The Congolese guitar maestro, composer, and singer Niwel Tsumbu has become one of the most sought-after musicians in Ireland since he made this country his home in 2004. And this without ever consciously pursuing a career in music. Music was simply a passion he pursued, and it created its own road for him.

Niwel: A Life in Music explores Niwel Tsumbu's life in Africa, his reasons for emigrating to Ireland, the story of his life here, and some of his musical projects across a wide range of styles. These include Irish Trad, Classical and Jazz, as well as the Congolese styles of Rhumba and Soukous.

Samples of Niwel's music are interwoven with commentary from composer Mel Mercier, percussionist Eamonn Cagney, folklorist Ríonach Uí Ógáin, Niwel himself, and the presenter J.J. O'Shea, concluding with the premiere of an original composition recorded especially for the programme.

In addition the programme looks at the history and culture of the Congo – a country ravaged by ongoing wars and poverty, even though it offers vital material to the modern world in terms of rare minerals which are essential for today's technologies.

Niwel: A Life in Music is produced and presented by J.J. O'Shea and funded by Coimisiún na Meán.

Producer Patricia Baker of Curious Broadcast explores how food connects cultures, communities, and generations in Melting Pot.

Melting Pot is a story about food, recipes passed down through generations, dishes that remind us of home and family.

From Ukraine and Moldova to Nigeria, Lebanon, the Liberties of Dublin, and Zimbabwe, these are foods that carry memory. They hold the flavours of culture and the histories of the people who cook them.

These are not restaurant recipes. They are family recipes: meals cooked with love, carrying memory, tradition, and identity. They are everyday meals. Comfort food. Stories you can taste.

Featuring contributors from across Ireland’s diverse communities, Melting Pot explores how food preserves culture, creates connection, and helps people feel at home, wherever they are in the world.

Melting Pot is a Curious Broadcast production, funded by Coimisiún na Meán through the Television Licence Fee.

The Melting Pot Cookbook, featuring recipes from the documentary, is available to download free from biazine.com.

Featured Recipes and Contributors:

Ukraine

Borscht
Contributor: Olena Zhuravlyova

Moldova

Zeama (Chicken Soup)
Contributor: Angelina Kuchuk

Georgia

Nigvziani Badrijani (Walnut and Aubergine Rolls)
Contributor: Marina

Dublin, Ireland

Coddle
Contributors: Elizabeth Duffy, Liz Clayton and Angela Rooney

Lebanon

Kibbeh
Contributor: Rita Sakr

Zimbabwe

Pap and Beef Stew
Contributor: Normakhosi Ngwenya

Nigeria

Akara (Bean Fritters)
Contributor: Victory Nwabu-Ekeoma

Additional contributor: Dr Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

On this episode of Documentary and Drama on Newstalk, reporter Emma Tyrrell delves into the history of Dublin’s tenement buildings in “Beyond The Hall Door: Life in a Dublin Tenement”.

The documentary features firsthand accounts of former residents on what life was like in the capital’s most densely populated accommodation from the 1940s to the 1970s, from cooking and cleaning to school and work. They describe the move from dilapidated one-room homes to new council flats and the switch to suburbia.

Many of the recordings were made at one of Ireland’s best known tenement buildings, 14 Henrietta Street, in Dublin’s north inner city. The Georgian house was turned into a museum in 2018 and the documentary includes contributions from tour guide Pat Garry and social historian Donal Fallon.

The former residents featured in the documentary once lived in tenements on Henrietta Street, Mary Street, Jervis Street and Charlotte Street. They include Jane Lynch, Rachel Naylor, Peter Hayes, Michael McAuley and Stephen Norton.

A special thank you to the team at 14 Henrietta Street for their support in making this documentary. Also to Na Píobairí Uilleann, which allowed its headquarters at number 15 Henrietta Street to be used during the documentary.