Dead Man Walking: The US nun who took on the death penalty, part two

When Sister Helen Prejean agreed to correspond with a convicted murderer on Louisiana’s death row in 1982, she had no idea she would end up becoming his spiritual advisor, eventually accompanying him to his execution two years later. The experience changed her profoundly. She eventually wrote a book, Dead Man Walking, which was turned into a major Hollywood movie in 1995. Forty years later, she has witnessed six more state executions - and is still tirelessly fighting to end them.

Kalista Sy is on a mission to show Senegalese women that they can be themselves. She’s created a TV series called “Maitresse d'un homme marié” which tackles subjects which are normally off limits in Senegal – such as sex, infidelity, domestic abuse and polygamy. The series is hugely popular, even though it has been criticised by religious clerics and TV regulators in the country. This interview was first broadcast in 2020.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Zoe Gelber

Photo: Sister Helen Prejean in Louisiana's Angola Prison, 1996. Credit: Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma via Getty Images