Bo: The death of a language

In 2010, one of the oldest languages in the world died after the death of its last remaining speaker.For 40 years, Boa Senior from the Indian Andaman Islands was the only person who spoke the Bo language. She died, aged 85.Leading up to her death, linguist Professor Anvita Abbi spent years attempting to learn the dying language.Without family or friends who understood her, Boa took to speaking to birds – she said they were her ancestors. Eventually she opened up to Anvita, singing songs and sharing ancient tales.Anvita was the first and last person to record Boa’s voice. She talks to Natasha Fernandes about her death and how it changed a whole way of life.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Boa Senior in a tsunami relief camp in 2005. Credit: Anvita Abbi)