Shoaib Sharifi is one of Afghanistan's greatest journalists - and has won many awards for covering his home country for the last 22 years. He's a former BBC world service Kabul bureau chief launching the acclaimed political debate program Open Jirga.

 

Shoaib is one of the few Afghan journalists who decided to stay on after the Taliban took power in August, 2021, and he's currently the country director for BBC media action.

 

In part one of this extraordinary interview, Shoaib talks about his passion for journalism and why his facial hair stalled his career. He explains how he risked his own life to finally land a job by smuggling a camera into a former football stadium in Kabul to expose the Taliban’s public executions to the world.

 

Shoaib also discusses the challenges and dangers of reporting the truth in his home country and why he is determined to show the true face of Afghanistan to the world.

 

Show Notes:

Shoaib’s documentary My Childhood, My Country: 20 Years in Afghanistan

ITV online

@shoaibsharifi1

Episode ID: 1000559525291

GUID: d7e3840e-76f3-4075-9901-0815a31fb324

Release Date: 04/05/2022, 05:30:00