AJ Longreads

Sarah Eagle Heart is a storyteller and an award-winning producer. She wants to heal her people through telling Indigenous stories. Written by Brandi Morin. Read by Emma Jones. 

It’s been nearly two months since Russia invaded Ukraine. For one family from Kyiv, the invasion greatly threatened their elderly father's life. So, they embarked on a dangerous journey to get him out.  Written by Zoe Osborne.Read by Laura Lockwood.

His day job is taxing people around Sri Lanka, but what Andrew Silva does in his spare time is truly life changing. With a car full of DNA tests and a natural detective's instinct, he's helping to reunite adopted children with their birth mothers.  Written by  Bhavya Dore. Read by Loveday Smith.

For this Al Jazeera series on inspiring yet overlooked women,  Sanam Maher was drawn to the story of Dr Summaiya Syed. She’s fighting to change the way sexual assault is documented in Pakistan. The country has an abysmally low rate of conviction in such cases.  Written and read by Sanam Maher.

As Germany sees an uptick in anti-Russian sentiment, Ukrainian and Russian restaurant staff band together to oppose war.Written by Gouri Sharma/ Read by Sergej Zulkarneev.

This is the story of Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi who went from the front lines of anti-racist activism to success in politics and business. “I want my legacy to be that of a woman who believed in justice, equality and doing what is right. " Written by Thabi Myeni.Read by Jo de Frias.

Bibiana Martin was 12 years old when she joined the forest rangers. Twenty years later, she is still protecting parks.Written by Sam Mednick. Read by Laura Lockwood.

When the recently married resident of Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan province disappeared, her family feared the worst. Written by Sanam Maher. Read by Mohita Namjoshi

In the mountains of Kayah State, a former wedding photographer is taking on Myanmar's military. Written by Caleb Quinley. Read by Laura Lockwood.

For space enthusiasts from Qatar to Finland, the US to the UK, astrophotography is a hobby, an art, a science and sometimes an obsession. Written and read by Colin Baker.     

When Novak Djokovic was detained in Melbourne during the Australian Open he was held at the Park Hotel. Someone you probably haven't heard of was also in custody there at the same time. Mehdi Ali, a refugee, has grown up in one of the most notorious immigration detention systems in the world. Here's his open letter to the Minister for Immigration. Read by Ray Jericho.

Journalist Nils Adler takes us through the human story behind the Ukraine crisis. Residents he speaks to wonder what the future holds if Russia invades. 

On this week's AJ Long Reads we're on the trail of a pirate.  Written by Delaney Nolan. Read by Richard Martin.  

Pressure on communities in Russia comes as regional elites and big companies look to develop resource-rich Indigenous lands. Written by Mansur Mirovalev. Read by Pete Ferrand

Hundreds of Afghans risked their lives to assist the US military with interpreting and other services after 9-11. Fearing for their lives, many have been desperate to leave since the Taliban re-took power. But even before August 2021, interpreters found themselves feeling abandoned. Written by Sayed Jalal Shajjan. Read by me Ben Mitchell.

This week we have the untold story of a shared history that is now coming to light.This is 'the radio station at the heart of an India-GDR friendship'.   Written by Gouri Sharma Read by Mohita Namjoshi

In August 2021, the Taliban took back control in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of people fled remembering how in the 1990s the group ruled through fear. But one Afghan woman has chosen to stay - even in the face of fear and uncertainty. This is Nadima.   

On this week's AJ Long Reads we revisit Nigeria’s unregulated human egg industry. It's a booming fertility business, but women who donate their eggs face unfavourable conditions along with health and safety risks. Written by Mariam Adetona. Read by Mapendo Munthali.

With the Lebanese state in crisis, some unlikely characters are imposing law and order in one of the country’s most neglected regions. ‘We do the police’s job’: Defending Lebanon’s most lawless towns was written by David Wood and Jacob Boswall. Read by Mike Paul. 

After Hurricane Ida, Chief Shirell and her tribe aim to rebuild even as sinking land, government neglect imperil their survival. Written by Delaney Nolan Read by Sheila Sharma    

After post-coup protests, Karen State in Myanmar faced a crackdown by the nation's armed forces, the Tatmadaw. Now, many rebuild, while others grow defiant. Ready by Loveday Smith. 

In central Nigeria, the farmer-herder conflict is now one of the country's deadliest security threats after Boko Haram in the northeast and banditry in the northwest. Hear from the witness accounts. Written by Alfred Olufemi. Ready by Elizabeth Omolale.

Brandi Morin has been reporting on the mass graves of Indigenous children recently discovered at residential schools in Canada. Being Cree, Iroquoi and French, she was naturally pulled to investigate this story. This story is written and read by Brandi Morin.   

At 102 years old, Ebou Janha, is the only surviving veteran of 1 Gambia Regiment – soldiers who helped the British fight against Japanese troops in then-Burma during the Second World War. On this week’s AJ Longreads… The last warrior of Africa's ‘Forgotten Army’: The Gambia and World War II Written by Will McBain. Read by Loveday Smith.

In an insecure part of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where some of the world’s most valuable minerals are mined, impoverished women and girls sell their bodies to put food on the table. Written by by Olivia Acland Read by Emma Jones  

The MeToo movement took down powerful men across the spectrum of high profile careers. But how much do powerful lecturers still impact the lives and careers of younger women? The AJ I-Unit investigates. Written and read by Alex Howlett. 

A survivor of an attack in Solhan, Burkina Faso gives a harrowing account of the massacre.   Written by Sam Mednick. Read by Ben Mitchell.  

Nigeria’s unregulated human egg industry is a booming fertility business, but women who donate their eggs face unfavourable conditions and health and safety risks. Written by Mariam Adetona. Read by Mapendo Munthali.

In a seven-year conflict, widespread traumatic brain injuries and PTSD are now coming to light.  Written by Nils Adler. Read by Ben Mitchell. 

Brandon Jackson is one of more than 1,500 people incarcerated in Louisiana on non-unanimous verdicts, which the United States Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional last year. Will he get a chance at freedom? Written by Nicholas Chrastil. Read by Mike Paul. 

As the economic crisis grinds on, Lebanese navigate soaring food costs and fuel and medicine shortages. Written by Arwa Ibrahim. Read by Loveday Smith.

Nearly 500 asylum seekers held a two-month-long hunger strike in a bid to obtain the right to live and work legally in Belgium. But what has been achieved and what comes next? Written by Sarah Murphy Madia. Read by Michael Paul. 

How one woman is determined to stay despite the uncertain future that women like her face in the country. Nadima, in her own words. 

The first commercial flight has taken off from Kabul, Afghanistan. It had been closed since August 30th when the US ended operations to evacuate diplomats, foreigners and Afghans considered at risk from the Taliban.One of them was Sharif Safi. The Afghan activist reflects on how he fled to safety, and the hopelessness he feels for his country and its people.Read by Ben Mitchell. 

Al Jazeera asks writers to reflect on the environment they grew up in and how it has shaped their lives. In  "The land we came from" series, Terese Marie Mailhot writes about how she hates '"to think the place I played in as a child might someday become unrecognisable, but I still give thanks." Read by Sheila Sharma.

Why one Afghan woman refuses to leave her home - even in the face of fear and uncertainty as the Taliban resume control. By Nadima

It's been seven months since Poland introduced a near total ban on abortions, including cases where there are severe foetal defects. The procedure is now only allowed in cases of rape, incest or when the pregnancy threatens the mother's life. Al Jazeera checks in with women whom are struggling with the emotional toll of the ban. Written by Ylenia Gostoli. Read by Lisa Brandt. This reporting was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G Buffett Fund for Women Journalists.  

This week on AJ Longreads we’re in Kashmir where residents are bucking the trend for lavish weddings.  This is The Kashmir village that outlawed dowries by Sharafat Ali. Read by Mohita Namjoshi.

As assisted dying becomes legal in a growing number of US states, are people being given a right to choose how they die - or are they dying before their time? Written by Allison Wallis Read by Lisa Brandt

Throughout history, women have been held responsible for upholding the ‘honour’ of their families. Written by Rana Husseini Read by Yousef Abdel Nabi

As Mexico’s reservoirs run dry, the fishermen, farmers and ranchers stuck on the drying lake beds wonder how they will survive. Written by Arnaud De Decker and Jules Emile Read by Mike Paul

Meseret started working for a Lebanese family as a domestic worker soon after arriving from Ethiopia in 2011. A little over a year later, she stopped calling her family. Her story of abuse would eventually surface -- along with those from other migrants who'd hoped to seek a better life abroad.  Written by Zecharias Zelalem. Read by Mapendo Munthali.

Anwar Ditta’s heart-breaking recollections from the 1970s and '80s, expose a very dark moment in British society. Her story came to define an era of Asian anti-racist resistance.  Written by Bryan Knight. Read by Mike Paul.

The longing for home or for those who've left in search of a better life is summed up in one word. Sodade. Cape Verde and its sons and daughters of singers, poets and musicians capture it all in mornas.  AJ Long Reads explores this musical practice as Cape Verdeans observe independence from Portugal on July 5th,  Written by-Beatriz Ramalho da Silva. Read by Jo de Frias.  

Cremation on a funeral pyre made from wood has long been part of India's elaborate ritual to honour the dead, but not during the second deadly wave of Covid. "Funerals have been reduced to just getting rid of the dead body because people are very scared of contracting the virus,”  In Tales from an Indian Crematorium ,we hear about one of the hardest jobs going. Written by Saurabh Sharma. Read by me Mohita Namjoshi.

For LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Queer Indians who battle family expectations and social pressures to live their authentic lives, share their stories. Written by Payal Dhar. Read by Iraaj Majumdar.

This September will mark 20 years since the start of the US war in Afghanistan. After Al-Qaeda members hijacked four commercial airliners then President George W. Bush vowed to win the war against terrorism. Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan were the targets.  In the years that followed, hundreds of Afghans risked their lives to assist the US military with interpreting and other services. They’ve since found themselves abandoned as the US pulls out of Afghanistan.Written by Sayed Jalal Shajjan. Read by me Ben Mitchell.

In northwest Bosnia, stranded Afghan fathers are desperate to reunite with their families over the border in Croatia – and risk their own safety in order to do so.Written by Lucy Papachristou.Read by Ben Mitchell.

In claustrophobic north India, where generations have grown up breathing in deadly air, dust is a normal part of everyday life. Written by Anandi Mishra. Read by Mohita Namjoshi.

"They looked at my ocean, lived my dream. My mother’s other daughter was the me that I wished I could be." Personal essay written by Nicole Johnson. Read by Lisa Brandt.