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Episode 2

Seventeen-year-old Guled has been kidnapped by al-Shabaab. He fears for his life but is also worried about Maryam, who is waiting for him on the outskirts of Mogadishu.

Ben Rawlence tells the stories of just a few of the forgotten thousands who make up the half a million stateless citizens of Dadaab - the world's largest refugee camp, in the desert of northern Kenya, close to the Somali border, where only thorn bushes grow.

The author, a Swahili speaker, and former researcher for Human Rights Watch in the horn of Africa made several long visits to the camps over the course of four years. His account bears vivid witness to the lives of those who live in fear, poverty and limbo.

After the deaths of his parents, Guled has been struggling to survive, together with his sister, in a makeshift camp on the edge of Mogadishu. But when al-Shabaab force him from the classroom he fears not just for his own life but also worries about his new bride, Maryam.

Read by David Seddon
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4.

15 minutes

Last on

Wed 10 Feb 2016 00:30

Credits

Role Contributor
Reader David Seddon
Author Ben Rawlence
Abridger Jill Waters
Producer Jill Waters

Broadcasts

  • Tue 9 Feb 2016 09:45
  • Wed 10 Feb 2016 00:30

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