Somalia
Trauma and Reporting in Somalia
In collaboration with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, we welcome back BBC Africa Editor Mary Harper alongside reporters Ismail Einashe, Idil Osman and Julianna Ruhfus to discuss the long-term effects of reporting from Somalia on the long-running al-Shabaab insurgency, and the challenges for the resilient community of local journalists who continue to report.
The Many Faces of Al Shabaab
Al Shabaab is one of the century’s most successful violent jihadist movements, ruling over millions. But what lies behind the headlines and the bloodshed? Who are Al Shabaab, and why do people join? LAST FEW TICKETS.
Some Myths About Somali Piracy
Michael Scott-Moore and Ben Rawlence discuss Moore’s 5 month ordeal kidnapped by Somali pirates aboard an abandoned fishing vessel.
Screening: The Ransom + Q&A
The Ransom dives into the secret system of Kidnap & Ransom, designed by major insurance companies in response to the 30,000 kidnappings committed every year around the world.
BookNight with Andrew Harding: The Mayor of Mogadishu
The Frontline Club is delighted to welcome Andrew Harding to present The Mayor of Mogadishu.
The Mayor of Mogadishu is an uplifting story of survival, and a compelling examination of what it means to lose a country and then to reclaim it.
Sneak Preview Screening: Warriors From the North + Q&A
Young Muslims are travelling from Europe to fight in countries such as Syria and Somalia, lured by groups like Al-Shabaab and the Islamic State (IS). Warriors From the North follows a cohort of young Al-Shabaab sympathisers in Denmark and Sweden. Directors Nasib Farah and Søren Steen Jespersen approach the subject from multiple perspectives, speaking with current Al-Shabaab members, young men who have left the group and the family of one young man who left his life behind to join Al-Shabaab.
On the frontline of defending women’s rights: A conversation with Human Rights Watch
By Anna Reitman The Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch joined The Guardian’s Liz Ford on Tuesday 13 May to discuss the highs and lows of the challenges faced in improving the lives of women and girls around the world. The event took place as the world’s attention focuses on Nigeria’s kidnapped schoolgirls and subsequent failure to […]
Just Kenya’s problem? The Westgate Mall terror attack and the internationalisation of al-Shabaab
by Sally Ashley-Cound A week after the climax of the 3-day terrorist attack which started on 21 September at the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, the Frontline Club’s First Wednesday panel on 2 October 2013 – chaired by BBC Africa Editor Solomon Mugera – gathered to discuss the Kenyan government’s response to the event and […]
First Wednesday: Kenya’s fight against al-Shabaab
On 21 September Somali insurgent group al-Shabaab launched a devastating attack on a shopping centre in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. For October’s First Wednesday we will be joined by a panel of experts and journalists to discuss how the Kenyan government will respond and what the implications will be in the region. We will be examining the threat posed by al-Shabaab in the neighbouring countries and further afield, and exploring their origins and motivations.
What Took You So Long? – Talking Strategy with the Guerrilla Filmmakers
By George Symonds From Somalia to Iraq, Haiti to Columbia and many places in between, filmmakers What Took You So Long? do not only make films – they explore, connect and collaborate with communities worldwide. Ahead of their distinguished Guerrilla Filmmaking Workshop at the Frontline Club, we caught up with the team for an exclusive Q&A: […]
Netanyahu in China, London conference on Somalia, US-South Korean talks, and Pakistan elections – the world next week
By Jasper Wenban-Smith, International Editor, Foresight News A round up of world news in the week ahead from journalist resource ForesightNews. Monday 6 May The high-profile trial in Germany of Beate Zschäpe, an alleged member of a group called the National Socialist Underground (NSU), is due to open on Monday in Munich. Zschäpe and four […]
Reporting Somalia: Expanding the scope of the media’s eye?
When you think of Somalia, what comes to mind? Conflict? Pirates? Refugees? Poverty? Somalia is still a dangerous place for journalists to operate: according to the Committee to Protect Journalists five journalists have been killed there this year. But improvements in the security situation are offering new opportunities to access stories that may have been too risky to […]
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 20- 26 February
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 20 February to Sunday, 26 February from Foresight News By Nicole Hunt After a false start on 9 February and another postponement on 15 February, euro zone Finance Ministers are using their regularly-scheduled meeting on Monday to discuss whether to release the next tranche of Greece’s […]
MSF aid workers shot in Somalia
Associated Press is reporting that two people working for the aid group, Médecins Sans Frontières, have been shot in Mogadishu. At least one person is believed to have been killed. The incident is reportedly related to an internal staffing issue – AP quoted MSF worker Ahmed Ali, who claimed that a recently fired employee was responsible […]
Famine and Conflict in Somalia: What can bring relief?
Caught between political instability, conflict and violence, whilst famine and drought destroy the people and the land, there is seemingly little that can be done to bring relief to this failed state. Aid agencies are being criticised for not acting sooner and making provisions for prevention, as the famine and drought in the Horn of Africa were deemed “predictable.” Does the international system need to step up their efforts and produce a coordinated response? And what lessons can we learn for the future about prevention rather than cure?
Join us at the Frontline club with an expert panel to discuss the role of the international system, and what more can be done to bring relief to this war torn famine stricken country.
The battle for press freedom in Iran, Martin Bell and Somalia: the week ahead at Frontline Club
ANNOUNCING REACTIVE EVENT: Following the arrest of six Iranian filmmakers accused of collaborating secretly with BBC Persian, we will be bringing together a reactive panel on Friday to discuss their detainment and the battle for press freedom in Iran. Join us this evening with veteran war correspondent Martin Bell as he reflects on a career that has seen […]
The week ahead at the Frontline Club
Don’t forget the September Club Quiz tonight! Next week we will be discussing the aid operation in Somalia and how effective it can be in a country caught between political instability, conflict and violence. For In the Picture this week we will be joined by Norwegian photojournalist Espen Rasmussen who, for his project TRANSIT, travelled to 10 different countries recording the lives of […]
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 12-18 September
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 12 September to Sunday, 18 September from ForesightNews By Nicole Hunt The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meets in Vienna on Monday, with Iran likely to be high on the agenda following last week’s report expressing increased concerns over ‘undisclosed nuclear related activities’ […]
Getting back into the swing of things – September at Frontline Club
Tomorrow night is a First Wednesday Special in association with BBC Arabic: with a panel including the New Statesman‘s Mehdi Hasan and former diplomat Carne Ross, we will be discussing how the world has changed since the terrorist attacks almost ten years ago and ways the response to 9/11 might continue to shape our future. We will also […]
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 29 August – 4 September
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 29 August to Sunday, 4 September from ForesightNews By Allan Williams Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega has until Monday to appeal against his extradition to Panama. The 77-year-old is currently serving a prison sentence in France after being convicted of money laundering in July 2010. On Tuesday […]
That back to school feeling: talks and screenings to feed your mind in September
There are plenty of talks and screenings at Frontline Club in September to get the grey matter going after the summer season. At our First Wednesday Special, discuss the cultural and political changes set in motion by the events of 9/11 ten years ago and look ahead to the next decade. We’ll also be discussing extremism, Somalia, photography in […]
Hunger in the Horn of Africa
I found this blog by Simon Levine at the Overseas Development Institute an interesting discussion on the politics of famine. http://blogs.odi.org.uk/blogs/main/archive/2011/07/06/horn_of_africa_famine_2011_humanitarian_system.aspx It focuses on the hunger ravaging the Horn of Africa, with thousands of Somalis turning up at the Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya every day. His main argument is that famines only tend […]
Kidnapped: Life as a Somali pirate hostage
Watch the event here. By Helena Williams When Colin Freeman, a Daily Telegraph correspondent, was kidnapped by Somali pirates along with his photographer Jose Cendron, he did not know when he would be free again – if ever. But during last night’s Frontline Club event, Freeman – who is now the chief foreign correspondent for […]
Insight with Colin Freeman: Life as a Somali pirate hostage
View in iTunes In late 2008, Daily Telegraph correspondent Colin Freeman and Jose Cendon, a Spanish photographer travelled to Somalia to investigate the recent spate of piracy attacks that were terrorising shipping in the Gulf of Aden. Their aim was to track down some of the pirates and secure an exclusive interview. They were […]
My life as a Somali pirate hostage
In late 2008, Daily Telegraph correspondent Colin Freeman travelled to Somalia to investigate a spate of piracy attacks that were terrorising shipping in the Gulf of Aden. Along with a Spanish photographer, Jose Cendon, his aim was to track down some of the pirates and secure an exclusive interview. But the pair were double crossed […]
The week ahead at the Frontline Club: Assange and
This evening’s screening and panel discussion organised by BBC Perisan will shed light on the extent of persecution suffered by The Baha’is of Iran. Tomorrow we will be joined by award winning ITV News‘ international editor Bill Neely who will be talking about his recent work in Libya, the stories he has covered since he began his career and […]
The week ahead at the Frontline Club: Assange and Žižek, Somali pirates & kill/capture in Afghanistan
This evening’s screening and panel discussion organised by BBC Perisan will shed light on the extent of persecution suffered by The Baha’is of Iran. Tomorrow we will be joined by award winning ITV News‘ international editor Bill Neely who will be talking about his recent work in Libya, the stories he has covered since he began his career and […]
How the People Lost their Fear of the Pharaoh, but is the Regime Getting Away With Murder?
Hosni Mubarak is gone, ousted by a revolution. As someone who lived in Egypt and can testify to the brutality of the Mubarak regime, I celebrated with the millions of people who were glad to see the back of him. These picture galleries from the New York Times and photojournalist Matthew Cassell show powerful images of protesters in their pain during […]
Somalis, Saracens and their Secret Donor
What do six Russians, two South Africans, the Ugandan President’s brother, a private security firm, a former CIA officer, and a senior ex-US diplomat all have in common? Somalia and its semi-autonomous regions of course! The British registered private security firm Saracen International is currently training over 1000 militia men in Somalia’s Puntland region as […]
Mid-Ramadan in Mogadishu is Just Another Bloody Day
It is the eve of the 15th night of the holy month of fasting in the Islamic calendar, but the families of at least 33 people killed in Tuesday’s attack will be mourning rather than feasting. Al-Shabab gunmen disguised as government forces stormed the Muna hotel close to the presidential palace and opened fire. One […]