Abdi Latif Dahir - Kenya - The New York Times

Childhood journals lead to journalism. Abdi Latif Dahir (@Lattif) started journaling as a way to process the violence around him when, at 8 years old, his family returned to Somalia from Kenya. He tells us how that experience influences his reporting on conflicts as East Africa Correspondent for The New York Times. He also talks about his reporting on the recent arrest of the man portrayed in Hotel Rwanda, as well as his passion for running.

Countries featured: Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda, USA

Publications featured: Quartz, UPI, The Daily Nation, The New York Times

Abdi talks about growing up in Mogadishu (7:17), moving back to Kenya for university and to get his start in journalism (15:40), why his parents moved from peaceful Kenya to war-torn Somalia and how it influences his reporting on conflicts (31:36), going to Columbia J-school and working for Quartz (41:45), getting hired for a dream job at The New York Times (50:53), a profile that Abdi wasn't able to do after the death of the subject (56:14), his reporting on the arrest of Rwanda's Paul Rusesabagina (1:05:32) and finally the lightning round (1:15:00).

 

Here are like to some of the things we talked about:

Abdi's story on the death of a Somali entrepreneur - https://bit.ly/3li0FhG

His interview with Rwanda's Paul Rusesabagina in jail - https://nyti.ms/2VnhIUu

His full story about Rusesabagina - https://nyti.ms/3rIYHb6

The China Africa Project - https://bit.ly/3lhjmSz

The Continent - https://bit.ly/3ie3UEM

Nipe Story podcast - https://apple.co/3xg35zF

CBC's Writers and Company podcast - https://apple.co/2VkEk87

Learning to Swim Taught Me More Than I Bargained for - https://nyti.ms/2WHY724

House of Stone by Anthony Shadid - https://amzn.to/3ibyMWy

 

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Music: LoveChances (makaihbeats.net) by Makaih Beats

From: freemusicarchive.org

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