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What in the World
From BTS to Beyoncé - why do “world” tours skip Africa?
What in the World
Sep 22, 2023

What do Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, BTS and Olivia Rodrigo’s “world tours“ have in common?

…None of them are going to Africa. And only two of them are going to Asia.

Many international stars seem to skip huge parts of the world even though fans are desperate for them to come and perform. Why is this?

Four BBC reporters join us to paint a picture of pop concerts around the world: Faith Oshoko from Nigeria, Hyunjung Kim from South Korea, Trisha Husada from Indonesia and Giulia Granchi from Brazil.

Also, Osikhena Dirisu from The Beat 99.9 FM in Lagos gives us his take on why more artists aren’t performing across Africa.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Emily Horler and Alex Rhodes Editors: Julia Ross-Roy and Simon Peeks

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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding programmes around the world, like fighting malaria in Bangladesh, clearing unexploded landmines in Cambodia and Laos and providing medical supplies in Sudan.

But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Rosanna La Falce


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From BTS to Beyoncé - why do “world” tours skip Africa?

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