"As long as there are human beings there are stories"

Head of programme Jenny Wiik, students at MIJ and Afrah Nasser. Pictures and text: Kovuuri G. Reddy

*The media landscape is changing and re-shaping constantly with the internet in our midst. Internet is a platform for publishing and broadcasting not only for journalists but also for citizens (and netiznes). Because everyone is communicating online including the citizen journalists, the need for professional journalists has become acute and sought after. Sought especially by the independent and mainstream media in order to find and narrate stories that matter to the people in a compelling manner, and in the professional fashion that includes ethics and codes of conduct.


The first batch of students studying Master’s in Investigative Journalism(2016-2017) had completed the module ‘Investigative Journalism in Digital Environments’ and have started ‘Investigative Journalism Across Borders’ at the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMG). On 2ndNovember they had a lecture and Q & A session with Afrah Nasser, Yemeni blogger and journalist.

Afrah Nasser is also a human rights activist and strives to report on unreported aspects of her home-country Yemen (the poorest Arab country in the Middle East, and almost unnoticed by the Western media except briefly during the Arab Spring, and now the Guardian reports 'US Military members could be prosecuted for war crimes in Yemen'). Before seeking refuge in Sweden, she worked as a journalist in Sana’a where she faced in-house censorships on political reporting.

In a 2-hour session, Afrah Nasser focused on how ‘citizen journalism is shaping professional journalism’ by mentioning to the student-journalists from her experiences on Twitter and blogging. She is an alumnus of JMG, and did a thesis under Jenny Wiik the course director of Master’s in Investigative Journalism. From her experiences as reporter in Yemen to working in Sweden as a journalist, she explained the role of political regimes in the Middle East by mentioning Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and what the West can do, and cannot do for the betterment of civic and political freedoms.

In the era of ‘slow journalism’ and ‘fast journalism’ how to come to terms with finding a story and bringing it to the attention of audience?

‘Journalism is a literature in hurry’ and also there are platforms such as Twitter where not only words even ‘space between words and a punctuation mark count as a character’: the size of text or word count is becoming shorter and shorter, then how can one express a complex story in crisply condensed format? For Afrah Nasser, telling a story in few words and often in hurry is an art in itself. It is something that the journalists have to live with, and find ways for expressing.





Internet is bane and boon to the society. For Afrah, it is a boon because it is a platform for citizens in dictatorial regimes to report on censored subjects. She highlighted how internet’s social media websites have becomes source of news for journalists and for users to interact (like, dislike and comment). In spite of the rise in citizen journalism, she stressed that the professional journalists stand out from the crowds because they know (ought to know) the ethics, codes of practice of the craft: truth and accuracy (verification and validation), independence, fairness and impartiality, humanity and accountability. She advised the student-journalists to empower themselves by learning the professional codes and techniques of the craft as there are a range of tools (to record, film, photograph and publish and broadcast to bypass filters and censorships) at the disposal of journalists.

With my former MA' thesis supervisor, and the university lecturer, Jenny Wiik.

Everything starts with an idea: so is the case for investigative journalists, Afrah Nasser said. She said the students of Master’s in Investigative Journalism have the potential to make an impact with their stories not only in Sweden, in Nordic countries and in Europe but also in other parts of the world.

Irrespective of citizen journalism, and the infinite content produced on the internet, she said there is always a need for professional journalists: “I am always hopeful for the future when it comes to journalism because I think as long as we have human beings…they are vibrant, and living…there will always be stories to tell and it’s the role of the journalists to tell those stories.”

Photos & text by Kovuuri G. Reddy

__________________________________________________________

*This piece was written and published by Gothenburg Univeristy's Department of Journalism, Media and Communication, following my lecture to 'Investigative Journalism' MA program students.

We Have a Dream

Here is some tiny happy news in this $#%& world.

5ish years ago, I was photographed by Swedish photographer, Albert Wiking and interviewed by Oscar Edlund for a project they’ve been cooking for a long time. The project will finally see light next week and it’s called, ‘We Have A Dream’. It’s a photography exhibition of portraits of 114 people who dared to make a difference; the list includes Dalai lama, Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, Malala Yousafzai, Timbuktu, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and I.

To be among those names blows my mind! I wish to fly right now to 7aret al Raqas, my humble neighbourhood in Sana’a and tell them the news. I hope my hard-working mother who survived an abusive marriage, and had a 5-year-long fight at courts to win divorce and custody of her two daughters, and worked 24/7 to put food on the table and get us a decent education; I hope my mom is proud of her daughter, moi. I wish my teacher in Sana’a who told me, ‘if you want to be a writer, you’ll die alone, unread and poor,’ know how wrong he was.

My dream is that all Yemenis live in dignity and peace, and along with that journey I dream to continue telling their stories.

‘We Have a Dream’ will be exhibited at Fotografiska in Stockholm, 9 Dec - 19 Feb 2017, and will be accompanied by a book of the same name.

Sweden Has A Role In Yemenis’ Suffering And Must Suspend Its Weapon Sales To Saudi

Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven met Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs,
Nizar bin Obaid Madani in Riyadh, Saudi. October 2016. Photo courtesy: Aftonbladet.

*Swedish media tends to criticize the Swedish-Saudi relation denouncing Sweden’s desire to be an ally to Saudi and pointing out that it is a dictatorship that lacks any free political life and a country that commits massive human rights violations. But it is time to update that perspective: Saudis’ record in human rights violations have exceeded its borders.

Swedes must also condemn Saudi’s war crimes record in Yemen; this most importantly entails Swedes questioning Sweden-made weapon sold to Saudi used in possible war crimes.

Top Swedish arms dealer Marcus Wallenberg "accompanies" Swedish PM  Löfven to Saudi this weekend despite revelations that Saudi armed ISIS.

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 21, 2016

 

Ahead Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s visit to Saudi at the end of last month, Wikileaks tweeted that top Swedish arms dealer Marcus Wallenberg “accompanied” Swedish PM Löfven to Saudi. This is plausible as Saudi is one of the top clients of Sweden’s weaponry industry. In its 2016 report, Control Arms Coalition named Sweden as one of the countries having reported licenses and sales to Saudi Arabia in 2015. Saudi won’t obtain all these weaponry unless there is a flourishing market. Saudi is the world’s third-largest spender in military expenditure index. Despite that Sweden has announced last year its military cooperation with Saudi was not renewed, Saab remains able to continue selling arms to Gulf countries - which are active actors in the ongoing conflict in Yemen.

The Saudi-led coalition intervention in impoverished Yemen that began in March 2015 was only possible because of the high level of arms imports made to the coalition 10 Arab state members, headed by oil-rich Saudi. In 2011-15 Saudi Arabia’s arms imports increased by 275 percent compared with 2006-10. In the course of Yemen war, at least 10,000 people have been killed and the UN reported that the Saudi-led coalition is responsible for most civilian casualties. Human rights groups which include Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both documented dozens of unlawful coalition airstrikes, some of which may amount to war crimes. Schools, hospitals, weddings, funerals among many other civilian targets were not exempted from the coalition airstrikes.

In parallel, calls for countries to stop selling weapons to Saudi are raised. The calls include Sweden who had little or nothing to state in condemning the atrocities in Yemen. I became well-aware of Sweden’s indifference when Sana’a funeral attack happened in which 140 people were killed and over 500 were injured by a double-tap airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition earlier this month. Sweden’s foreign minister, Margot Wallström showed no condemnation statement, whatsoever, while she usually rushes to condemn terrorist attacks elsewhere. Seemingly, Sweden’s silence over the Saudis’ war in Yemen is relevant to Sweden’s arms sales to the kingdom.

Last year, Sweden had a strong stance against Saudi over its terrible human rights violations record, then why the silence today? What has changed now? Why the silence over Saudi’s role in the suffering in Yemen? Sweden’s revival of the Saudi-Swedish ties comes as a step into Swedish preparation for its seat on the UN Security Council in the beginning of next year and with that Sweden seems to be willing to compromise & ally itself with the Saudis. Sweden had to re-establish its good relation to the Saudis and gain Saudis’ support in the council.

In that seat, Sweden actually is becoming increasingly relevant to peace in Yemen - it must honor the international laws and exert efforts to ensure peace; which both Saudi is violating in the war in Yemen. However, Sweden’s indifference over the potential use of its weapons in causing the suffering in Yemen undermines Sweden’s future role in ensuring peace. If Sweden doesn’t condemn Saudi war crimes now, then when will it do so?

It is time to refresh our view on the problem with Sweden allying Saudi considering Saudi’s war crimes record in Yemen war and therefore call upon that Sweden suspend any of its arms sales to Saudi- unless, Sweden would like to be on the wrong side of history.

________________________________________________________

*This piece was originally published in Swedish in Swedish magazine, Omvarlden on the 1st of November, 2016.

Discussing Yemen is no longer a mere political analysis

Last night I co-spoke in Emmaus Björkå's event. My focus was Yemen. I never was more focused like I was yesterday. Discussing Yemen is no longer a mere political analysis; Discussing Yemen is rather my daily life, my daily calls with shattered family members, relatives, friends, friends of friends and the new Yemeni refugee friends I make along the way. Discussing Yemen is discussing why I have sleepless nights. Discussing Yemen is about why I have this guilt every time I feel full and think of the million children in Yemen who forgot how feeling full used to be. Discussing Yemen is about how I have this guilt every time I get sick and can get medicine while thinking of my fellow Yemenis sieged with no hospitals, and if they can get to the hospital, they can't afford to pay for anything. Discussing Yemen is no longer a mere political analysis, it's rather remembering that fathers today bury their newly-born starved to death babies and can't even afford to buy all gravestones.


My anger is one without scream, my pain is one without tears, for my fellow Yemenis whose blood seems cheaper than the Saudis' cash. So, I spoke last night with a clarity I hope I can keep on holding.

I didn't miss the chance to call on the audience to question what Sweden-made weapon does in Yemen war and many wars in the MENA region. How can Swedes not know how Sweden is investing in conflicts?! hope the audience start to question and be better well-informed citizens and stop the tragedies unfolding in the other corner of the world...coz what happens over there, will, inevitably, backlash.

Yemeni Film 'Nojoom' in Sweden

I tried my best to hold my tears in reflecting about "Nojoom" movie after its screening. To cry won't help ya Afrah, I told myself. I got my strength & spoke out about how child marriage is a symptom of Yemen's deep economic, political & security issues. This is all exacerbated by the ongoing war. Didn't miss the chance to inform the audience that even Sweden's weapon trades is being invested in Yemen war. Anyhow, Nojoom is a great movie & I highly recommend watching it when it gets screened in your area!

Instabilitet i Jemen hotar Europas säkerhet

*KRÖNIKA. Terrororganisationer har blivit mästare på att utnyttja kaoset i Jemen. I detta krigsdrabbade land har terrorattacker mot bland annat Paris och Bryssel planerats. Men terrorismen i Jemen måste bekämpas genom att landet stabiliseras på sikt, betonar Afrah Nasser, journalist från Jemen, baserad i Göteborg.



När chefen för den amerikanska militära underrättelsetjänsten Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Vincent R Stewart, för några månader sedan vittnade inför ett senatsutskott om DIA:s bedömning av den globala säkerhetsmiljön nämnde han Jemen fyra gånger. Han förmedlade en bild av hur landet har blivit ett fäste för snabbt skiftande transnationella terrornätverk.

Han beskrev hur Islamiska staten (IS) 2015 fortfarande var fast förankrat i Irak och Syrien och samtidigt bredde ut sig globalt, medan det etablerar sig i flera länder – däribland Jemen. Stewart konstaterade att ”al-Qaida också fortsätter att utgöra ett hot mot amerikanska intressen runt om i världen, med förgreningar i Jemen, Somalia, Nordafrika, Syrien och Sydasien”.

Hans vittnesmål är viktigt för att förstå hur transnationell terrorism idag sätter den globala säkerheten på spel. Men han berörde inte instabiliteten och kriget i Jemen på samma sätt som han nämnde inbördeskriget i Syrien. Man kan inte tala om Jemen och terrorism utan att också nämna de bakomliggande orsakerna: Jemens kroniska destabiliseringsfaktorer genom åren. Den mångåriga instabiliteten och destabiliseringen av mitt land, Jemen – förvärrad av den pågående Saudiledda alliansens flyganfall och inbördeskriget – skapar en grogrund för terrorgrupper som brer ut sig och utgör ett hot mot global säkerhet.

Jemen har på ett eller annat sätt haft kopplingar till flera terrordåd utförda runt om i världen. Det innebär inte att Jemen i sig självt bör förknippas med terrorism, utan att mer uppmärksamhet bör riktas mot landet för att förstå vad som göder terrorn och därmed kunna sätta stopp för den. Ju längre behovet av stabilitet i Jemen ignoreras, desto mer kommer terrorism med ursprung i detta land att hota den globala säkerheten.

Jemen har länge – men felaktigt – betraktats som terrorismens land. Terrorism som kopplas till Jemen måste betraktas i relation till landets djupt befästa ekonomiska, politiska och säkerhetsmässiga problem. Jemen är ett land som präglas av fattigdom, väpnad konflikt, korruption, förlamande bräcklig ekonomi, svagt och splittrat styre och förödelse utan motstycke under den pågående konflikten. Det innebär utmärkta förutsättningar för terrorgrupper att frodas och att rekrytera hungrande, arbetslösa och desperata ungdomar.

En av de jemeniter som hållits i det amerikanska fånglägret Guantánamo, Samir Moqbel, har vittnat om detta. I ett brev som New York Times publicerade i april 2013 skriver han om hur han drogs till al-Qaida på Arabiska halvön (Aqap): ”När jag var i Jemen år 2000 berättade en barndomsvän att jag i Afghanistan kunde tjäna mer där än de 50 dollar i månaden jag tjänade på mitt fabriksarbete, och försörja min familj. Jag hade ingen erfarenhet av utlandsresor och visste ingenting om Afghanistan, men jag gav det en chans.”

Terrororganisationer har blivit mästare på att utnyttja kaoset i Jemen och en rad dåd har visat att Jemen är en utmärkt utgångspunkt för terrorplaner. Jemen har hamnat i rampljuset genom flera händelser. Bland dem finns al-Qaidas sprängdåd mot det amerikanska krigsfartyget USS Cole i Jemen 2000, den amerikanska drönarattacken mot den högt uppsatte amerikansk-jemenitiske al-Qaida-medlemmen Anwar al-Awlaki och terrorattackerna i Europa på senare tid.

Det har basunerats ut att de båda bröderna bakom Parisattentaten hade fått vapenutbildning i Jemen. De väpnade män som anföll Charlie Hebdo i Frankrike, och de som låg bakom attackerna i Belgien, hade utbildats i Hadhramout-regionen i södra Jemen, vilket har bekräftats av regionens guvernör, generalmajor Ahmed Bin Bourek, i en intervju med Gulf Times . Icke att förglömma: Aqaps ökända webbpublikation Inspire har sin bas i Jemen .

Efter 11 september-attackerna i USA och början på det världsomspännande ”kriget mot terrorismen” har Jemen hamnat i strålkastarljuset. Sedan 2002 har USA som ett led i sina insatser för att bekämpa terrorism genomfört drönarattacker i Jemen, välsignade av både den förre presidenten Ali Abdullah Saleh och den nuvarande Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi. I det amerikanska försvarsdepartementetssenaste rapport beskrivs de senaste tillslagen i Jemen.

Dessutom medgav Pentagon tidigare i maj att amerikanska soldater har skickats till Jemen. Drönaranfallen är ett modernt verktyg för lönnmord, men de har inte lyckats radera problemet. Drönarattackerna har inte bara dödat fler ickestridande civila än Aqap-medlemmar utan har också visat sig kontraproduktiva då de har lett till ökande antiamerikanska stämningar.

Trots att problemet inte har lösts har USA inte omvärderat sin politik gentemot Jemen. Istället ser nu jemeniter under det pågående kriget hur amerikansk- och brittisktillverkade vapen, inklusive klusterbomber, används av alliansstyrkorna. Det öppnar garanterat en ny front i jemeniternas antivästliga stämningar.

Det ligger i världssamfundets intresse att bekämpa terrorismen i Jemen – terrorattackerna i Europa som planerades i Jemen bevisar det. Men kampen mot terrorismen i Jemen måste ske genom att roten till det onda angrips i syfte att stabilisera landet på lång sikt. En rad strategier för att bekämpa terrorismen – som att få ett slut på kriget, ge inflytande åt folk på marken som kämpar mot terrorismen samt stärka politiska och ekonomiska institutioner – bör vidtas eftersom en stabilisering av Jemen skulle främja den globala säkerheten.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

*This piece was originally published on the Swedish Institute for International Affairs' magazine on May 26, 2016.

I was Awarded Sweden's Pen Holder Prize for 2016

I was awarded Sweden's Pen Holder Prize for 2016, today. The prize was established since the late 80s & is annually awarded for female freelance journalists to support their work & dedication. If I'm not mistaken, I'm one of the first brown women given the award in Sweden, which not only makes me proud but also makes me love Sweden more. My Sweden sees a difference to be an advantage. And, more importantly, my Sweden believes in women's power.

Such recognition for my small & absolutely imperfect work, makes me wanna work harder & harder to continue echoing the voice of my people in Yemen. It's been 5 years for me in Sweden & I've always been thinking on how to dedicate my time & energy for my people, despite the distance (till the time comes when I work from Yemen).

Working with human rights issues is a tough work. You know that things might not get better. And they don't. They go backward, often. Still, what gets me jumping out of my bed every morning is: the love of my life, that's writing.

What would I have done without you, writing? Don't know..

Anyways, tack Sverige!

Co-Speaking With Nawal El Saadawi

Stockholm, winter, 2011 – This is the only picture I have with Dr. Nawal El Saadawi. I made sure to go early to her talk accompanied by my friend, Roya. As we were about to enter the building, Nawal was just arriving as well. Once our eyes faced each other at the gate, I screamed with joy. Wallahi I’m not kidding. I bet Nawal thought I was a crazy young lady. It didn’t matter what she thought about me. For me, I was and still star-struck. Ever since my feminist consciousness came to birth, that’s around 2008, she’s been one of my feminist heroes. I used to watch her, read her and think about her whenever I felt how society treat me in a peculiar way just because I was a female. I remember during my work at Yemen Observer in Sana’a (2009-2011), I used to wait till lunch time when the office gets empty so I can check Nawal on Youtube and watch some of her interviews. Back then, not many Arab TV channels used to host her and not many at my men-dominated office used to leave me alone if it happened that they watch me watching her on my computer, for she has always had provocative issues to rise. Anyhow, I love the internet for helping me & my generation to overcome such obstacles.


Sharing the stage with the legendary feminist writer like Dr. Nawal El Saadawi, later today is insane. Despite that ever since (and about) the Arab Spring, El Saadawi has been embracing ideas that I don’t agree on, speaking with her on Monday would be too good to be true. Can’t wait!

:: ~~|~~ :: where & when the talk will be: Today, Stockholm at Södra teatern at 7.00 pm, for more info see here.

My Commentary on CCTV about Yemen War

I co-spoke at The Heat program in CCTV America about the latest political and humanitarian developments in Yemen. The show is in two parts below.