WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE MAGHREB?
Radio 4, 8pm
Or, as it will probably be better known in many a British household, “What is a Maghreb?” It is a geographical region (the land north of the Sahara and west of the Nile) and of the countries that fall within its embrace Mark Whitaker looks at Tunisia and Morocco. Why? Because despite being among the most pro-Western of the Arab states, they also boast a thriving export industry in terrorists. Whitaker looks for the reasons in the internal politics of the countries. Tunisia, for example, has been described as a police state, while the America-led liberalisation of Morocco’s economy has only led to its poor getting poorer.
WHAT MOZART DID FOR US
Radio 2, 8.30pm
Charles Hazlewood invokes the great man’s name without banging on at length about his life. Instead, various modern musicians relate aspects of Mozart’s life to their own. Childhood prodigy? Pushy parents? Ability to produce under pressure? Mozart was there, but Goldfrapp, Aled Jones, XTC, Pink Floyd all know where he was coming from. A fine contribution to the Mozart Season, which peaks in this, his birthday week.