:00:00. > :00:34.Hello and welcome to Witness at the British Library in London.
:00:35. > :00:36.We've got another five witnesses who have
:00:37. > :00:39.given us a glimpse of history through the eyes of people who were
:00:40. > :00:43.This month on the programme, one of Al-Qaeda's first terrorist
:00:44. > :00:47.Bangladesh's struggle for independence.
:00:48. > :00:52.And the creation of the world's most famous sheep.
:00:53. > :00:58.But first to Afghanistan where for 1,000
:00:59. > :01:02.years three huge statues of Buddha towered over the valley of Bamiyan,
:01:03. > :01:06.some of the country's most significant monuments.
:01:07. > :01:09.But in 2001 they were destroyed by the Taliban.
:01:10. > :01:12.Sayed Mirza Hossein was one of the local people
:01:13. > :01:13.taken captive and forced to
:01:14. > :05:11.Sayed Mirza Hossein still lives in the Bamiyan Valley where he
:05:12. > :05:14.In August 1998 Al-Qaeda carried out one of its
:05:15. > :05:16.first major attacks, targeting the US embassies
:05:17. > :05:23.George Mimba, an American national, was working
:05:24. > :05:24.in the American Embassy in
:05:25. > :05:28.Nairobi when it was hit by a massive truck bomb.
:05:29. > :05:34.I cannot describe to you
:05:35. > :05:53.Then the smoke started filling up the building.
:05:54. > :05:59.for help, some shouting, some people crying, some
:06:00. > :06:14.The first explosion sounded like a tremor.
:06:15. > :06:19.Then it turned out it was a
:06:20. > :06:25.People were arriving to look at what was going on.
:06:26. > :06:28.I did not want to be left behind but I had an
:06:29. > :06:31.e-mail that I had to send, so I clicked send.
:06:32. > :06:35.Then I started also walking, following them.
:06:36. > :06:48.The building next door to the American Embassy was almost
:06:49. > :06:52.There are people clambering over the destroyed
:06:53. > :07:03.building and people inside the United States embassy.
:07:04. > :07:06.I started fighting myself out of the debris.
:07:07. > :07:08.Then all I could see were bodies of people.
:07:09. > :07:12.The people you just talked to a few minutes ago, seconds ago.
:07:13. > :07:20.You look at yourself, what is there for me to live for?
:07:21. > :07:23.When I opened my eyes I see across the
:07:24. > :07:38.I just closed my eyes and left the building.
:07:39. > :07:41.And then something told me to open my eyes.
:07:42. > :07:44.And I still hear people crying in the building.
:07:45. > :07:46.So I am heading back into the building.
:07:47. > :07:52.When I went up to the first floor it is dark, it is
:07:53. > :08:02.So I started to crawl on my knee, touching the bodies, to
:08:03. > :08:05.feel if there is anybody that still has life.
:08:06. > :08:08.And then I am calling out, is anybody here?
:08:09. > :08:15.Then I heard somebody calling my name, George, please help me.
:08:16. > :08:22.I started moving very fast towards that direction.
:08:23. > :08:29.I just held on to that person like this and started
:08:30. > :08:36.The voice that called me out for help was a lady's voice.
:08:37. > :08:38.And when I called out again there was
:08:39. > :08:56.On the face of it it is like we have recovered.
:08:57. > :09:02.More than 200 people were killed in the bombing and more than
:09:03. > :09:06.George returned to work at the US Embassy in Nairobi and he
:09:07. > :09:15.In July 1996 scientists at the Roslin Institute
:09:16. > :09:19.in Scotland created the first animal cloned from an adult cell.
:09:20. > :09:24.Dolly the sheep was created in a laboratory
:09:25. > :09:27.using an adult cell taken from one sheep to fertilise an egg from
:09:28. > :09:32.It was a breakthrough in the history of genetic engineering.
:09:33. > :09:38.Sir Ian Wilmut led the team of scientists.
:09:39. > :09:46.It was extremely exciting to see her knowing she was
:09:47. > :09:50.the first animal to be cloned from an adult cell.
:09:51. > :09:52.From a professional point of view it's the most
:09:53. > :10:02.Scientists in Scotland have produced the first ever clone of an animal.
:10:03. > :10:05.Dolly, a seven-month-old sheep, was created in a laboratory using a cell
:10:06. > :10:09.This was the culmination of about five years of
:10:10. > :10:26.It was not a eureka experiment where you just stepped out
:10:27. > :10:32.The new technique involves taking a cell from an adult sheep and
:10:33. > :10:33.removing the genetic material from it.
:10:34. > :10:35.The genes are then inserted into
:10:36. > :10:37.an empty egg cell taken from another sheep.
:10:38. > :10:40.The egg is then used to start a pregnancy, the offspring being a
:10:41. > :10:42.Many clones could be produced this way.
:10:43. > :10:45.In the case of Dolly the cells came from mammary tissue
:10:46. > :10:47.which could be removed from an animal which was autopsied
:10:48. > :10:50.for other experimental reasons and it was two of the stockmen
:10:51. > :10:52.who were watching the sheep who had suggested
:10:53. > :10:55.that she should be christened after Dolly Parton as a mark of respect
:10:56. > :11:09.it was necessary to carry out molecular biology tests to show that
:11:10. > :11:14.she was genetically what we said she was. Once we had that information
:11:15. > :11:18.that could be written up into a manuscript. I do not think we were
:11:19. > :11:29.prepared for the number of people that came out first Monday. Clearly,
:11:30. > :11:34.as we had cloned an adult, there was a possibility at some time that we
:11:35. > :11:38.could clone an adult person. There was a lot of excited debate about
:11:39. > :11:46.whether it was an appropriate thing for us to do. How easy mate it be
:11:47. > :11:51.scientifically for someone somewhere to apply your methods to the cloning
:11:52. > :11:55.of humans? If he really wanted to do it it could be done. Now it is
:11:56. > :12:01.generally understood and accepted that morning itself is not a useful
:12:02. > :12:08.thing in medicine. Further discussions are required. This was
:12:09. > :12:13.only with the background of knowing how she had been produced that she
:12:14. > :12:17.was scientifically very interesting. She became special as time went by
:12:18. > :12:21.because she was used to people wanting to photograph her and they
:12:22. > :12:26.where you got her to stand in a particular place for the cameraman
:12:27. > :12:31.was to offer her food. She was healthy and continued to be healthy.
:12:32. > :12:41.She had a total of six worms in the vacancies. Dolly was born on Easter
:12:42. > :12:47.Monday. She is said to be in good health. Her lamb is sprightly. Later
:12:48. > :12:53.in life Dolly was infected by a virus which causes lung cancer. We
:12:54. > :12:56.decided that was time to end her life. Her remains went to
:12:57. > :12:59.National Museum of Scotland where National Museum of Scotland where
:13:00. > :13:06.she is to this day. She is one of the most popular exhibits in this
:13:07. > :13:10.country. The importance of Dolly to me is in the science. It was a
:13:11. > :13:16.privilege and an and excitement to be part of the group that did that.
:13:17. > :13:24.There is no doubt all of us were very fond of Dolly.
:13:25. > :13:28.And even later received a knighthood for his role in the creation of
:13:29. > :13:32.Dolly. You can watch witness every month on
:13:33. > :13:36.the BBC News Channel or you can catch up on all our films and more
:13:37. > :13:43.than 1000 radio programmes in an online archive.
:13:44. > :13:47.You may have seemed an image circulating online of a cargo ship
:13:48. > :13:54.overloaded with refugees, sometimes described as Syrians trying to reach
:13:55. > :13:59.Europe, or Europeans trying to reach North Africa in World War II. In
:14:00. > :14:04.fact that's picture shows tens of thousands of Albanian migrants who
:14:05. > :14:06.commandeered a cargo ship in August 1991 and ordered the captain to take
:14:07. > :14:11.them across the bed till union to them across the bed till union to
:14:12. > :14:22.the Italian of Bari. Robert was one of those on board. -- take them
:14:23. > :14:27.across the Mediterranean Sea. It was a dream of freedom. Everyone was
:14:28. > :14:46.crying, saying Italy, Italy. Albania was closed. After 50 years
:14:47. > :14:53.of commoners people to leave because they were who were. In 1991 the
:14:54. > :14:59.economy completely failed and we did not have any choice. The only way to
:15:00. > :15:09.have fees is to leave Albania. Italy for as was a symbol of freedom. We
:15:10. > :15:21.left the Albanian port at two o'clock in the afternoon. 22,000
:15:22. > :15:33.people 25,000 people inside the boat. We arrived at the Italian port
:15:34. > :15:43.of Bari at 11 o'clock. We were absolutely convinced that they would
:15:44. > :15:49.accept us. They put ours, 20,000 people, in a very small space. I was
:15:50. > :15:55.suffocating. I could not believe any more. It was horrible, a nightmare.
:15:56. > :16:06.The plan of the Italian police was to bring them to a stadium. It was a
:16:07. > :16:10.big space, but to deliver food for 10,000 people you need five hours,
:16:11. > :16:17.so it was not possible for the Italian authorities to deal with
:16:18. > :16:21.this difficult situation. At this moment we began to fight with each
:16:22. > :16:30.other because the Italian authorities left as a loan and it is
:16:31. > :16:35.like a society without roots. In this moment you must fight for
:16:36. > :16:43.yourself. I stayed in the stadium ten days. Doing this, ten days, a
:16:44. > :16:49.back to Albania. Me and my friends back to Albania. Me and my friends
:16:50. > :16:56.decided to stay but we must try a way to escape from the stadium. I
:16:57. > :17:06.tried four or five times. Three times the same policeman cots B. The
:17:07. > :17:11.third time I asked him, why do you stop me gaining my freedom? My
:17:12. > :17:15.father is dying in Albania. They need help from me. I have two worked
:17:16. > :17:21.here to send some money there because we are a pool and you stop
:17:22. > :17:28.me. I am not on the dying myself, also my family. This Italian
:17:29. > :17:35.policeman began to cry. He said, I am sorry, what I can do for you now
:17:36. > :17:40.to escape, he said, leave me alone, I will find my way to escape. I
:17:41. > :17:45.stayed in Bari for one year. I need some money. With this money I
:17:46. > :17:54.decided to come to open a restaurant. We have two worked here.
:17:55. > :17:59.It is a beautiful country. People who can do something for their own
:18:00. > :18:04.country they have two stay in Albania, not go outside. Robert is
:18:05. > :18:11.now a film-maker in Albania. For our final film we are going back
:18:12. > :18:14.to 1971 when Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, was fighting for its
:18:15. > :18:21.independence. The conflict began in March when Pakistani troops started
:18:22. > :18:27.out a raid against prominent in galley nationalists and
:18:28. > :18:33.intellectuals to try and quell the growing liberation movement.
:18:34. > :18:38.Meghna's father was one of those. That night was the darkest of
:18:39. > :18:45.nights. It was the darkness that fell upon humanity. Workers in Dhaka
:18:46. > :18:51.shout for author shall independence for East Pakistan. The already call
:18:52. > :18:57.the country Bangladesh, Bengal state, and claimed they have
:18:58. > :19:07.achieved official independence. There is a noncooperation policy
:19:08. > :19:14.with the central Government. On the 25th of March 19 701I was a
:19:15. > :19:24.schoolgirl. My father was then associate professor of English. The
:19:25. > :19:30.Leader of the Opposition at that moment had given a declaration that
:19:31. > :19:34.all schools and colleges should be caused and that no Bengali should
:19:35. > :19:41.take part as a symbol of protest. Near to midnight I was almost
:19:42. > :19:47.asleep. My father was looking at exam scripts when he heard a lot of
:19:48. > :19:53.out of the window and he's so a out of the window and he's so a
:19:54. > :19:59.convoy of military vehicles coming in near to the compound gates and
:20:00. > :20:04.they came and and asked for the professor. My mother said, why do
:20:05. > :20:09.you want them? They did not answer. They tracked him out of the
:20:10. > :20:12.building. In eight moment we have turned our backs to the doorway and
:20:13. > :20:16.we heard eight shots. It was shocking. It's just hit us that they
:20:17. > :20:23.have not come to arrest people, they have not come to arrest people, they
:20:24. > :20:29.have come to kill. It was as if the sky fell down on us. We went through
:20:30. > :20:33.the back door and into the front of the building where we sought my
:20:34. > :20:39.father lying. He was conscious. We asked what had happened. He said he
:20:40. > :20:44.was asked to stand there and he was asked his name. He gave his name.
:20:45. > :20:50.They asked his religion. Once he told them he was a Hindu then there
:20:51. > :20:57.was an order to shoot. There was no way to take him into a hospital
:20:58. > :21:06.because there was curfew. It was only on 27th -- ten to seven in the
:21:07. > :21:12.morning that the curfew broke and we asked them to take my father to the
:21:13. > :21:21.hospital. The hospital was full of dead and injured people. My father
:21:22. > :21:27.was fatally injured. On the 30th he succumbed to his injuries and died.
:21:28. > :21:31.Throughout the nine months of the war that followed we were living in
:21:32. > :21:40.other peoples houses. Friends, families who gave us shelter. A lot
:21:41. > :21:51.of people were trying flee Dhaka. Finally after nine months we saw
:21:52. > :21:57.independence. Where he was shot, and artist later wanted to build a
:21:58. > :22:01.memorial, not only to my father, but also to the other people who were
:22:02. > :22:06.not have emerged of it was not for not have emerged of it was not for
:22:07. > :22:12.the sacrifice of these people. My father was among them so I feel very
:22:13. > :22:20.proud of it. Bangladesh declared independence in December 1971.
:22:21. > :22:22.During the nine-month war and estimated 3 million Bengalis were
:22:23. > :22:28.this month. We will be back next this month. We will be back next
:22:29. > :22:30.month with another round-up of history. Thank you for joining me.
:22:31. > :23:03.Goodbye. Some of us have had a nice day and
:23:04. > :23:04.others the opposite with violent thunderstorms