13 episodes
The Line of Fire with Ramita Navai Aurra Studios
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- News
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4.8 • 34 Ratings
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What can facing death and danger teach us about humanity and the world we live in, and what wisdom can be learned from working in war zones? In every episode, foreign correspondent Ramita Navai, renowned for her investigations and for telling the ‘story behind the story’, talks to a fellow war reporter about the life-changing moment they faced death. As guests recount extraordinary stories of kidnap and danger - many never told before - they explore what the experience taught them about themselves and the world, and how it's changed their perspectives on life.Subscribe for latest episodes and please rate and review.Ramita Links:Twitter: @ramitanavaiInstagram: @senoritaramitaWebsite: http://www.ramitanavai.com/Aurra Studios:@AurraStudios on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTubeShow notes and transcripts: - https://aurrastudios.com/the-line-of-fire/ - Watch Ramita’s latest documentary No Country for Women on ITV HubPresented by Ramita NavaiExecutive Producers Richard Osman and Matt RazProduced and edited by Chris Scott (@ctscott_)
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Sebastian Junger : Some sand sort of sprayed into the side of my face. I was like, damn, what was that? And then I heard the burst
In the series finale of The Line of Fire, Ramita interviews Sebastian Junger, the number one New York Times bestselling author, multi award-winning journalist and Oscar-nominated documentary maker.
Sebastian explains how he was inspired to become a journalist while researching dangerous jobs, and what drew him to conflict reporting.
When he was covering the war in Bosnia, Sebastian’s first book The Perfect Storm became an instant best-seller, and Sebastian describes how retreating from the limelight to cover the war in Sierra Leone helped him cope with the pressures of overwhelming success.
Sebastian discusses life-changing experiences, including the time he spent with the famed Afghan fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud and being embedded with a platoon of US soldiers in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan, then considered one of the most dangerous postings in the US military.
Sebastian shares his insights about the effects of witnessing violence and the worst of human nature, and about his decision to leave war reporting after the death of his close friend and collaborator Tim Hetherington who was killed while covering the Arab Spring in Libya in 2011.
Show Notes:
You can find all Sebastian’s books (including Freedom, Tribe, and The Perfect Storm) and films (including Restrepo) here: http://www.sebastianjunger.com/ Follow Sebastian on Twitter @sebastianjunger Follow Sebastian on Instagram @sebastianjungerofficial
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Guillermo Galdos (part two) : Two Black Hawk helicopters appeared on top of us…spraying with bullets. I remember hearing the trees falling down. It looked like the end of the world
This week on The Line of Fire, Ramita continues her conversation with the award-winning Peruvian journalist and documentary maker Guillermo Galdos.
In Part two Guillermo tells Ramita about his meeting with one of the world’s most notorious drug lords “La Tuta”, who was too drunk and high to interview, and about getting on the wrong side of cartel boss El Chapo’s wife.
We’ll hear how a single moment coming under attack in Colombia changed Guillermo forever.
Ramita and Guillermo’s conversation is interrupted by a text message Guillermo receives with some shocking news. Listener discretion is advised.
Show Notes:
If you want to learn more about Guillermo’s work, check out his page on the Channel 4 News website. You can watch Guillermo’s film about the history of the Colombian conflict El Testigo on Netflix. Follow Guillermo on Twitter: @GuillermoGaldos
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Guillermo Galdos (part one) : This guy was shooting his gun.... And suddenly they hit him in the head, right in the forehead. And I remember thinking, what the hell am I doing here?
This week on The Line of Fire, Ramita’s guest is the Peruvian journalist and BAFTA-nominated documentary maker Guillermo Galdos. Guillermo is the Latin America correspondent at Channel 4 News and is known for his work investigating drug cartels.
In the first of a two-part interview, Guillermo describes how his family was forced to flee Peru, and why he gave up his safe newsroom job in London to cover conflicts in Latin America.
Guillermo discusses the risks of investigating drug cartels and how he has learnt to deal with some of the world’s most dangerous men - including hitmen.
He also speaks candidly about dealing with the violence around him, including the murders of many of his friends and colleagues, and how he turned to Amazonian tribes and the powerful hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca to heal his trauma.
Show Notes:
If you want to learn more about Guillermo’s work, check out his page on the Channel 4 News website. You can watch Guillermo’s film about the history of the Colombian conflict El Testigo on Netflix. Follow Guillermo on Twitter: @GuillermoGaldos
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Anas Aremeyaw Anas : We don’t care you are journalists. The rule is simple. We will kill you
Ramita interviews Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Africa’s most famous journalist whose work has been cited by former US President Barack Obama, calling Anas “a courageous journalist who risked his life to report the truth".
Anas discusses the extraordinary lengths he takes working undercover in order to expose high-level corruption - in fact, few people know Anas’s true identity, as he lives in constant fear of being killed for his work.
Anas talks about the murder of his closest partner, Ahmed Suale, following their investigation into corruption within African football. He also recounts posing as a brothel cleaner for seven months to bring down a Chinese sex mafia, and being hospitalised as a psychiatric patient while investigating a drug cartel.
Anas has escaped death many times, including when villagers in Malawi mistook him for a witch doctor who had been killing locals for body parts, and having his cover blown in the Ivory Coast.
Show Notes:
Watch Anas’s BBC documentary Betraying the Game Also watch Anas’s BBC documentary Malawi’s Human Harvest Follow Anas on Twitter @anasglobal
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Mais Al-Bayaa (part two) : I kept screaming “is anyone alive?” but I did not hear anyone. I genuinely thought I was dead
The second part of Ramita’s interview with Emmy and Robert F. Kennedy award-winning Iraqi journalist and documentary producer Mais Al-Bayaa.
After surviving a targeted suicide bombing, Mais recounts how she discovered she was on a militia hit list, finally prompting her to leave Iraq.
She also describes why, despite fleeing her motherland, she decided to return, and how the birth of her daughter has given her the courage to continue reporting on dangerous stories.
Show Notes:
Watch Mais’s documentary Undercover with the clerics: Iraq secret sex trade BBC2 and also available in the US via PBS Frontline website Mais and Ramita worked together on Iraq’s Assassins and Iraq Uncovered and US listeners can watch it on the PBS Frontline website Follow Mais on Twitter @maisalbayaa
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Mais Al-Bayaa (part one) : I was asleep in my bed, three bullets came just above my head and the curtain was burned
Mais Al-Bayaa is an Emmy and Robert F. Kennedy award-winning Iraqi journalist and documentary producer. Mais has covered her home country and events in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In part one of this fascinating interview, Mais explains how her family were exiled by Saddam Hussein, the horrors of both Gulf wars and how she became a journalist by accident. We also hear what it was like to live on the ‘road of death’, and what happened when her father was kidnapped by a Shia militia.
Show Notes:
Watch Mais’s documentary Undercover with the clerics: Iraq secret sex trade Apple iTunes and also available in the US via PBS Frontline website Mais and Ramita worked together on Iraq’s Assassins and Iraq Uncovered and US listeners can watch it on the PBS Frontline website Follow Mais on Twitter @maisalbayaa
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Customer Reviews
Incredible podcast
Incredible Podcast that showcases the diversity of journalists across the world.
Brilliant!
Inspiring, realistic, raw truths about this fascinating profession of correspondency.
I can’t stop listening and am excited to what comes next.
Great podcast!
Loving these intimate conversations. Thank you Ramita and team for bringing them to us.