explore words discover worlds | Podcast in RSS.com

explore words discover worlds

explore words discover worlds

di Bradford Literature Festival

Libri Documentari

Stagione 4

Surveillance States

In an age where artificial intelligence is transforming the landscape of security and surveillance, this compelling discussion brings together two leading voices at the heart of the debate. Dr Hassan Ugail, a renowned AI and biometrics expert whose groundbreaking work has been used in high-profile criminal investigations, offers deep insight into the power and potential of facial recognition technology. Joining him is Jake Hurfurt from Big Brother Watch, a prominent civil liberties campaigner who has led national efforts to expose the unchecked use of facial recognition by police and government agencies. Together, they will explore the complex balance between public safety and personal privacy, questioning where we draw the line in a world of increasing digital oversight. Expect an eye-opening conversation filled with real-world examples, frontline research, and urgent ethical questions.

The Four Imams

Join author Zimarina Sarwar to explore her latest book, The Four Imams, a profound examination of the lives and legacies of the four most revered Islamic scholars. It is known that Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’i, and Imam Ahmad made contributions that have shaped Islamic jurisprudence and scholarship for centuries. Through her compelling narrative style, Sarwar will bring to life the personal journeys, intellectual achievements, and spiritual wisdom of these eminent figures, offering both historical context and real-world applications of their teachings.

The Poetry of Resistance: Faiz, Neruda, Darwish, and Qabbani

This powerful session explores poetry as an act of resistance and a voice for the voiceless. At its heart are four towering literary figures: Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Pablo Neruda, Mahmoud Darwish, and Nizar Qabbani, whose words transcended borders and became rallying cries for justice, dignity, and freedom. Faiz and Neruda were known friends and fellow travellers in the international struggle for peace and justice. Darwish and Faiz were also dear friends and shared a poetic kinship. Qabbani paralleled Faiz in his fusion of love and politics, turning verse into a form of protest. Despite writing in different languages of Urdu, Spanish, and Arabic, these poets are bound by a common ethos: that poetry can confront power, nurture memory, and awaken hope. Their legacies speak across borders and generations, inviting us to consider how language and resistance remain intertwined.

Memoirs of Food: Angela Hui & Candice Chung

Join authors Angela Hui (Takeaway) and Candice Chung (Chinese Parents Don’t Say I Love You) for a conversation exploring the deep ties between food, memory, and identity. Hui reflects on growing up in a Chinese takeaway in rural Wales, while Chung explores reconnecting with her estranged parents through shared meals. Both memoirs reveal how food becomes a powerful language of love, heritage, and belonging—especially in families shaped by migration and silence. This event offers a moving exploration of how what we eat, cook, and share can tell the stories we struggle to say aloud.

Weapons of Influence: China, the West, and the New Global Flashpoints

Rising tensions between India and Pakistan are once again drawing global attention – but they’re also part of a much bigger story. As China and the West compete for influence through military technology, strategic alliances, and shifting defence deals, regional conflicts like the one over Kashmir are becoming flashpoints in a wider struggle for global power. We explore the roles China and the West are playing behind the scenes. Our experts discuss how their rivalry is reshaping not just diplomacy and security, but the military and economic order itself. This timely event explores how today’s conflicts are part of a deeper contest to define the world’s next chapter.

Shitty Breaks: A Celebration of Unsung UK Cities

Join bestselling author Ben Aitken for Shitty Breaks: A Celebration of Unsung UK Cities, a wry and warm-hearted look at the places most travel guides skip. Based on his latest book, Aitken takes us on a journey through some of Britain’s most maligned towns and cities, from Slough to Stoke, uncovering their overlooked charm, humour, and resilience. Blending social commentary with sharp observational writing, Aitken challenges our assumptions about class, identity, and what makes a place worth visiting. This event is a joyous tribute to the unloved corners of the UK and the people who live there.

The Shortest History of Japan

Step into the rich and complex story of Japan with acclaimed writer and Japan specialist, Lesley Downer, as she brings to life key moments from her book, The Shortest History of Japan. From samurai and shoguns to emperors, industrialists and pop culture pioneers, Downer unpacks the pivotal forces that have shaped one of the world’s most influential nations. Whether you’re new to Japan’s history or looking to deepen your understanding, this conversation offers a sharp, accessible journey through centuries of conflict, creativity and transformation, illuminating how Japan’s past continues to shape its present and global identity.

More Sense and Less Sensibility

In an age of feeling and emotional excess, what enduring guidance can we find in the novels of Jane Austen? President of Zaytuna College, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, will explore how Austen’s moral clarity, subtle social critique, and focus on character formation offer a compelling response to the instability of modern life. Drawing on both the Islamic tradition and the Western literary canon, Shaykh Hamza reflects on the enduring relevance of sense over sensibility and how cultivating inner balance, ethical restraint, and self-knowledge remains vital and constant in an ever-changing world.

Breaking Bread with Kitty & Al-Tait

Join father-daughter duo Kitty and Al Tait, authors of Breadsong, for a warm and inspiring conversation about baking, resilience, and the joy of doing things together. From a kitchen in Oxfordshire to national acclaim, their story is one of hope, healing, and the life-changing power of bread. Discover how flour, yeast, and a bit of love helped rebuild their lives – and how baking can nourish both body and soul.

AI and Religious Authority: When Machines Preach, Who Leads?

As AI begins generating sermons, answering theological questions, and even issuing automated fatwas, sacred authority faces a new test. Can machine logic align with religious wisdom — or are we witnessing its quiet transformation? In this multifaith panel, Rabbi Dr Harris Bor — a barrister, theologian, and AI ethics commissioner — joins Dr Yaqub Chaudhary — a Visiting Scholar at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence whose work explores the epistemology and metaphysics of AI — and Revd Dr Chris Goswami, a tech industry veteran, part-time airport chaplain and Associate Minister at Lymm Baptist Church. Together, they explore how AI is entering spaces once reserved for spiritual counsel. From Islamic chatbots to the Vatican’s ethical concerns, the panel will examine how faith traditions are responding to AI’s expanding role in spiritual life. Chaired by Zeshan Zafar, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace.

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