"Recognition of the inherent dignity...of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace...." That's from the preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, written fifty years ago. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, a celebration of human rights and human dignity, and an assessment — how far have we really come?

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, host Jim Fleming speaks with photographer Phil Borges. Borges' book, Enduring Spirit, captures the dignity of individuals from tribal cultures in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. This segment also includes a short reading from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and "We Are," a song by Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Steve Paulson interviews journalist Philip Gourevitch, author of We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families. In his stories from Rwanda, Gourevitch describes both the genocide of the Tutsi minority, and the hope that remains for the restoration of human rights and dignity in that country. Also, a song from Malouma Mint El-Meidah, who has been censored in her homeland--the west African Islamic republic of Mauritania--for singing of love and sensuality. Her work appears on a "Smashed Hits" CD compiled by the magazine Index on Censorship. A short reading from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is followed by Judith Strasser's interview with Tricia Smith, a young human rights activist who speaks about her work protecting the family of a Colombian man murdered by the paramilitary.

• week of 01/03/99 - hour 1