麻豆社

Concern is growing that the Central African Republic is sliding into religious conflict following the overthrow of President Francois Bozize in a rebellion in March this year. One man though is determined to stop the bloodshed. Dieudonne Nzapalainga is the Catholic Archbishop of Bangui. He has joined up with Muslim and Protestant leaders to travel the country calling for an end to sectarian violence. He tells Matthew Bannister about the harrowing eyewitness accounts he has gathered on the ground.

Although he was born in Iran, Hooman Majd has spent most of his life in other countries. His father was a diplomat for the Shah's regime and travelled widely. After the Islamic revolution of 1979, Hooman settled in America where he became a well known journalist. He eventually married an American woman and became a father for the first time at the age of 50. In 2011, he took his wife and young son to live in Tehran for a year and he has written a book about their experiences The Ministry of Guidance Invites You to Not Stay.

The Spanish singer Concha Buika - or Buika, as she prefers to be known - was born on the island of Majorca to political exiles from Equatorial Guinea. She grew up never completely sure which culture to call her own. Her multi-crossover style of music combines elements from her native country's flamenco, Mexico's rancheras, America's soul and blues, and Caribbean-style jazz. She has just released her ninth album, called La Noche Mas Larga or The Longest Night.

Twenty years ago a diehard fan of the British Premier League team West Ham United was plucked from the terraces to play for his team. Steve Davies' triumph made a deep impression on another young fan called Jeff Maysh. When he grew up and became a sports writer, he was determined to track Steve down and write the full story.

(Picture: Central African archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga surrounded by his parishioners. Credit: Matthieu Alexandre/Caritas)