Barry Abdul Latiff is a young civil society activist in the Aleppo countryside and member of a local coordination committee of the Syrian revolution. This interview is from the last days of 2013 as the opposition forces were descending into a civil war within the civil war and the Syrian air force was redoubling its bombardment of the city.

An interview for the BBC World Service with a Syrian revolutionary

A documentary investigating the acquisition of vast tracts of agricultural land in Africa by foreign investors. Is it cynical 'land grabbing' or a route to much needed investment and infrastructure in the continent? For the making of the documentary I visited the Yalla Swamp in Kenya, where there is a land dispute between an American firm and the local communities, and it was broadcast on FSRN on New Year's Day 2013. 

Whose land is it anyhow? A documentary for FSRN

How do you capture the complex reality of a whole country, when that country is into its fourth year of a bitter civil war, death and suffering are routinely reduced to statistics and the representation of a whole people is predominantly defined by violence and destruction. That's the question a community of Syrian film makers is trying to address. 

Report on the Syrian film collective, Abounaddara, for the BBC World Service 30.03.2014

Ice Lava

Apple Blossom Mixdown

Syria has in recent years become synonymous with violence and conflict but from among the destruction there has been an explosion in art and creativity. It is a revolution within the revolution. Syria Speaks is a book offering an insight to this diverse creative community, from Facebook poets to award winning authors and this is a radio feature from the book launch made for the BBC World Service.

Syria Speaks; Art and Culture from the Frontline

It's not everyday you get to interview one of your musical heroes but what an honour it was to speak with the legendary drummer Tony Allen. Band leader and right hand man to Fela Kuti he's the father of Afrobeat. 
In his most recent collaboration he's teamed up with one of the founding fathers of Detroit techno, Jeff Mills. The music they have created together is superb. Here's a feature I did with them both for the BBC World Service.

Tony Allen and Jeff Mills

British politics has become nothing short of brutal. With the mudslinging and backstabbing in parliament at fever pitch I went to Sunderland to train with a team of MMA fighters to see what they make of Brexit and the brawling in Westminster. Hard hits and lots of laughs. This was a fun package to make for BBC World Service radio.

Sunderland fighters trade blows and have a laugh over Brexit

To pop your clogs, peg it, bite the dust, meet your maker, or kick the bucket. The English language is full of colourful euphemisms for death and dying but for many it remains a taboo to actually talk about it. Recent research in the United Kingdom found that most people are ill-informed about what to expect at the end of life, and many would rather not talk about it altogether. So, in an attempt to get people thinking and talking about the ultimate inevitability, the UK Academy of Medical Sciences has launched an art installation, The Departure Lounge. Here's my report for the BBC World Service

Departure Lounge

Wissam al Hassan was a high level security chief and interlocutor between many of the Lebanese and Syrian players in the conflict. This is an interview with BBC 5 Live on the evening of his murder. 

BBC 5live interview after Wissam al Hassan assassination October 21 2012

I am a broadcast and print journalist specialising in the Middle East. I am currently working as a producer for the BBC World Service in London and I was previously living in Lebanon where I was freelancing for regional and international broadcasters and publications. I have lived worked and traveled extensively across the Arabic speaking world and speak, read and write the language to near fluency. 

zak brophy

Popular tracks