Welcome to AFGHAN DISPATCHES with ChromeRadio's CATRIONA OLIPHANT (https://chromemedia.co.uk/) and television presenter and business woman DIVA PATANG (https://twitter.com/DivaPatang?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor). It has been heartrending following the news coming out of Afghanistan over the past few weeks, and yesterday’s terror attacks outside a packed Kabul Airport – crowded with people trying to leave the country - marks a disturbing escalation in the violence. In AFGHAN DISPATCHES, we will follow events as they unfold. When CATRIONA OLIPHANTI visited Afghanistan in 2016 for the FINANCIAL TIMES (https://www.ft.com/content/0d05fb5e-fb1f-4b96-9b3d-50ae521a60ec) and again, on her own account, in 2019, the Afghans she spoke to were hopeful for the future. Life had improved for many since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, and there had been real progress as regards women’s rights. But they were realistic about the ongoing challenges – corruption, terror attacks, criminal activity – and knew that it would take time, and ongoing Western support, to build a strong civil society. Now uncertainty lies ahead. Afghans are fearful for the future. Nobody yet knows what kind of regime this Taliban will put in place, and in particular what that regime will mean for women. NOTE: This podcast was recorded before the terror attacks outside Kabul airport on 26 August 2021. MUSIC | National Anthem of Afghanistan (http://www.navyband.navy.mil/national_anthems.html) PRODUCTION | Producer/Presenter - Catriona Oliphant for ChromeRadio | Post-production - Catriona Oliphant & Chris Sharp.

A WRITER'S WAR looks at how those who fought and those at home in Britain, France, Germany and former colonies of the British and French Empires responded to the First World War, the horrors of the trenches and the advent of mechanised violence. This is the second of four podcasts, in which we hear from Year 10 students at OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY. CONTRIBUTORS: Mira Harris, George Guibert, Garrincha Da Costa, Jemima Webster, Gianluca Walker. MUSIC: Maurice Ravel, Le Tombeau de Couperin, M 68, II. Fugue, licensed courtesy of Vox Legends. In 2019 OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY ran a series of workshops, in partnership with OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY, during which Year 10 modern language students discussed a range of texts from British, French and German writers, and also arranged for the students to visit MAGDALEN COLLEGE, which holds an extensive collection of letters and other items relating to the College's participation in the First World War. Students, participating academics, and the archivists from Magdalen College then recorded their reflections for this podcast series. A NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY PROJECT, produced by CHROMERADIO for OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY in partnership with Year 10 students from OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY.

A WRITER'S WAR looks at how those who fought and those at home in Britain, France, Germany and former colonies of the British and French Empires responded to the First World War, the horrors of the trenches and the advent of mechanised violence. This is the third of four podcasts, in which we hear from Year 10 students at OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY. CONTRIBUTORS: Phoenix Denno, Molly Ahmad, Sofia Brand-Whitehead, Erica Masters. MUSIC: Paul Hindemith, String Quartet No 2 in F Minor, Op. 10, II Thema mit Variationen - Gemachlich, licensed courtesy of Naxos. In 2019 OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY ran a series of workshops, in partnership with OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY, during which Year 10 modern language students discussed a range of texts from British, French and German writers, and also arranged for the students to visit MAGDALEN COLLEGE, which holds an extensive collection of letters and other items relating to the College's participation in the First World War. Students, participating academics, and the archivists from Magdalen College then recorded their reflections for this podcast series. A NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY PROJECT, produced by CHROMERADIO for OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY in partnership with Year 10 students from OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY.

A WRITER'S WAR looks at how those who fought and those at home in Britain, France, Germany and former colonies of the British and French Empires responded to the First World War, the horrors of the trenches and the advent of mechanised violence. We conclude this group of podcasts with a discussion about responses to the First World War in former colonies of the British and French Empires. CATRIONA SETH, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature and Fellow of ALL SOULS COLLEGE, chairs a conversation between PROFESSOR SANTANU DAS, Senior Research Fellow, ALL SOULS COLLEGE, and PROFESSOR TOBY GARFITT, Emeritus Fellow of MAGDALEN COLLEGE. MUSIC with kind permission of Professor Santanu Das. Amanroop Kaur (vocals), Jasdeep Singh (dilruba) and Harleen Singh (tabla). In 2019 OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY ran a series of workshops, in partnership with OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY, during which Year 10 modern language students discussed a range of texts from British, French and German writers, and also arranged for the students to visit MAGDALEN COLLEGE, which holds an extensive collection of letters and other items relating to the College's participation in the First World War. Students, participating academics, and the archivists from Magdalen College then recorded their reflections for this podcast series. A NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY PROJECT, produced by CHROMERADIO for OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY in partnership with Year 10 students from OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY.

A WRITER'S WAR looks at how those who fought and those at home in Britain, France, Germany and former colonies of the British and French Empires responded to the First World War, the horrors of the trenches and the advent of mechanised violence. In the first four podcasts, we hear from Year 10 students at OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY. We begin with DULCE ET DECORUM EST. CONTRIBUTORS: William Harrison, Mariyah Hoque, Malachi Headley, Ivo Drury & Samra Rana. MUSIC: George Butterworth, A Shropshire Lad, licensed courtesy of Naxos. In 2019 OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY ran a series of workshops, in partnership with OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY, during which Year 10 modern language students discussed a range of texts from British, French and German writers, and also arranged for the students to visit MAGDALEN COLLEGE, which holds an extensive collection of letters and other items relating to the College's participation in the First World War. Students, participating academics, and the archivists from Magdalen College then recorded their reflections for this podcast series. A NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY PROJECT, produced by CHROMERADIO for OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY in partnership with Year 10 students from OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY.

A WRITER'S WAR looks at how those who fought and those at home in Britain, France, Germany and former colonies of the British and French Empires responded to the First World War, the horrors of the trenches and the advent of mechanised violence. In this podcast, we hear from Prize Fellow and poet ANDREW WYNN OWEN and Senior Research Fellow PROFESSOR SANTANU DAS of All Souls College about the British response to the First World War. MUSIC: George Butterworth, The Banks of Green Willow, licensed courtesy of Naxos. In 2019 OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY ran a series of workshops, in partnership with OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY, during which Year 10 modern language students discussed a range of texts from British, French and German writers, and also arranged for the students to visit MAGDALEN COLLEGE, which holds an extensive collection of letters and other items relating to the College's participation in the First World War. Students, participating academics, and the archivists from Magdalen College then recorded their reflections for this podcast series. A NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY PROJECT, produced by CHROMERADIO for OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY in partnership with Year 10 students from OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY.

A WRITER'S WAR looks at how those who fought and those at home in Britain, France, Germany and former colonies of the British and French Empires responded to the First World War, the horrors of the trenches and the advent of mechanised violence. In this podcast, we hear from PROFESSOR TOBY GARFITT, Emeritus Fellow of MAGDALEN COLLEGE, about the response in France to the First World War. MUSIC: Maurice Ravel, Le Tombeau de Couperin, M 68, III Forlane, licensed courtesy of Vox Legends. In 2019 OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY ran a series of workshops, in partnership with OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY, during which Year 10 modern language students discussed a range of texts from British, French and German writers, and also arranged for the students to visit MAGDALEN COLLEGE, which holds an extensive collection of letters and other items relating to the College's participation in the First World War. Students, participating academics, and the archivists from Magdalen College then recorded their reflections for this podcast series. A NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY PROJECT, produced by CHROMERADIO for OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY in partnership with Year 10 students from OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY.

A WRITER'S WAR looks at how those who fought and those at home in Britain, France, Germany and former colonies of the British and French Empires responded to the First World War, the horrors of the trenches and the advent of mechanised violence. This is the last of four podcasts, in which we hear from Year 10 students at OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY. CONTRIBUTORS: Barney Steel, Jake Read, Fatma Kassim, India Seal. MUSIC: George Butterworth, The Banks of Green Willow, licensed courtesy of Naxos. In 2019 OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY ran a series of workshops, in partnership with OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY, during which Year 10 modern language students discussed a range of texts from British, French and German writers, and also arranged for the students to visit MAGDALEN COLLEGE, which holds an extensive collection of letters and other items relating to the College's participation in the First World War. Students, participating academics, and the archivists from Magdalen College then recorded their reflections for this podcast series. A NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY PROJECT, produced by CHROMERADIO for OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY in partnership with Year 10 students from OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY.

A WRITER'S WAR looks at how those who fought and those at home in Britain, France, Germany and former colonies of the British and French Empires responded to the First World War, the horrors of the trenches and the advent of mechanised violence. In this podcast, we hear from RITCHIE ROBERTSON, Taylor Professor of the German Language and Literature and Fellow of THE QUEEN'S COLLEGE, about the German response to the First World War. MUSIC: Paul Hindemith, String Quartet No 1 in C Major, Op 2, I Sehr lebhaft, licensed courtesy of Naxos. In 2019 OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY ran a series of workshops, in partnership with OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY, during which Year 10 modern language students discussed a range of texts from British, French and German writers, and also arranged for the students to visit MAGDALEN COLLEGE, which holds an extensive collection of letters and other items relating to the College's participation in the First World War. Students, participating academics, and the archivists from Magdalen College then recorded their reflections for this podcast series. A NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY PROJECT, produced by CHROMERADIO for OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY in partnership with Year 10 students from OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY.

A WRITER'S WAR looks at how those who fought and those at home in Britain, France, Germany and former colonies of the British and French Empires responded to the First World War, the horrors of the trenches and the advent of mechanised violence. In the final podcast in our series, we visit the archives of MAGDALEN COLLEGE to hear from archivist DR CHARLOTTE BERRY and archives assistant BEN TAYLOR about some of the items in the College's First World War collection. MUSIC: George Butterworth, A Shropshire Lad, licensed courtesy of Naxos. In 2019 OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY ran a series of workshops, in partnership with OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY, during which Year 10 modern language students discussed a range of texts from British, French and German writers, and also arranged for the students to visit MAGDALEN COLLEGE, which holds an extensive collection of letters and other items relating to the College's participation in the First World War. Students, participating academics, and the archivists from Magdalen College then recorded their reflections for this podcast series. A NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY PROJECT, produced by CHROMERADIO for OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDIEVAL & MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY in partnership with Year 10 students from OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY.