The Debrief
Al Jazeera
On The Debrief, we put things in perspective - the Al Jazeera perspective. Others tell you where the missiles were fired from. We talk to you from where they land. Our journalists around the world bring in-depth stories and conversations to help you understand our planet just a little bit better. If you have a story to share, write to us: [email protected]
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Top 10 The Debrief Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Debrief episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Debrief for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Debrief episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
America’s poorest white town
The Debrief
12/21/17 • 16 min
This week we take you to America’s poorest county and to a tiny town that never changes, regardless of who’s in power in Washington - Republicans or Democrats. Welcome to Booneville. Population: 87.
On the show: Patrick Strickland, Al Jazeera journalist who reported this story. Our host is Jasmin Bauomy.
Greek gym mixes Muay Thai and anti-fascism
The Debrief
10/30/17 • 18 min
At the White Tiger Muay Thai Camp in Athens, they believe that your politics should be a part of every aspect of your life. You don’t just learn martial arts here. If you’re an anarchist and an anti-fascist, the camp is a place where your beliefs are welcomed and fostered.
This week we take you to Athens’ staunchly leftist neighbourhood of Exarchia, where we’ll meet people who spend their days training to physically confront fascism in the streets.
On the show: Al Jazeera journalist Patrick Strickland, who visited the gym and also lives in Exarchia. Our host is Priyanka Tilve.
Follow them on Twitter: @PStrickland and @ptilve
The Antifa Granny
The Debrief
09/04/17 • 12 min
Meet Irmela Mensah-Schramm - 70 years old and part of Germany’s long history of anti-fascism. For more than 30 years, Irmela has defaced some 100,000 public manifestations of far-right sentiments - graffiti, posters and stickers. Her one-person anti-fascist battle has left her with an injury, death threats and a long legal battle.
We follow Irmela to an anti-fascist rally in Berlin, and also hear from the far-right activists whom she's fighting.
On The Debrief: Al Jazeera's Patrick Strickland, who reported Irmela’s story, with host Laurentiu Colintineanu. Follow them on Twitter: @PStrickland and @colintineanu
Football’s Wall of Silence
The Debrief
02/15/18 • 31 min
Former youth football coach Barry Bennell, one of the top talent spotters in Britain with ties to major clubs like Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra, spent his days coaching children and his nights abusing them.
Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit profiles six men, all victims of Bennell, and explores the long-term impact of his serial abuse.
Deborah Davies first reported on Barry Bennell’s crimes 20 years ago. She has befriended his victims and has a rare insight into their plight.
In a powerful and heartbreaking documentary, she describes how some have turned to substance abuse and even attempted suicide. More than a few have not survived, one likely victim being his most famous player, former Wales international footballer and manager Gary Speed.
The investigation uncovers new evidence that, according to teammates, Speed was abused by Bennell.
The programme also reveals that high-profile clubs, as well as Britain’s Football Association, failed to protect children and in some cases failed to act on warnings.
Follow them on Twitter: @DDaviesAJ and @kdhirten
Sleepless in Yemen
The Debrief
12/27/17 • 28 min
For almost 3 years now, Yemeni aid workers Anas Shahari and Sukaina Sharafuddin have gone to bed hearing Saudi fighter jets circling over their city, Sanaa. Through WhatsApp voice messages, they tell our host Jasmin Bauomy what that’s like.
Producer / host: Jasmin Bauomy, Audio producer: Laurentiu Colintineanu, Platforms & distribution: Mohsin Ali, Executive producer: Yasir Khan.
This episode has been made in collaboration with Save the Children Yemen.
Rape, peacekeeping and the UN
The Debrief
11/27/17 • 23 min
A couple of weeks ago we took you on a harrowing journey to the Central African Republic. Al Jazeera journalist Azad Essa told you about the effects of rape and exploitation at the hands of UN peacekeepers, and about how victims are often left defenceless.
After that story went out, the United Nations got in touch and they wanted to talk. So our editor Yasir Khan called up the person who oversees what happens when a peacekeeper is accused of sexual abuse - Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for the UN Department of Field Support.
Poop, radio & inspiration in a Nairobi slum
The Debrief
11/20/17 • 22 min
This week on The Debrief, Al Jazeera’s Hassan Ghani goes to Kibera to find stories that take us beyond the miserable stats and hardship of life in poverty - a young man bringing toilets to the slum, a mother going to school to ensure a better life for her kids, and a radio DJ who gives a voice to Kibera’s voiceless.
While you’re listening, check out this satellite view of Kibera to see how densely populated it is. https://goo.gl/maps/7qW7XCYmMmG2
On the show: Al Jazeera journalist Hassan Ghani, who visited Kibera. Our host is Laurentiu Colintineanu.
Follow them on Twitter: @hassan_ghani and @colintineanu.
Hassan’s stories are part of AJ Shorts - our short documentary series about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Check them out at aljazeera.com/shorts.
India's motorcycle ambulance
The Debrief
11/08/17 • 10 min
When Karimul Haque's mother died because she couldn't get to a hospital, he swore no one else in his village of Dhalabari, in India's West bengal state, would suffer the same fate.
For the last 20 years, he's used his motorcycle as an ambulance and has saved more than 4,000 lives. People call him 'Ambulance Dada'.
On the show: Al Jazeera journalist Priyanka Gupta, who visited Dhalabari. Our host is Mohsin Ali.
Follow them on Twitter: @PriyankagIND and @mohsin.
Ambulance Dada is part of AJ Shorts - our short documentary series about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Check them out: aljazeera.com/shorts.
10/09/17 • 11 min
Rumours made two tribes go to war in rural Kenya, until they learned the facts.
In August of 2012, two major tribes in Kenya’s Tana River District took part in some of the worst ethnic clashes in the country’s history.
The Orma, nomadic cattle-herders, and their farming neighbours, the Pokomo, have a history of fighting over water and grazing rights, but this time it was different.
Fake news and rumours incited the tribes to attack each other viciously, leaving 118 people dead and 13,500 displaced.
How did this happen and what stopped it?
On the show: Al Jazeera producer, Priyanka Tilve, traveled to Kenya’s Tana River County to see how the tribes are coping. It includes a local, innovative solution in the fight against fake news. Our host is Mohsin Ali. Follow them on Twitter: @ptilve and @mohsin
One Iraqi father's search for his son
The Debrief
10/02/17 • 17 min
An Iraqi ex-intelligence officer turned refugee tries to find his missing son.
It's been two years since Jamal's youngest son vanished without a trace. Equipped with the skills he gained from Saddam Hussein's secret service, Jamal is reconstructing his son's last known steps, taken during the height of the refugee crisis, when his boat sank into the Aegean Sea.
We join Jamal on his search for Bakeer - the journey takes him from Turkey to Greece, but key information is shrouded in bureaucracy and ambiguity.
Further complicating his efforts, Jamal has been granted asylum status in Romania and is now able to reunite with his family. But they are conflicted; do they travel to Europe for a better life – and essentially abandon their search efforts - or do they stay in Turkey in the hope that Bakeer may one day come back?
On this episode of The Debrief: Horia El Hadad, Al Jazeera producer and filmmaker, who documented Jamal's journeys. The host is Laurentiu Colintineanu. Follow them on Twitter: @horiaelhadad and @colintineanu.
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FAQ
What is the most popular episode on The Debrief?
The episode title 'Football’s Wall of Silence' is the most popular.