60 Minutes: The Hostage Story / The Looting of Cambodia / Gnawa (CBS Sunday 17 December 2023)

Tune in to 60 Minutes on CBS for in-depth reporting on the Israel-Hamas war, the looting of Cambodia’s artifacts, and the rise of Gnawa music in Morocco. Sunday, December 17, 2023 at 7:30pm.

The Hostage Story, The Looting of Cambodia, Gnawa

60 Minutes will air on Sunday, December 17, 2023, at 7:30pm. The episode will feature a trio of segments, including an interview with a freed Israeli hostage who spent more than 50 days in captivity by Hamas in Gaza. There will also be an investigation into the theft of thousands of sacred stone, bronze, and gold artifacts from religious sites across Cambodia, as well as a look at the musical legacy of Gnawa music in Morocco.

THE HOSTAGE STORY – In her first interview since being held captive by Hamas in Gaza for over 50 days, correspondent Lesley Stahl returns to the region and speaks with a freed Israeli hostage, nearly three months into the Israel-Hamas war. Stahl meets with the survivor and her family at the kibbutz home that was destroyed in the attacks on October 7th. Shachar Bar-On is the producer.

THE LOOTING OF CAMBODIA – The theft of thousands of sacred stone, bronze, and gold artifacts from religious sites across Cambodia was the subject of an exhaustive investigation by 60 Minutes that lasted an entire year. Anderson Cooper reports on Douglas Latchford, a British dealer who orchestrated looting during times of political unrest, civil war, and genocide, and who sold the artifacts to the most famous and wealthy museums and collectors in the world. The government of Cambodia has spent the past decade trying to find everything related to their history and heritage in the hopes of having it returned to Cambodia. This is a double-length segment. Michael H. Gavshon and Nadim Roberts are the producers.

GNAWA – Bill Whitaker investigates the history of Gnawa music, which was played in clandestine ceremonies by enslaved Black Africans transported to Morocco in the Middle Ages. The blues as we know it today has its roots in those old rhythms. Gnawa is currently experiencing meteoric rise to fame. In the Atlantic coast town of Essaouira, Morocco, Whitaker goes to the birthplace of Gnawa with hundreds of thousands of other music lovers. Whitaker gets a taste of Moroccan blues by meeting Gnawa masters and the Western musicians who accompany them. This is a double-length segment. Heather Abbott is the producer.