Today, April 7, 2021, marks the 27th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Between April and July 1994, over one million innocent Tutsi were killed while the international community looked away.
As Linda Melvern wrote (https://www.newtimes.co.rw/opinions/survivors-genocide-crime-without-end), for survivors, the Genocide is a crime without an end. Especially the popularly continued and even rising genocide denial is a neverending offence to survivors.
As friends of Rwanda, journalists & researchers, and simply members of global society, it is our duty to remember, to stand up against denial, and to defend the truth. This conversation is one attempt at it.

We talk with JONATHAN BELOFF, PhD, about
- the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi (min. 0-14)
- understanding Rwandan decision-making & discourse (political and societal)shaped by its genocidal history (min. 14-25);
- the case of Paul Rusesabagina & the movie "Hotel Rwanda" (min. 25-38);
- the rise of genocide denial and ideology in- and outside of Rwanda (min. 38-47);
- what everyone can do to fight genocide denial & where to inform yourselves (min. 47-end).

You can follow Jonathan on Twitter: @JewswithRwanda and find information about his publications on his website: https://jonathanrbeloff.com/.

We hope that this conversation gave you interesting insight into such an important topic and that you can now stand up in an informed way against Genocide denial!

E4-kwibuka

S1-E4: Kwibuka27 - Fighting Genocide Denial

Eritrea, the often overlooked neighbour of Sudan and Ethiopia, has been considered one of Africa’s most authoritarian states for most of its short independent history since 1993. Arbitrary detentions, executions and forced labour under the guise of indefinite mandatory military service for all have driven hundreds of thousands of Eritreans to flee the country. But along the arduous route through Sudan and Northern Africa, many refugees are subject to even more abuses, with few they can turn to for help.

One of those they can turn to, however, is Meron Estefanos, one of the most prolific voices for the rights of Eritrean refugees and exiles. In this podcast, Meron speaks with us about the situation in Eritrea, the terrible things many refugees go through and what it means to be an advocate for those that are mostly unheard on the international stage.

RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTARIES:
*Undercover: Africa's Secret State* / *Escaping Eritrea* (2021)
By Evan Williams for Frontline Series and Dispatches

A rare and powerful look inside Eritrea, one of the most tightly controlled countries on earth, highlighting the voices of people who have endured unimaginable repression and hardship
Available online on Channel 4 (free account required), German- and French-language version available on Arte.tv (regional restrictions apply)

*Sound of Torture* (2013)
By Keren Shayo
The film intimately follows our interview partner Meron Estefanos in her daily life and work, calling Eritrean refugees held hostage in torture camps.
Available on Amazon Prime or Netflix in certain locations, can be purchased on YouTube

FURTHER SOURCES:
*Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea - reports* (2015/2016)
The reports of the COI on Eritrea represent one of the most comprehensive sources about the scope of human rights abuses committed by the Eritrean government.
The full reports, including sources and documentation, are available online on the website of the UN Human Rights Council. (https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIEritrea/Pages/commissioninquiryonhrinEritrea.aspx)

© cover photograph: Sinai desert, Gan-Shmuel Archive (via PikiWiki)

20,000$ for a life: Eritreans between slavery at home & torture on refugee routes (S2-E1)

There's still room for a new podcast!
We are convinced that there is never enough quality journalism out there, displaying different perspectives to challenge global systems & broaden own understandings.
So, let us join this podcasting world - and invite you to join us!

We (Nils & Louisa) are a very curious duo of young journalists at the search of their own positions in today's world. We are mainly driven by an abundant passion to bring more attention to news happening outside our Western circle.

In our fortnightly conversations, we will
- spotlight happenings in local contexts & connect them with global perspectives,
- try to amplify the voices of often unheard journalists & talk about their work while critically looking at our own media & positions;
- learn a lot ourselves on the way together with you.

Intrigued? Yeij!
Listen to our very first episode (of) World on (W/)Fire!

This topic doesn't only perfectly go with our name hinting to the rather concerning state of the world that we try to unpack on air (a wire)along various topics (environment, politics, economy, entertainment, culture, news, ... - there's no limit!). It also is meant in the literal sense: our world is on fire - countless ecosystems have been burning this year!

We start off exploring this worrying trend of longer fire seasons & larger bushfires around the globe by looking at Africa's tallest mountain that was on fire last month. We are honoured to have Bahati on our first show.  The Tanzanian journalist saw Mount Kilimanjaro burning himself and tells us what happened, how authorities responded to it, and what we, as journalists and citizens, can learn for the future from this incident.

We then take a tour around the world on fire and look at well-known bushfires in Australia & the US, but also learn about so-called zombie fires above the Northern Circle even.

Of course, we won't let you go with a dark outlook. It is not too late to act, locally & globally! We discuss some options of what we can do to fight fires literally & more systematically. And we hope you'll join by sharing other things you've heard of to prevent bushfires on a personal level - and by letting us know what you think about our first episode!

Tune in!

Or read more on the topic here (recommendations driven from our own research and about topics touched upon in our conversation):

Mount Kilimanjaro:
- https://www.dw.com/en/mount-kilimanjaro-fire-what-is-at-risk-for-the-local-ecosystem/a-55253805
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/world/africa/mount-kilimanjaro-fire-tanzania.html?auth=linked-google
- https://theconversation.com/fires-shaped-mount-kilimanjaros-unique-environment-now-they-threaten-it-149286

Amazon fires:
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/01/brazil-amazon-rainforest-worst-fires-in-decade
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-53893161

Australian fire seasons:
- https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/25/next-fire-season-is-already-upon-us-nsw-to-adopt-all-recommendations-of-bushfire-inquiry-report
- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-27/bushfire-season-2020-2021-coronavirus-drought/12702842
- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-27/bushfire-season-2020-2021-coronavirus-drought/12702842

Fire on ice (Arctic & Siberia): 
- https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/photos-show-scale-of-massive-fires-tearing-through-siberian-forests/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02568-y
- http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2020/fire-on-ice-arctic-wildfires-are-the-new-symptom-of-a-warming-planet/

Global perspectives:
https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_fires_forests_and_the_future_report.pdf
- https://news.globallandscapesforum.org/47794/fires-2020-experts-explain-the-global-wildfire-crisis/

What to do:
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/12/how-to-live-with-mega-fires-portugal-forests-may-hold-secret/
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/12/how-will-california-prevent-more-mega-wildfire-disasters/

Episode 1

S1 - E1: World on Fire

In our second episode of ‘World on Wire’, your hosts Nils & Louisa attempt to dismantle the systemic and acute levels of police violence around the world. We are joined by Méline Laffabry, who brings in a lot of knowledge of police brutality in her home-country France and in the country she lost her heart to, Chile.

Police violence has become a prominent topic in 2020, and unfortunately, rightly so:
The trends of abuse of power, increasing attacks on journalists at the hands of police officers, unjustified use of violence against peaceful protestors, and impunity have never been so visible as this year.
Still, the complex issue of police violence is not a solely US-American problem, as mainstream media coverage in the wake of #BlackLivesMatter indirectly suggested. Nor is police violence only inherent in so-called fragile, authoritarian states of the Global South, as we often want to believe from a European perspective. Rather, police brutality can be observed around the world, including our own countries (see e.g. recent protests in France).

The list of countries where police brutality has finally come to the surface and hence gotten much-needed attention in order to change systems is way too long for this podcast. Hence, we focus on Chile and France together with Méline who has experience in both countries. Like this, we put the spotlight on countries that have not made it to the mainstream headlines despite the huge injustice disguised in law and uniforms there.
Another such case is Uganda, where police brutality explodes again during its electoral period. About this, Louisa had the honour to talk in-depth with Ugandan journalist Ashraf Kasirye, who covers the electoral campaign of the opposition candidate and was brutalised by police. He shares his testimony alongside background information and advice on how to work in an environment of police violence. We included some statements in this episode but will upload the full interview in a separate part.

So, in this first conversation, we could only mention a few cases and scratch their surface. Our aim was to analyse, understand, grasp the general structures. And, we think, it becomes clear that violence by police never is one isolated, prominent case in a given country, but it is always systemic and rooted in the structures of the police around the world.

This feeling of no beginning and no end to the topic of police violence also left us with a feeling of helplessness and anger. Still, we are well aware that us, having this conversation, are in extremely privileged situations. Yet, we are inspired by, and of course siding with, those who are courageously taking the streets against this police violence and continuing to report as journalists under attack.
Us personally, we learned a lot during our conversation and hope that you will join and continue the talk in your own living rooms!

A short overview of what we touch upon:
A question of privilege, social inequality & the relation between police brutality and Corona
Police culture & systemic reasons of police violence with some reflection on Germany
Chile & France: Background information & analyses of the current situations
Countries and topics that get mentioned and would have deserved their own podcasts: Nigeria with its #EndSARS movement, Belarus with their brutal clampdown on protests after the elections, journalists getting under attack more often than ever
Uganda, where violence explodes during its electoral period - listen to the full interview with journalists Ashraf (uploaded later on as part of our podcast)!

Just as we could have talked for hours, you can also get lost in articles, reports, and videos.
So, we prepared a little selection of recommended readings about topics we touch upon during our conversation that you will find on our Twitter account (@WorldOnWire)! We hope it can serve as a starting point for your own research.

© cover picture: Méline Laffabry

Season 1

S1 - E2.1: Handcuffs, pepper spray, helplessness: the brutal system of the police

Violence has been exploding in Uganda during the current election period.
Police and security forces brutally responded to nationwide protests in support of the opposition candidate Bobi Wine. Besides killing civilians, police officers mainly attacked journalists and continue doing so with impunity.
The relationship between the media and the police in Uganda has been difficult for a long time, and the outlook is even darker.

Louisa, co-host of World on Wire, had the honour to interview the Ugandan journalist Ashraf Kasirye SaifIlah, who is currently covering Wine's electoral campaign.

He gives us background information about the situation in Uganda, analyses the relationship between the media and the police - and courageously shares his own testimony, as he became a victim of a brutal police attack himself.

[This is the second part of World on Wire's take on global police violence. Listen to the first, more general, conversation in S1 - E2.1.)

cover picture © L. Mugabo, Aarhus 2019

Episode 2.2 - Interview

S1 - E2.2: Interview with Ugandan journalist Ashraf, victim of and fighter against police brutality

From Yemen to Madagascar, the lack of food remains one of the most prominent humanitarian issues today. But more than a problem in crisis-regions, food and nutrition security are issues that can be felt on every continent.

In this episode of World on Wire, we try to get a grasp on the different causes, consequences and difficulties in solving food security. We analysed studies, reports, and had the honour of talking to a food & nutrition expert who gave us much insight into the professional debate on food security.

We also talked with Rwandan journalist Nasara Bishumba (@NashBishumba) about how food insecurity and the ongoing pandemic intersect in her city of Kigali.

Join us in looking at the diverse shapes of and possible solutions for food and nutrition security on this month's episode of World on Wire.

PS: We also give you an update of Ashraf Kasirye, the Ugandan journalist who gave us an invaluable interview on police brutality against journalists (S1-E2.2) and shortly afterwards survived an attack!

Mentioned links & further reading recommendations:
- "Are warnings of a Covid-19 famine in Africa overblown?" (TNH) https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/special-report/2020/10/14/Africa-coronavirus-famine
- TNH 2020 review on food security: https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/feature/2020/12/24/Famine-food-insecurity-climate-change
- download an excellent orientation framework on food & nutrition security for a better understanding here: https://www.welthungerhilfe.de/aktuelles/publikation/detail/orientation-framework-sustainable-food-and-nutrition-security/
- early warning systems: https://reliefweb.int/; https://fews.net/

S1 - E3: Food (in)security

New season: insights into forgotten conflicts & humanitarian crises
(Prev. season: connecting the dots of local news & global perspectives) - produced & hosted by Louisa & Nils

World on Wire

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