Sunday Feature

Going to Jonestown

Sunday 17 April 2005 21:30-22:15 (Radio 3)

25 years ago, in a remote jungle settlement in Guyana almost a thousand people and their leader Jim Jones killed themselves. Ever since, the writer Fred D'Aguiar, who grew up in Guyana, has been preoccupied by Jonestown, which put that country on the map and blighted its history. In a journey that echoes those of the victims, D'Aguiar - a black person living in America travels from the United States into Guyana's jungle interior to Jonestown itself. He searches for what it means to the Guyanese, talking to the writers Wilson Harris, Ian McDonald and Ruel Johnson, to people who knew Jones and the settlement, including the pilot who was the first to arrive after the atrocity, and students who were not even born when it happened. Exploring the social, political and mythic significance of Jonestown, D'Aguiar tests his imagination against the reality and responds with new work.

Music composed and performed by the Guyanese flautist, Keith Waithe.

Duration:

45 minutes

Sunday Feature

Episode and Playlist Information

• 12 June 2005
• 29 May 2005
• 22 May 2005
• 15 May 2005
• 8 May 2005
• 24 April 2005
• 17 April 2005
• 10 April 2005
• 27 March 2005
• 20 March 2005

Sunday Feature pages