27 June 2005
Monday 27 June 2005 21:30-22:15 (Radio 3)
In the first of a week long series of letters about African universities, Egyptian writer and academic Nawal El Saadawi explores the history of the University of Cairo and reflects on some of the problems inherent within the Egyptian higher education system. Matthew Sweet presents.
Programme Details
On Night Waves tonight with Matthew Sweet a forgotten movie by the visionary and maverick British filmmaker Peter Watkins returns from obscurity to ask just how close Nixon's America got to becoming a police state.
With one university reported to be throwing long-unread books into a skip recently, and an ongoing debate over the British Film Institute's new strategy for dealing with its vast stock of celluloid, Britain's archives seem to be full to the point of crisis. Matthew is joined by Professor John Sutherland, the author Patrick Wright and Ruth Kelly of the BFI to discuss what we should keep and how we decide.
The philosophy writer Julian Baggini's previous books have wrestled with such minor themes as the meaning of life, with the help of Monty Python as well as Descartes. Now he takes his cue from a different philosophical comedy, Douglas Adams' Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, to ask how we should regard a pig who wants to be eaten. He joins Matthew to explore this and some of the ninety nine other thought experiments in his new book.
Plus there's a review of an adaptation of the blockbuster Victorian novel East Lynne as it returns to the stage, and the first in a Night Waves series of letters from African universities.
Night Waves, live at 9.30pm here on BBC Radio 3.
Presenter: Matthew Sweet
Producer: Phil Tinline
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