Death of a language and the world’s longest kiss

The History Hour

BBC

History, Society & Culture, Personal Journals

4.4 • 879 Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.

We hear about the death of one of the oldest languages in the world, when an 85 year old woman died and took it with her in 2010.

Our expert guest is Dr Mandana Seyfeddinipur, who is the Head of the Endangered Languages Archive which endeavours to preserve languages that are disappearing at “an alarming rate.”

We also hear about the historian who helped bring a former Stasi officer to justice decades after he killed a man.

Also the moment Bolivia elected its first ever indigenous president in 2005.

The Thai couple that broke the world record for the longest kiss twice.

Plus, it’s 60 years since the controversial black activist, Malcolm X was assassinated. We hear from a man who was in the audience in New York when it happened.

This programme contains outdated and offensive language.

Contributors: Dr Anvita Abbi – linguist who documented one of the oldest languages before it died Dr Mandana Seyfeddinipur – Head of the Endangered Languages Archive Dr Filip Gańczak – the historian who helped convict a former Stasi officer of murder Herman Ferguson who was in the audience when Malcolm X was assassinated Álvaro García Linera – Vice President of Bolivia under Evo Morales for 14 years Ekkachai – one half of the couple who broke the record for the world’s longest kiss

(Photo: Boa Senior in Hospital. Credit: Anvita Abbi)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, so I'd like to tell you where you'll find more just like it.
0:05.6	I'm Izzy Lee Poulton, an assistant commissioner for BBC Sounds, which means I'm involved in the whole podcast making process.
0:12.2	Whether that's developing fresh formats or facilitating eye-catching artwork, I helped project manage all the details that make our podcast stand out.
0:19.7	At the BBC, we've got access to storytellers and experts across a huge range of subjects.
0:24.4	It could be psychologists, comedians, celebrities or journalists.
0:28.6	No podcasts or day looks the same here.
0:31.6	So no matter what you like, check out BBC Sounds.
0:34.1	There's probably another podcast on there that you're absolutely love.
0:43.5	Music sounds. There's probably another podcast on there that you're absolutely love. Hello and welcome to The History Hour podcast from the BBC World Service with me, Max
0:48.9	Pearson, the past brought to life by those who were there. Coming up, the historian who
0:53.9	helped convict a former Stasi officer of murder...
0:56.6	A man approached and he shot Cuckoochka at point blank
1:01.0	from the distance of approximately two metres.
1:04.2	Also, the death of one of the oldest languages,
1:07.3	the assassination of the controversial black activist Malcolm X
1:10.6	60 years ago, plus the moment Bolivia
1:13.5	elected its first ever indigenous president in 2005.
1:17.8	My brain was already thinking about everything we needed to do
1:21.2	to avoid and disappointing all the people who trusted us.
1:25.1	We gave each other a big hug with tears in our eyes. And the kiss
1:29.4	that broke a world record in Thailand. My family and friends congratulated me. They were happy
1:36.1	for me. In response, I told them, only crazy people would accomplish something like that.
	...

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