 on NPR's Day to Day | Learn more
Languages around the world are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. But Welsh is making a comeback, and children are leading the way. Today about 25% of all children in Wales attend Welsh immersion schools. Now the challenge is to move Welsh from the classroom to the living room. Jon Miller spends a day with the Steel family of Clydach, a suburb of Swansea.

Chiloé: A Bridge Too Far? (13:48) | Alan Weisman
Aired September 26, 2003 and March 19, 2004 on NPR's Living on Earth | Learn more
The island of Chiloé, off the coast of Chile, is known for its misty beauty, quaint architecture, and distinctive cuisine. Now Chile's government is proposing to build the longest bridge in Latin America to connect Chiloé to the mainland. Islanders aren't sure they want to be connected. Alan Weisman reports.

Camisea: A Light in the Jungle (14:43) | Sandy Tolan, Jason Felch & Chris Raphael
Aired August 1, 2003 and January 2, 2004 on NPR's Living On Earth | Learn more
For the native peoples of the Amazon, petroleum development has often been an environmental and cultural nightmare. But in Camisea, a huge natural gas deposit in eastern Peru, the oil companies say they're committed to getting it right. The Machiguenga people aren't yet convinced. Sandy Tolan, Jason Felch and Chris Raphael report.

To Perpetuate Life As It Was Meant to Be (7:49) | Jon Miller
Aired July 17, 2003 on NPR's Morning Edition | Learn more
By almost every measure, native Hawaiians are the worst off of Hawaii's many ethnic groups. One of the biggest problems is drug abuse. Jon Miller visits Hoomau Ke Ola, a community treatment program that looks to island traditions for a way forward.

Sarvodaya: An Alternate Path? (10:59) | Sandy Tolan
Aired July 13, 2003 on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday | Learn more
Can development based on spiritual values, local activism, and volunteer labor compete with a global system built on western market economics? From Sri Lanka, Sandy Tolan reports on a 45-year old movement that seeks to improve the lot of millions of poor people with self-help programs steeped in Buddhist principles.

Sri Lanka: An Exodus Of Women (11:17) | Sandy Tolan
Aired June 24, 2003 on NPR's All Things Considered | Learn more
Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan women work abroad as housemaids, mainly in the Middle East. Their remittances are a cornerstone of their country's economy, and a desperately needed source of income for their families. But what is the impact on Sri Lankan culture and society? Sandy Tolan travels to Jordan and Sri Lanka to find out.

Hour Long Specials

Finding A Niche (54:02) | Learn more
This hour looks at how societies with strong local traditions are responding to the challenges and opportunities of the global economy. Features about economy and identity from the Peruvian Andes, Newfoundland, Scotland's Outer Hebrides, and the mountains of southern Mexico.

Finding a Voice (54:04) | Learn more
Exploring the links between language and identity at a time of dizzying linguistic and cultural change. Stories about efforts to strengthen Ladino in Bulgaria, Welsh in Wales, Occitan in France, and Maori in New Zealand, and an attempt to translate the Bible into the Zapoteco language in Mexico.

A Home in The World (52:02) | Learn more
Looking at the complex connections between culture and place—between who we are and where we live. Features from a boomtown in western Ireland, the misty island of Chiloé off the coast of Chile, and Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and Lebanon.

The Spirit Calls (54:04) | Learn more
For centuries, people have been predicting that the end was near for organized religion. But religion seems to be getting stronger -and the forces that were once thought to spell its doom may be fueling its revival. Stories from France, Greece, Korea, and the American Southwest.

Coming To Terms (54:00) | Learn more
This program features four societies compelled to confront a difficult past as they chart their course to the future. Stories about the Hutus and Tutsis of Burundi, the Basques of Spain, Canada's Haida Nation, and the residents of one narrow street in Istanbul.

Choosing A Path (54:01) | Learn more
For millennia, who we were depended largely on the circumstances of our birth. Today we're exposed to nearly endless cultural options, and identity is increasingly a matter of choice. Stories about identity and the path to the future from Hungary, Kenya, Hawaii, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.