With the first free and fair elections in its history looming, The ancient city of Mandalay provided a fascinating glimpse into what was recently the closed world of Burma (or Myanmar) as it comes to terms with change.

Leo Johnson returns to Mozambique after more than 25 years to find a rapidly developing country. Badly affected by the floods ten years ago, Quelimane is now making national headlines because of its dynamic mayor Manuel de Arajo, a UK-educated former human rights worker who swept to power a year ago with anti-corruption promises.

In Zaruma, southern Ecuador, gold has been exploited for more than 500 years. Some 10,000 people in and around Zaruma still live off “artisanal” mining. For One Square Mile, Robert Goudl filmed in one such mine with presenter Leo Johnson to witness the challenges workers face.

South Africa’s so-called “born-free” generation now accounts for some 40% of the population. Born since the country’s first fully democratic elections in 1994, they have grown up without apartheid and the struggles of South Africa’s older generation. Here, six “born frees” talk about life growing up in the new South Africa.