The Hon. Dolores Balderamos Garcia is a politician, lawyer and broadcaster. The only woman of the 31 members of Belize's House of Representatives, she is particularly interested in improving the rights of women and children and in supporting th

Trinidad and Tobago

Jul 27th, 2014 18m 59s

Within these small Islands, steelpan orchestras are an integral part of daily life. The Pamberi pan yard on the outskirts of Port of Spain is a meeting place for the whole community whether they turn up to play cards, have a sociable drink toge

Heritage Track: Nauru

Jul 26th, 2014 7m 33s

Measuring eight square miles with a total coastline of eighteen and a half miles and a population of just over nine thousand, the Pacific island of Nauru is arguably the least populous actual sovereign country in the world, although officially

India

Jul 26th, 2014 19m 53s

Kala Ramnath is one of the leading Hindustani musicians of her generation. Born into a dynasty of violin players who championed the instrument in Indian classical music in the 20th century, Kala has developed the instrument still further with a

Heritage Track: Cameroon

Jul 19th, 2014 4m 59s

Saxophonist Manu Dibango brought the sound of Cameroon to the world but also brought a bit of the world back into Cameroon, creating a glorious fusion of African Funk and Jazz. Weightlifter Vanatius Njuh is going for Gold in the 69 kilo class a

Zambia

Jul 19th, 2014 16m 48s

Seven kilometres from the world heritage site of Victoria Falls, in the Southern Province lies the rural Mukuni village, the main village of the Mukuni Chiefdom. It was founded in the 13th century by the Leya Tribal Matriarch and is today presi

Heritage Track: Kiribati

Jul 12th, 2014 3m 42s

Kiribati is an archipelago of 33 islands in the central Pacific, with a population of just one hundred thousand people across more than a million square miles of Ocean. Formerly the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati gained independence from the UK in 1

Bangladesh

Jul 12th, 2014 17m 10s

On a rooftop beside Gulshan lake, above the bells of tuk tuks and sounds of the call to prayer, a group of musicians have gathered in the late afternoon in Dhaka. Baby Dewan sings Bhatiyali songs of the lonely boatmen who ply the waters here fo

Heritage Track: St Vincent and the Grenadines

Jul 5th, 2014 4m 13s

Writer and poet Philip Nanton chooses Credentials by Shake Keane, the well-known Vincentian jazz musician and poet, and explains how the story Shake tells encapsulates for him certain key aspects of life in St Vincent and the Grenadines, includ

Seychelles

Jul 4th, 2014 16m 48s

In the midst of the Seychelles Carnival, Latroupe Nasyonal Sesel, a ceilidh-style band of seven players and several young dancers are preparing their traditional music and dances for the celebrations. The music and dances of this Creole culture

Heritage Track: Tuvalu

Jun 28th, 2014 4m 6s

Formerly known as the Ellice Islands, Tuvalu is a Pacific island nation situated between Hawaii and Australia. Its population of just 11,200 means it the third-least populous sovereign state in the world. Tuvalu first took part in the Commonwea

Singapore

Jun 27th, 2014 16m 43s

Singapore is home to a very senior group of 'waijiang' musicians originating from Chaozhou in southern China. Their waijiang style of playing was popular in pre-cultural revolutionary China but is now extinct on the mainland. Yet in their small

Malaysia

Jun 21st, 2014 19m 12s

In the capital of Malaysia's southernmost state of Johor, traditional Malay Ghazal and Zapin dance music is popular despite the country's race to modernity. We hear from On Jaafar and Shafie Bin Ahmad how Zapin music and dance arrived with the

Heritage Track: Mozambique

Jun 21st, 2014 3m 36s

Mozambique is something of an anomaly in terms of Commonwealth membership. It only became a member in 1995 and was never under British control. Instead the country was ruled by Portugal from 1505 until independence in 1975. As a result Portugue

Heritgae Track: St. Kitts & Nevis

Jun 14th, 2014 6m 15s

Athlete Jason Rogers (100m), living and training in Canada, chooses an example of the soca music so popular back home in the Caribbean islands of St Kitts and Nevis. Unstoppable Force by King Konris is deeply rooted in that country and speaks o

Uganda

Jun 14th, 2014 18m 28s

Across the source of the Nile at Jinja and eastwards towards the Kenyan border lies the remote and rural Bigwala Village. The last surviving musicians of the Royal courts are the Akadinda players, playing a giant wooden xylophone built across a

Sri Lanka

Jun 7th, 2014 16m 41s

In Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, Vesak celebrations are underway for the birth and enlightenment of Lord Buddha. The streets are thronged with families and traffic all heading to the town centre, colourful lanterns are lit and the sounds of musi

Heritage Track: Papua New Guinea

Jun 7th, 2014 4m 47s

Jeffry Feeger, Papua New Guinea's leading visual artist, chooses the song West Papua by George Telek to express the deep-rooted Melanesian heritage his people share with those across the border in the west.

New Zealand

Jun 2nd, 2014 16m 41s

Whiri Tu Aka are a 5-piece all-female Maori a capella group founded by producer/vocalist Mina Ripa. Best known for her work in the field of electronica and dance music, this project was inspired by the birth of Mina's son to create music using

Heritage track: Guyana

Jun 2nd, 2014 3m 51s

Writer and academic David Dabydeen is currently Guyana's ambassador to China. His Heritage Track is 'Not a Blade of Grass' by Dave Martins and the Tradewinds. For David the song prompts thoughts of Guyana's evolving relationship with Britain si

Heritage Track: Nigeria

May 24th, 2014 6m 51s

Nigeria has long been a powerhouse in terms of world music, with artists like Fela Kuti reaching audiences around the globe. Our Commonwealth athlete this week is US Olympian but has chosen to represent Nigeria because her father was born there

Kenya

May 24th, 2014 19m 50s

Recorded at the African Heritage House outside Nairobi. Two generations of the Luo tribe perform the music of their people. Ayub Ogada has reached an international market as a world musician but here he returns to his acoustic roots and the anc

Heritage Track: Vanuatu

May 17th, 2014 6m 11s

Vanuatu - which literally means freestanding - has only existed as an independent country since 1980. It has a population of less than quarter of a million, but despite that has a strong reputation for table tennis, especially in the shape of A

Dominica

May 17th, 2014 14m 20s

Music is a family affair in La Petite Souffriere, a tiny and remote village high in the hills of Dominica. Isma Alie still works as a farmer cultivating Bay Tree plantations for their oil but also happens to be the island's greatest accordion p

Heritage Track: Gambia

May 10th, 2014 6m 41s

Gambian athlete, Suwaibou Sanneh, carries his country's music with him as he prepares for the 100 metres sprint in the USA. Music from Jaliba Kuyateh and The Kumareh Band.