麻豆约拍

Azim Ahmed talks to four guests participating in this year's digital-only Hay Festival, discussing disparate topics such as the decline of democracy and consequent rise of autocracy in numerous countries; the creation of national library in Somaliland; and how women can save the planet.

Historian Anne Applebaum discusses her essay The Twilight of Democracy, which documents a shift towards radical right politics among many intellectuals in countries such as Poland, Hungary, the USA and even Britain. It's a story of friendships turned sour, and ideals betrayed.

Journalist Rageh Omaar together with librarian Ahmed Dahir Elmir tell the story of how a small, Islamic democracy in the Horn of Africa - Somaliland - managed to create a national library in the capital. A former refugee, Ahmed is the driving force behind this initiative to bring books to a region that was once celebrated for its Islamic culture and learning.

And sociologist Anne Karpf talks about her recent book How Women Can Save the Planet. She comments that gender is frequently omitted from discussion of the climate crisis, and yet it is women - and particularly women in less developed countries - who bear the brunt of the consequences of climate change.