Meditations on Violence

Radio Reflections on India’s Hindu-Muslim Divide

India kicks off their elections on April 20, 2004. Indians around the globe are watching closely to see what direction the country is headed. India is a vastly diverse country that has been rocked in recent years by outbreaks of communal violence. Many are watching the elections to see if India will be able to preserve its secular tradition and whether the ruling BJP party will make good on its appeals to Indian minority communities.

Andrea Wenzel recently spent a month in Hyderabad, India, training Muslim and Hindu community organizers and youth in radio production. Hyderabad is a city with a history of communal conflict. These stories feature various players in the city's communal situation sharing their perspectives in their own words.

On Monday, April 19, 2004, Andrea shared radio stories from Hyderabad and some personal observations--including her experience of trying to lead a discussion on self-defense strategies and confronting all the cultural disconnects that can come up in such a conversation.

Andrea is the producer of “Worldview”, a radio program focused on international affairs. “Worldview” airs weekday afternoons on Chicago Public Radio; WBEZ 91.5 FM. Andrea is also an active Advanced Green belt in the Adult Seido Karate program at Thousand Waves.