When I began my career as a foreign correspondent in the early 1990s, during the Balkan wars, local journalists were never part of the story. In Bosnia, where few of my colleagues spoke the language – Serbo-Croat, later called Bosniak – we relied on talented young men and women to act as our fixers and guides. But they were often more like Virgil leading us through hell: they were reason, wisdom and pragmatism, even though their country was dying.
They risked their lives and did not want glory. They felt it was their responsibility. I often felt shame that they worked alongside me on the frontline, amid shelling and sniping, and knew so much more than I did about the story – but why was my name alone on the byline? Slowly, that started to change. Some of us trained them to begin reporting their own stories, make their own films and radio reports. It was a lesson for me. It wasn’t just that they spoke the language; it was their insight that made me wonder if parachuting foreign reporters into a conflict was entirely fair to a reader. Today, as a result, I am a board member of the Institute of War and Peace Reporting, which trains local reporters.
So here is the question: can a foreigner, no matter how invested in a conflict or country, ever tell the real story, the way someone whose home country is being ravaged by war, or a humanitarian crisis, or who knows the politics of the land inside out, can? I spent nearly three years covering the siege of Sarajevo; it was a war that shaped me. It prepared me as a human being and as a journalist. I knew I could not have done it without my Bosnian friends. But could they have told the story better?
I felt the same way when I went to Rwanda in 1994 during the genocide and wondered: should this terrible story be told by Africans – by Rwandans, Tutsis or Hutus? Wasn’t it their story to tell, not mine?
I did not go to stories unprepared. I had worked in the Middle East since the first Palestinian intifada. I learnt how to report in Gaza in the shadow of local reporters, who were really activists. But even though I grew dangerously attached to the story, was it my story to tell? Years later, walking into the besieged Jenin refugee camp while the Israeli Defence Forces fired shots at us from tanks, a local reporter said to me: "This is my country. I don't mind risking my life. But why are you doing it?" I told him we both had the same goal: to bring a voice to the voiceless. He did not look convinced.
In Iraq, in the days of Saddam Hussein and then after the occupation, I worked with many Iraqis who helped us survive. But it was their future at stake, their country that was being ripped apart. Even though my heart was also breaking at what was happening to Iraq – a country I love – it was not, as my friend Ali pointed out, my country, nor my roots.
The question of whether or not foreigners can truly understand another culture, no matter how gifted they might be as reporters, writers or linguists, is an old polemic. I once had lunch in Paris with a Syrian writer who said (a trifle too aggressively) that I had no right to write a book about war crimes in her homeland because I was not Syrian. I was hurt and disagreed – I still do – because objectivity matters. But I also listened to her points and took note. I would never, no matter how much I read, or what I felt, have the same blood ties she did.
When Our Women on the Ground, a collection of essays proclaiming to be by "Arab women reporting from the Arab world", arrived on my desk, I was suspicious at first, thinking back to that Paris lunch. But the collection is a revelation: it is women writing about their passions, their questions, their lives and loves, often in countries where being a journalist is a tremendous act of courage and being a free woman is often taboo. And yet, these are words written about working, mothering, loving, surviving and trying – above all, to be truth-tellers.
Can local reporters really tell the story of their home country objectively? Arab journalism has gone through tremendous changes. There was a time when reporters were so fiercely tied to political parties and factions that the question of objectivity did not even begin to come into play. If you read Al Hayat, you knew what you would get. If you read Al Ahram, you'd get something else. Some journalists I knew were so tied to party loyalty (and, sometimes, party money) that theirs was not a tough job. But try working for the Sudanese National Broadcasting company at the height of Omar Al Bashir's rule, like Shamael Elnoor. Every day, she faced moral dilemmas because her bosses' editorial views reflected the ruling party: "Our youth were being shot dead by the ruling militia, and police were calling them vandals and criminals," she wrote. "I was expected to repeat those expressions and inject them into my news reports."
I was haunted by the young photographer I met in Aleppo, so committed to her work, despite her own safety; the Libyan human rights reporters who tried to write about transitional justice, despite never having lived in a country where there was rule of law
She wasn’t alone. Female reporters in Algeria, Morocco, Syria and across the region faced the same concerns every time they went out to report and felt the fear that came with trying to tell the truth. “Growing up in Syria in the 1970s meant one thing,” says the BBC’s Lina Sinjab. “Breathing fear.”
In some ways, the Arab uprisings changed styles of reporting as repression and taboos fell away, particularly for women. It was a time of liberation, when Arab female reporters came into their own. I remember being thrilled by the number of Arab women on the streets in Tunisia during the Jasmine Revolution, protesting but also blogging, recording, filming and documenting events. The pattern continued in Egypt, Libya and Syria. I was haunted by the young photographer I met in Aleppo, so committed to her work, despite her own safety; the Libyan human rights reporters who tried to write about transitional justice, despite never having lived in a country where there was rule of law.
They were finally being hired, not as fixers or translators but as reporters, producers, camerawomen, editors-in-chief. The rise of social media across the region prompted new digital platforms, new innovations.
"You know who this little girl is?" Lina Attalah's dying father proudly told a nurse in a Cairo hospital. "She's a journalist. She founded a newspaper." Ms Attalah did that not once but twice, co-founding first the Egypt Independent, later Mada Masr. In the past decade, her life's work has been dedicated to honest and transparent journalism. Sometimes the women felt split in two by their identity and gender. Palestinian-Canadian Jane Arraf, who has one foot in the West, one in the Middle East, often asks herself: "Would it have been equally painful to watch the trainwreck unfold had I not been Arab?" A reporter for the broadcasting station NPR, she might have understood the tragic miscalculations that destroyed Iraq but she says: "I might not have been conscious of the depth of misunderstandings as worlds collided."
I wonder if I would have the same fierce emotional reaction that Donna Abu Nasr, a long-time Saudi correspondent, had when she watched a woman in Jeddah in 2011 selling underwear outside a shopping mall for the first time
I think if I had read this book of Arab female voices before my Paris lunch, I would have been better equipped to defend myself. But I also would have understood my friend’s frustration. I still do believe foreign western reporters have a place writing about the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans and Asia. The narratives of an outsider belong side by side with those of a local. They should complement, not distract from each other. But I get it. I’ve lived in France for 15 years. I was married to a Frenchman; my son is French and I have a French passport. But can I write about the occupation of Paris or the Algerian war with the same nuances as my French colleagues? In the same vein, could they write about the pain, as an American in exile, that I felt hearing about the 9/11 attacks or how I felt arriving in Afghanistan the next day? I am not so sure.
I wonder if I would have the same fierce emotional reaction that Donna Abu Nasr, a long-time Saudi correspondent, had when she watched a woman in Jeddah in 2011 selling underwear outside a shopping mall for the first time, a job that previously only a man could do. “I felt overwhelmed with pride and joy,” she wrote. It wasn’t just the seller that moved Ms Abu Nasr to tears, it was the cultural transformation of “the new Saudi Arabia” she had witnessed over years spent talking to Saudi women. She wasn’t just reporting a story; it was also her story. As a non-Arab, could I ever really comprehend that?
Janine di Giovanni is a 2019 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and a senior fellow at Yale's Jackson Institute. She is the author of The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria. Follow her on Twitter @janinedigi
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Results:
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1.400m | Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Saab, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Majd Al Gharbia, Saif Al Balushi, Ridha ben Attia
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed Dh 180,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Money To Burn, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh 70,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Kafu, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 2,400m | Winner: Brass Ring, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at the Gabba
Australia 312-1
Warner 151 not out, Burns 97, Labuschagne 55 not out
Pakistan 240
Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad
China and the UAE agree comprehensive strategic partnership
China and the UAE forged even closer links between the two countries during the landmark state visit after finalising a ten-point agreement on a range of issues, from international affairs to the economy and trade and renewable energy.
1. Politics: The two countries agreed to support each other on issues of security and to work together on regional and international challenges. The nations also confirmed that the number of high-level state visits between China and the UAE will increase.
2. Economy: The UAE offers its full support to China's Belt and Road Initiative, which will combine a land 'economic belt" and a "maritime silk road" that will link China with the Arabian Gulf as well as Southeast, South and Central China, North Africa and, eventually, Europe.
3. Business and innovation: The two nations are committed to exploring new partnerships in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, energy, the aviation and transport industries and have vowed to build economic co-operation through the UAE-China Business Committee.
4. Education, science and technology: The Partnership Programme between Arab countries in Science and Technology will encourage young Emirati scientists to conduct research in China, while the nations will work together on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, renewable energy and space projects.
5. Renewable energy and water: The two countries will partner to develop renewable energy schemes and work to reduce climate change. The nations have also reiterated their support for the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency.
6. Oil and gas: The UAE and China will work in partnership in the crude oil trade and the exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources.
7. Military and law enforcement and security fields: Joint training will take place between the Chinese and UAE armed forces, while the two nations will step up efforts to combat terrorism and organised crime.
8. Culture and humanitarian issues: Joint cultural projects will be developed and partnerships will be cultivated on the preservation of heritage, contemporary art and tourism.
9. Movement between countries: China and the UAE made clear their intent to encourage travel between the countries through a wide-ranging visa waiver agreement.
10. Implementing the strategic partnership: The Intergovernmental Co-operation Committee, established last year, will be used to ensure the objectives of the partnership are implemented.
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Scoreline
UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia
UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’
Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Results
2-15pm: Commercial Bank Of Dubai – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Al Habash, Patrick Cosgrave (jockey), Bhupat Seemar (trainer)
2.45pm: Al Shafar Investment – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Day Approach, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
3.15pm: Dubai Real estate Centre – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Celtic Prince, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Sprint by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Khuzaam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Shadwell – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Tenbury Wells, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Jebel Ali Stakes by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
5.15pm: Jebel Ali Racecourse – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Rougher, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
