News
The revolution ate my homework – Five Yemeni bloggers you should be following
Much of the West’s knowledge of what’s happening in Yemen at the moment is coming from a handful (I can count them on one hand) of foreign journalists based in the capital Sana’a. As brilliant as those guys are they’re no substitute for local Yemeni journalists who know both the language, the people and the […]
Eight modern-day whistleblowers (part I)
Daniel Ellsberg, publisher of ‘The Pentagon Papers,’ speaks at a press conference, 1970s. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images This Saturday, the Frontline Club and New Statesman host a special adversarial debate, "this house believes whistleblowers make the world a safer place". Here we profile some of the most prominent whistleblowers in recent memory… […]
Armadillo: Janus Metz’s Fog of War
By Christopher Czechowicz “You have to be here to understand it. This place is screwed, after all. This is a fucked up country.” – ISAF Team Seven In the summer of 2009, marooned at military outpost “Armadillo” in Helmand Province, one of the most dangerous in Afghanistan and separated only by a kilometre from Taliban […]
Montt’s Day In Court: Screening of Granito: How to Nail a DictatorÂ
By Christopher Czechowicz “Because if I can not control the army, then what am I doing here?”- General Efraín Ríos Montt, 1982 This excerpt from Pamela Yates’ latest work was used as evidence in a Spanish court of law against a military man wanted for genocide. Twenty-nine years after death squads murdered […]
Egypt’s digital revolutionaries: It’s not about the technology
The special joint event organised by the Frontline Club and the BBC Arabic Service brought together some of the key players, journalists and experts to discuss what has taken place in Egypt over the last few months. The first half of the evening at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, considered the role of technology […]
Ahdaf Soueif: What you saw in Egypt was humanity at its best
Download this episode View in iTunes Watch the event here. The revolution in Egypt was “a moment whose time had come” said author and commentator Ahdaf Soueif at the Frontline Club on Wednesday. The author of the bestselling Map of Love told BBC News presenter Mishal Hussein how she had been in Jaipur in […]
Khalid Abdalla: I’m convinced that revolution stage two will come
British-Egyptian actor and producer Khalid Abdalla flew from London to Egypt soon after it became clear that the protests of 25 January were gathering momentum and was there for the Friday ‘Day of anger’ on 28 January. The Kite Runner star, whose other credits include Green Zone and In the Last Days of the City, […]
What’s on at the Frontline Club – a look at the week ahead
On Thursday we have a fantastic opportunity to engage with some of the key voices in the Egyptian Revolution. A special event in association with BBC Arabic Service at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, this is an unmissable opportunity to hear Omar Robert Hamilton, Manal Hassan, Khalid Abdalla, Salma Said and others reflect on the […]
Omar Robert Hamilton: ‘the biggest challenge now is keeping the momentum up’
Egyptian/British film-maker Omar Robert Hamilton, who can be seen in the above video speaking at a Democracy Now! event with his mother Ahdaf Soueif was in Washington DC on 25 January when Egyptians took to the streets but after four days he flew to Cairo to take part in, and document, the Revolution. For […]
Louis Lewarne: We were in awe of the Egyptian people that rose up
Independent film maker Louis Lewarne started the collectively written blog occupiedcairo.org during the internet blackout and continued to chronicle events in Egypt. Louis who has been living in Cairo since 2006 and is married to blogger and activist Salma Said, will be taking part in our discussion on Thursday on Protest, technology and the end […]
Salma Said: “I witnessed a war and survived it”
Salma Said, blogger will be taking part in our event this coming Thursday Protest, technology and the end of fear. Born in 1985 in Cairo, to a political family she has been involved in political activism since the age of 15 and joined the Kefaya (Enough) movement in 2005 when she discovered the Egyptian blogosphere. Here she […]
MRTV: The future of foreign reporting?
Frontline has asked me to blog about my work here in Mexico, as well as the process of setting up, making a living, trying not to get into too much trouble, and attempting to make ends meet.
So here’s the deal.
Protest, technology and the end of fear: the week ahead at the Frontline Club
This week there is an opportunity to hear from some of the key figures in the movement that swept President Hosni Mubarak out of office. On Wednesday the author and cultural commentator Ahdaf Soueif will be in conversation with the BBC’s Mishal Husain, looking back at the 18 days in Tahrir Square, the spirit of […]
Ahdaf Soueif: Safeguarding Egypt’s revolution
Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif, a key figure in Egypt’s revolution and cultural commentator, spoke via Skype during a First Wednesday Special event at the Frontline Club on 16 February, answering questions from both the panel and from the floor. On 30 March we are delighted that Ahdaf Soueif will be at the Club in person to talk more […]
War Child: helping the children of Gaza overcome the trauma of conflict
By Mike Pope Gaza is not like it is depicted in the mainstream media, its people are not doomed and it can achieve peace with Israel according to Jezza Neumann, director of War Child. Gaza is an incredibly hospitable place, the friendliest people I’ve ever met; it’s not dangerous in terms of your daily existence. […]
Five years since the first tweet: a Twitter revolution in breaking news
Today, Twitter is celebrating its birthday. Five years after the first tweet was published, its impact on the field of Internet communication and many others beyond has been much debated. Recent events in Tunisia and Egypt re-ignited the debate over Twitter’s role in the political process and whether the world has seen its first Twitter […]
We feared a crackdown when they told us to leave Yemen
Portia Walker, who is now in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, describes her deportation with three colleagues from Sana’a, Yemen’s capital and how today’s shooting of protesters confirms their fears that it could mark the beginning of a government crackdown. The Yemen Four: L-R Joshua Maricich, Haley Sweetland Edwards, Oliver Holmes and Portia […]
Nick Robinson: the post-Iraq mindset and reporting Libya
Nick Robinson‘s recent comments on the reporting of the Iraq war were particularly interesting in the light of last night’s UN Security Council approval of a no-fly zone over Libya. Speaking at the Frontline Club on Wednesday the BBC’s political editor, who commented on his blog today that it had been said he was "guilty […]
Nick Robinson: a mission to explain the world of politics
By Camilla Groom Nick Robinson, one of the most well-known political journalists in Britain, was at the Frontline Club to talk about his fascinating career as part of the ‘Reflections’ series, which are in association with the BBC College of Journalism. He chose eleven key clips that he felt best represented his career and […]
Ivory Coast: much at stake with more elections ahead across Africa
The UN has intervened in Ivory Coast, where incumbent Laurent Gbagbo is refusing to step down, to protect the principle of democratic elections in Africa, the special adviser to the UN secretary general has said. Speaking on the BBC World Service today, Edward Luck denied it was a mistake for the UN to associate so […]
April discussions and screenings at the Frontline Club
Our screenings in April take us from the dark, bloody side of the mobile phone industry to the search for natural energy production and its consequences. There are also fascinating stories of Danish soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, the struggle of a father and daughter in a West Bank village and the genocide of the Mayan people in Guatemala almost a quarter of a century […]
Can there be peace in Afghanistan and at what cost?
When and under what conditions would troops leave Afghanistan and what kind of country would they be leaving behind? The reality behind the rhetoric of military operations and peace and reconciliation talks with the Taliban was discussed on Tuesday at a debate chaired by David Loyn, BBC international development correspondent. Karen Pierce, Foreign and Commonwealth Office […]
Journalists in Yemen under pressure
Walking home in the orange light of the narrow streets of Sana’a Old City, the sila (sunken road) circling the ancient tower houses was the same as it is every night – deserted – bar the occasional check point of tired looking soldiers wrapped up in trench coats with kafiyas bound around their heads. I […]
Growing number of attacks on journalists in Libya highlights dangers
The detention and beating of three BBC Arabic journalists in Tripoli marked the beginning of a dangerous week for journalists in Libya that culminated with the death of an Al Jazeera cameraman Ali Hassaon Al Jaber. Feras Killani, a Palestinian with a Syrian passport, Goktay Koraltan, who is Turkish, and Chris Cobb-Smith, who is British, […]
What’s going on this week at the Frontline Club
There are just a few tickets left for tonight’s event where we will be examining the Afghan peace process and asking what could be sacrificed in order for reconciliation with the Taliban to be reached. Tomorrow night we have BBC political editor Nick Robinson at the Club – he will be looking back at […]
BBC World Debate: “Is Homosexuality UnAfrican?”
Download this episode View in iTunes You can watch the Frontline event here. By Gianluca Mezzofiore After the killing of gay rights activist David Kato in Uganda in January, debate about homophobia in Africa has been reignited. Kato was the face of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) an advocacy group actively campaigning against the controversial Anti-Homosexuality […]
Visualised: A day in the life of Twitter
Continuing an inadvertent theme on the blog, I’ve just come across this visualisation of a day in the life of Twitter by informatics researcher Chris McDowall: Mapping a Day in the Life of Twitter from Chris McDowall on Vimeo. It’s worth viewing in full screen, in HD, on Vimeo as you can see some of […]
The week ahead at the Frontline Club and a special event on the Middle East
ANNOUNCING A FRONTLINE CLUB SPECIAL EVENT: Protest, technology and the end of fear The past weeks have seen momentous events unfold across the Middle East and North Africa. On 31 March in partnership with the BBC World Service we are holding a debate at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, offering an unrivalled opportunity to […]
Life with Murder: Q&A with Dr Rachel Condry
In 1998 Jennifer Jenkins was shot four times by her brother, Mason, who was subsequently arrested and convicted for her murder. Their parents, Leslie and Brian Jenkins decided to continue to support their imprisoned son and were ostracised by their community. Dr Rachel Condry spoke to audience members after a screening of Life With Murder, an intimate portrait of the Jenkins family and the aftermath of their daughter’s death.
Barack Obama’s policy on Guantanamo Bay under the spotlight at the Frontline Club
After US President Barack Obama announced the restart of the Guantanamo military commissions, here are two events at the Frontline Club where his policy on military trials and his January 2009 pledge to close the prison have been examined: Clive Stafford Smith: Barack Obama and Guantanamo Bay Media Talk: What […]
