Will crime put you off going to the World Cup in South Africa?

With little less than a year to go until the World Cup South Africa’s crime rate is coming under closer scrutiny.

Later today they will release its latest crime figures. President Jacob Zuma has just appointed a new hardline police commissioner to tackle problems facing the country.

President Zuma says he is confident that crime won’t put off fans who are thinking of going to next year’s tournament; but is he right?

Let us know.

Is it time to open our borders?

“The Jungle is our house. Please don’t destroy it. If you do so, where is the place to go?” That’s a question for French authorities who now have to decide what to do with the hundreds of illegal migrants they have just evicted, following this morning’s clearing of the migrant camp in Calais. It’s a common story that isn’t going away, so is it time for some fresh thinking -should we just keep our borders open?

“I was black before the election”

We knew it was going to be an Obama heavy week. The President’s comment on yesterday’s Late Show with David Letterman is the latest subject getting you talking. What do you think of his appearance?

On air: Is President Obama letting his supporters down?

The majority of Americans wanted him as President, and the majority of the world wanted him to win too. When I was in Washington for the Inauguration, people wore t-shirts reading ‘Our moment is now’. But is the President making the most of that moment? He always emphasised to his supporters that they had a part to play, but while the right in the States makes its opposition very well known, are his advocates backing him as effectively and passionately as they might? Put simply, reverse the question – are Pres Obama’s supporters letting him down?

I heard a fascinating contribution from John Simpson, the BBC’s World Affairs editor, on the Today programme on Saturday. See if you agree with his analysis…

Is District 9 racist towards Nigerians?

“…The film clearly denigrated Nigeria’s image by portraying us as if we are cannibals, we are criminals… The name [of] our former president was clearly spelt out as the head of the criminal gang and our ladies shown like prostitutes sleeping with extra-terrestrial beings…”

Who should decide a child’s religion?

Update:  We’ve been trying to get in touch with Rifqa, her father and the pastor who took her in to see if they would take part in this show. Progress is slow but will keep you posted on how this goes!

Meet Rifqa, the teen who ran away because she feared being killed by her Muslim family for converting to Christianity. Here’s what she had to say before she left home Her parent’s disagree and authorities have said they have found no credible evidence to back up Rifqa’s claims.  They plan to make their case on Monday. Click on the video below to hear their testimony.

On air: Rwandan reconciliation

Hi this is Ros in the WHYS studio in London. Our discussion today is from the Hotel Des Mille Collines in Kigali. We’ll be considering how Rwandans have sought reconciliation since the genocide of 1994. As the show goes on, if you have comments or questions that you’d like me to pass on to our guests, then please post here.

Rwanda : a real “reconciliation” ?

Everyone talks about it here .

Except they don’t. 

Wherever you go in Kigali, people will tell you that healing the wounds of 1994 is the number one topic, but they’re just too busy to dwell on it. 

Coax a story and everyone’s got one : the man who survived the genocide because he was kept hidden by Hutus, and when they returned from exile, he gave them his own house to live in til they got back on their feet. The man who lost 60 members of his own family and only survived because the day he was supposed to die was the same day the Rwandan capital was liberated by the RPF.

Officially, no one is a Hutu or a Tutsi any more, but you don’t have to speak to anyone for any length of time before the H word or the T word comes out- though usually in hushed tones.

Kigali looks like a place – and bear in mind none of us have ever been here before so we’re not able to compare the city with how it was – where everything is vibrant. The roads are busy, there are building sites all over the place, and the cafes and restaurants seem to be doing a good trade.

On air: Trading places

                        
If you live outside Africa, and you give money to causes there, can you ever imagine a day when you won’t do it? Whether the answer is yes or no, you’d also probably say, “but I’d like to”.

Well, Africans would like to get to that point too, but so far, no-one seems to have cracked just how to get the continent off the aid drip. But Rwanda has some ideas.

On air: The right move?

 The Czech Republic PM says the US is going to abandon its plan to develop a missile defence system in Europe. The BBC’s Paul Reynolds says, it’s a ‘huge shift’. But is it the right one?