Episode description

From Europe’s perspective Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ America in 1492. But the historian Caroline Dodds Pennock shifts the focus in her new book, On Savage Shores, to explore what the great civilisations of the Americas – the Aztecs, Maya, Totonacs, Inuit and others – found in return. The stories of Indigenous Americans abroad are ones of abduction, loss and cultural appropriation, but also bafflement at the lives and beliefs in 15th century Europe. On Savage Shores is BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week.

Iokiñe Rodríguez Fernandez is a Venezuelan sociologist who co-founded Grupo Confluencias, a consortium of Latin American conflict resolution practitioners. She works closely with indigenous communities who are fighting to retain their ways of life, and the focus is very much on local history, local knowledge and traditions.

The Royal Academy of Arts in London is showcasing treasures from Spain and the Hispanic World from 21st January. This landmark exhibition will present a visual narrative of the history of Spanish culture, bringing together works from Spain and from its colonies in Latin America, from antiquity to the early 20th century. The co-curator Adrian Locke explains how the artistic, cultural and religious influences from abroad helped shape and enrich art in Spain.

Producer: Katy Hickman