Sep 27th, 2008 · This week, the Curry Stone Design Prize was awarded to a South African architecture firm that figured out how to make a cheap house with a timber frame and a whole lot of sandbags. The houses are energy efficient and easily assembled, and could replace more hazardous structures in the shantytowns around Cape Town. South African architect Luyanda Mphahlwa talks with Scott Simon about his prize-winning design.
Aug 11th, 2008 · Half Shantytown, half corporate boomtown, the teeming and complex Mexico capital epitomizes the times we live in. Critic Simon Maxwell Apter thinks David Lida's book is a model, too — of passionate reporting.
Jul 31st, 2008 · Before it took over Latin dance halls worldwide, bachata arose from Dominican shantytowns as a kind of lower-class party music. Now, a recent CD and a series of concerts are bringing the genre's early acoustic tradition back into the spotlight.
Apr 1st, 2006 · For years in San Diego County, Latino farm laborers, construction workers and day laborers have lived in makeshift camps without plumbing or electricity. The camps are close by multi-million-dollar homes.
Jul 21st, 2005 · Funk Carioca is the new sound of Brazil's shantytowns. It features old-school hip-hop beats and rapping in Portuguese. Chris Nickson reviews a new compilation of the music entitled Funk Carioca.
Jul 7th, 2005 · In recent weeks, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe ordered the demolition of shantytowns and left thousands of people without homes or livelihood. Host Renee Montagne speaks with Andrew Meldrum about his book Where We Have Hope: A Memoir of Zimbabwe. Meldrum lived and worked as a journalist in Zimbabwe for 23 years, until he was expelled by the Mugabe regime.
Jul 5th, 2005 · We talk with one of the few Western reporters who was in Zimbabwe to witness president Robert Mugabe's controversial strategy of shantytown clearance.
Jun 27th, 2005 · Khaled is Algeria's best-known singer. He has become internationally known for singing Rai, the music of Algeria's shantytowns. His new album, Ya Rayi, features collaborations with a wide variety of musicians and producers, including guitarist Carlos Santana. Banning Eyre has a review.