Nepal at a Crossroads of Change, the World is Watching
The BBC World Question program will be recorded at the Mandala Theatre in Kathmandu on April 7 and broadcast worldwide starting April 11. The panel includes Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, Rakhsa Bam of the Genji Front, Dr. Prakash Man Mahat from the Nepali Congress, and legal expert Dr. Mandira Sharma. The show will prioritize audience questions, highlighting Nepal’s youth movement and comparing it with those in other countries, emphasizing the unique peaceful constitutional process in Nepal. Currently, Nepal’s politics stand at a historic turning point. Since the Genji movement last September and the recent elections, the world’s attention has increasingly focused on Nepal. In this context, the famous BBC program ‘BBC World Question’ is being hosted in Kathmandu this time.
Broadcast in more than 60 countries worldwide, the program will be recorded on Tuesday, April 7 at Kathmandu’s Mandala Theatre. It will then be broadcast globally from April 11 via BBC World Service radio, YouTube, and podcasts. Audience questions will specifically guide the program’s direction, rather than the panelists themselves. Audience members attending the event will participate in selecting the questions, a process facilitated by hosts Johnny Diamond and Malle Mile.
This edition features four panelists. The first is Shishir Khanal, Nepal’s Foreign Minister. The second is Rakhsa Bam, leader of the Nepal Genji Front. The third panelist is Dr. Prakash Man Mahat, leader of the Nepali Congress and former Finance Minister. The fourth is Dr. Mandira Sharma. The panel was selected considering diverse perspectives, expertise, age, and gender balance, comprising two men and two women this time.
When asked how Nepal’s Genji movement differs from similar movements in other countries, it was noted that Nepal is the first nation where elections were held peacefully through constitutional processes following such movements. This has made Nepal an example and a point of curiosity worldwide. BBC World Question originated from the UK’s ‘Any Questions’ program, providing a platform for people around the world to engage in dialogue.