On January 29th 2017, a man open-fired on worshippers at a mosque in Quebec, killing six men and wounding several others. Vancouver and other cities across Canada marked one year since the attack and many called for the day to be recognized as a national day of remembrance and action on Islamophobia.

This feature aired on Democracy Watch on CiTR 101.9 FM.

The Last Prayer | Quebec Mosque Attack remembered in Vancouver

On February 20th 2018, UNICEF reacted to the escalation of humanitarian crisis in Eastern Ghouta with a blank statement. The UN body said it had no words to describe the ongoing war on children and loss of families. Over 500 deaths have been reported in a span of eight violent days. Vancouver organized a silent vigil that soon turned into loud chants. But they weren’t just calling the attention of Vancouverites; they had a message for the Honorary Consul General of Syria in Vancouver, the only official representative of the Bashar Al Assad-led government in Canada

Eastern Ghouta crisis sparks reactions in Vancouver

Uprising in Exile: Vancouver's Tibetan community demands freedom outside Chinese Consulate

The ban on Skype took away the only way I could keep in touch with my mother. It also took away my right to feel at home. This podcast won the CBC's Alexis Mazurin Award in 2018. The award recognizes creative radio storytelling produced by journalism students. 

Music credits:

"Calmant"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Carefree"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Yakeen - Atif Aslam

I don't own rights to any music played in this audio piece.

Skype got banned, but my mom got smarter

In the summer of 2017, I met with a kite flyer in Vancouver who was enjoying the warmth of the season with his favourite kite. But as I started rolling my microphone, I found out he was more than just a kite flyer — he was a philosopher too. THis was produced for CBC's On The Coast.

Kite Flying: lessons in life

The Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside was in the news throughout the summer of 2019. With the possibility of eviction looming large, CBC's photo-journalist Maggie Macpherson and audio producer Rehmatullah Sheikh spent a day at the park. There, they followed Stephen a.k.a RED has he tidies up his tent, and hopefully evades confiscation at the hands of fire marshalls. Through the scramble, Stephen talks about his personal journey and life at Oppenheimer Park.

A day in the life - Stephen at Oppenheimer tent park

Vaisakhi, the annual Sikh festival, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors at its annual parade in Vancouver. During my internship at CBC's afternoon show On The Coast, I spoke with the president of the Ross Street Temple and community leaders to see how they are preparing to celebrate the festival and send the message of unity, love and something that's unmistakable every Vaisakhi - delicious food.

Vaisakhi preparations in Vancouver

In summer of 2018, I was an intern at CBC's afternoon show "On The Coast" show. The team sent me out to an ice cream shop to see how Vancouverites were basking in the early rays of summer shine. What ensued was a memorable and funny live-hit with the owner of Earnest Ice Cream shop, customers and show host Matthew Lazin-Ryder. This was my first-ever live-hit for CBC Radio.

Ice Cream craze in warming Vancouver

Listen to the audio version of my essay on my personal website here.

https://www.rehmatullahsheikh.com/post/sounds-like-an-indian-wrote-this

Sounds Like An Indian Wrote This

Hi there, thanks for your interest in my vocal footprints in storytelling! I'm a Master of Journalism student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, as well as a freelance writer and journalist with a focus on audio and video storytelling. 

I report for CiTR 101.9 FM, my campus radio station, and cover Middle East & Africa and this allows me to chance upon super-interesting people from the Arab and African world. I've lived almost all my life in the Middle East, and as a product of an eclectic cultural mix, I want to explore stories that demonstrate everything that unites us at a time when so many narratives seem divisive. 

But beyond all the serious journalism stuff, I like to crack lame jokes and send WhatsApp voice notes long enough to freeze your phone. 

Welcome to my world -- feel free to drop a comment or get in touch on s.rehmatullah93@gmail.