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FRONTLINE / WORLD; Venezuela: A Nation On Edge; India: Starring Osama bin Laden; Hong Kong: Chasing The Virus

Part of Stories of East and South East Asia.

06/12/2003


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Series
FRONTLINE / WORLD
Program
Venezuela: A Nation On Edge; India: Starring Osama bin Laden; Hong Kong: Chasing The Virus
Program Number

205

Series Description

Originally developed by FRONTLINE producers in conjunction with public television stations KQED San Francisco and WGBH Boston, FRONTLINE/World launched in 2002 as a national public TV series that turns its lens on the global community, covering countries and cultures rarely seen on American television. FRONTLINE/World completed its final broadcast season in June 2010.

Program Description

A NATION ON EDGE Venezuela seemed to have everything going for it – oil wealth, a growing middle class, a stable, democratic government. “But in the short time I’ve been covering this country for The New York Times,” says correspondent Juan Forero, “all of that has changed.” Last year massive street protests against the controversial, populist President Hugo Chavez erupted into deadly violence and led briefly to his overthrow. The coup against Chavez had the implicit support of the Bush administration, but Chavez, who has a knack for survival, managed to return to power just two days later, and has survived a prolonged oil strike designed to oust him. In “A Nation on Edge,” Forero returns to Venezuela on the anniversary of the coup to assess where the country is headed, and investigate why a nation, once so stable and rich, is on the verge of political chaos.

CHASING THE VIRUS AIDS researcher Dr. David Ho is well known for developing the drug “cocktails” that have proven so successful in treating HIV patients. So it came as no surprise that the chief executive of Hong Kong appealed to Ho for help with another viral outbreak, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. In “Chasing the Virus,” FRONTLINE/World reporter Renata Simone journeys to Hong Kong to see how this world-renowned scientist puts his theories to the test. She also explores the origins of SARS and shows the stunning impact it has had on Hong Kong.

STARRING OSAMA BIN LADEN Americans are sometimes shocked to see how they are perceived in other parts of the world. India has long been friendly with the United States, but in Calcutta, a wildly popular street opera about the tragedy of September 11th presents Osama bin Laden as a kind of Robin Hood figure. In “Starring Osama bin Laden,” NPR senior producer Arun Rath travels to India to meet the producers and actors who stage this folk opera known as a “jatra.” The producers remind Rath of genial Mel Brooks characters—men who like plots ripped from the headlines, starring controversial and charismatic characters. As an Indian American journalist, Rath also identifies with the actor, Arun Mukherjee, who plays the romantic lead, an Indian American journalist living in New York.

Duration

00:56:46

Asset Type

Broadcast program

Media Type

Video

Subjects
Politics and Government
Protest and Public Advocacy
Military Forces and Armaments
Science
Health and Exercise
Theater
Performing Arts
Genres
Documentary
Topics
Global Affairs
Social Issues
Creators
Forero, Juan (Reporter)
Rath, Arun (Reporter)
Simone, Renata (Reporter)
Publication Information
WGBH Educational Foundation
Citation
Chicago: “FRONTLINE / WORLD; Venezuela: A Nation On Edge; India: Starring Osama bin Laden; Hong Kong: Chasing The Virus,” 06/12/2003, GBH Archives, accessed December 6, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_A17FF653391B4EB99081E0D3991E0DB5.
MLA: “FRONTLINE / WORLD; Venezuela: A Nation On Edge; India: Starring Osama bin Laden; Hong Kong: Chasing The Virus.” 06/12/2003. GBH Archives. Web. December 6, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_A17FF653391B4EB99081E0D3991E0DB5>.
APA: FRONTLINE / WORLD; Venezuela: A Nation On Edge; India: Starring Osama bin Laden; Hong Kong: Chasing The Virus. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_A17FF653391B4EB99081E0D3991E0DB5
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