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Episode details

World Service,14 Dec 2013,24 mins

Heroes from all walks of life

From Our Own Correspondent

Available for over a year

In tribute to Nelson Mandela, Pascale Harter introduces stories about heroes from all walks of life, and from around the world. Andrew Harding on a South Africa that's already in its post-Mandela era; Allan Little argues that the nineteenth-century promise in US president Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, of a republic in which all are created equal, took a century to be fulfilled, with legislation passed by Lyndon B Johnson after John F Kennedy's death; Damien McGuinness reports on surprising resignation of the Latvian Prime Minister who took responsibility for the deadly supermarket collapse in Riga, even though it was not his fault; Andrew Hosken admires the bravery of Baghdad's residents who go about their daily lives despite the terror risks; Lyse Doucet finds Syrians try to hang on to their cherished identity despite the turmoil and displacements of war; Nigel Wilson is surprised by wounded Syrian fighters who keep their spirits up with a great sense of humour in Amman in Jordan; Mark Lowen goes to find out more about his late grandfather, George Lowen, a German Jewish lawyer who went from refugee to anti-apartheid activist, defending the victims of the white minority regime in court. Presenter: Pascale Harter Producer: Arlene Gregorius Photo Credit: Getty Images

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