Carel Pedre is a Haitian radio and TV personality, journalist, director, producer, and philanthropist. 

He joins Nay and Soph on Been There, Seen That this week to discuss the social and political situation in Haiti at the moment and how the country came to be where it is today - with issues like gangs, corrupt leaders and common natural disasters. But as Carel makes very clear in this episode, Haiti is also a cultural hub for art, music and much more, and there are many things you can do to support local artists and learn more about Haiti.

Connect with Carel: 

- Website: http://www.carelpedre.com

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/carelpedre

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carelpedre

- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CarelPedre

- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/carelpedre

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carelpedre/

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/carelpedre

Clarissa Ward is CNN's Chief International Correspondent and has reported from places like Syria, Afghanistan, Russia and, at the time of the release of this episode, is currently on the ground in the Ukraine during the Russian invasion. 

Clarissa chats with Nay and Soph about what it's like being on the ground during war and conflict from a journalist perspective, how to manage feelings of guilt and trauma when returning home, and much more. 

We encourage you to follow Clarissa's work in the Ukraine and around the world on her social media platforms: 

- Instagram: @clarissawardcnn

- Twitter: @clarissaward

- Podcast: Tug of War

To learn more about Clarissa's life, you can purchase her book On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist. 

Tamara Taraciuk joins us on Been There, Seen That Podcast this week to discuss Venezuela. Tamara is the Acting Deputy Director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch. She was born in Venezuela and has closely covered its political and humanitarian crisis.

Venezuela isn't getting the attention that it needs- so listen here to learn more about this growing crisis and share with your networks to bring attention to this region. 

Been There, Seen That socials:

Tamara Taraciuk:

Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/about/people/tamara-taraciuk-broner

Mayeni Jones joins us on Been There, Seen That Podcast this week to discuss Nigeria. Mayeni is the BBC News West African Correspondent. She has closely covered Nigerian politics and the activity of Boko Haram including the kidnappings of children.

From the kidnappings of the Chibok girls by Boko Haram, to the current Nigerian government, the influence of ISIS and much more - this episode is not one to miss! 

Been There, Seen That socials:

This week, we are learning about what life is like in Lebanon at the moment from freelance journalist Linda Tamim. Linda is a radio broadcaster at Virgin Radio International in Lebanon and worked on a podcast DocuSeries called ‘Beirut Blast’, which shed light on the cause, effect, and aftermath of this devastating event in August 2020.

Linda takes us through the economic crisis in Lebanon, which has seen their currency fall by 90% in 2 years, the impacts of the Beirut Blast, how COVID-19 has played a role, the different religious actors in politics and society, the refugee influx and many, many other layers that have resulted in Lebanon reaching boiling point today.

Linda also shares a number of insightful resources on what Australians, especially those in the Lebanese diaspora, can do to help.

Information to vote in Lebanon: 

NGOs to donate to (provided by Linda):

Beirut Blast podcast by Linda Tamim: 

This week, we are discussing the human rights abuses occurring in Xinjiang province, China against the Uyghur population. Our guest, Rushan Abbas is the founder of Campaign for Uyghurs, which advocates and promotes human rights and democratic freedoms for Uyghurs.

Rushan was born, lived and studied in Xinjiang and started her activism work while she was a student, organising and leading in the pro-democracy demonstrations at Xinjiang University in 1985 and 1988. Since her arrival in the United States in 1989, Ms Abbas has been an ardent campaigner for the human rights of the Uyghur people.

Links Rushan mentions in the episode:

Campaign for Uyghurs socials:

Been There, Seen That socials:

On this week’s episode we will be discussing the ongoing crisis in Syria with Kholoud Helmi. 

Kholoud is a Syrian journalist and co-founder, editor and board member of Enab Baladi newspaper, which was established in 2011. While living in Syria, she witnessed violence perpetrated by Bashar Assad’s regime in her hometown of Darayya, such as the shooting of peaceful demonstrators,  arbitrary arrests and massacres. She was the 2017 winner of the International Association’s Courage Under Fire Award for the documentary Cries From Syria. In 2016, Marie Claire magazine called her “the bravest woman in the world.”

Kholoud takes us through the history of Syria and how it got to where it is today. We encourage everyone to listen to her powerful voice and we are so honoured she wanted to share it on our platform. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beenthereseenthatpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/beenseenpodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beenthereseenthatpodcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/75596377/