Please be aware that this episode has been recorded on the 7th of September, and the situation may not be completely the same anymore. 

Today I am joined by Aliaksei Babets, he is a researcher from Belarus and he just finished his masters in cultural studies at the University of Helsinki. In this episode, Aliaksei talks about elections, police brutality, and women at the forefront of the protests. Interestingly, Aliaksei discusses the influence of Russia on Belarus, stating that actually Belarus is a frontrunner of changing the constitution and Russia is following behind. Get a rare glimpse of what's going inside of Belarus, as most of the journalists either need to flee or get caught. 

Where to find us: https://www.instagram.com/idontknowanythingpodcast

In this week’s podcast, I invited Luis Alvarado Bruzual to talk about the crises in Venezuela. Not only does he explain all the political changes that have happened in Venezuela since the 90s, he also shares his personal experiences of his life in Venezuela. He talks about not having food in the supermarket, his brother leaving the country and also the protests that have been happening. With being the founder of the Vayalo Foundation, an organisation that focuses on youth empowerment and sustainable development, Luis gives us a rare insight on what young people are doing on the ground to give Venezuela a better future.

Where to find Luis: https://www.instagram.com/soyluisalvarado/

His organisation: https://www.instagram.com/fundacionvayalo/ and https://fundacionvayalocom.wordpress.com/

Where to find us: https://www.instagram.com/idontknowanythingpodcast

Resources Luis mentions:

http://soyluisalvarado.blogspot.com/

https://www.caracaschronicles.com/

https://www.unocha.org/venezuela

https://www.oxfam.org/en/tags/venezuela

In this week’s episode, we talk with Zouhir Al-Shimale, a Syrian journalist and lawyer that got quite a bit experience in the journalist world. In this episode, he will go talk us through the developments of the whole conflict in Syria and why the uprising in 2011 started in the first place. In an easy to understand way, Zouhir explains us why the Assad regime is one of the most authoritarian regimes and why there needs to be a change. He also talks about foreign actors in Syria, the current peace process, but also the different narratives that play a role in the conflict. As a journalist, Zouhir gives us a rare insight of how certain news outlets only publish certain stories. It teaches us a lesson to always be critical when reading news and to understand that every news media follows a different narrative and interest in the conflict.

Where you can find Zouhir: https://twitter.com/zouhiralshimale

Resources Zouhir mentions and recommends:

If you want to help out: https://molhamteam.com/en

The first book Zouhir talks about: https://www.amazon.com/Syria-After-Uprisings-Political-Resilience/dp/1608469247

The other book Zouhir talks about: https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/embed?asin=B0764CDH15&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_MTKsFbE987JQG

Good movies to watch:

FOR SAMA - Documentary www.forsamafilm.com

The Cave - National Geographic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaZkwBWuN2A

News and twitter recommendations:

https://www.aljumhuriya.net/en

https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister

https://twitter.com/Elizrael

https://twitter.com/putintintin1

https://twitter.com/joeyayoub

https://twitter.com/LeilaShami

In this week’s episode, Ala Hassan, a Kurdish Iraqi who grew up in Britain, will explain us everything about who the Kurds are and what they are fighting for. As a active member in his community (founder of the Queen Mary Kurdish society and Kurdish Intersociety Platform), he gives us a rare insight of how it feels to grow up Britain with a mixed identity, and also how he experienced the war in Iraq. Ala also touches upon racism in the Middle East and continues the conversation about the importance of including women in society. He highlights the role that women played in the fight against ISIS, but also the new feminist democratic structure that is being built in the Syrian region Rojava.

Where to find us: 

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

Instagram Ala Hassan: https://www.instagram.com/ala.firas/ 

Resources Ala talked about:

http://www.kurdishprogress.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thekurdishpage/

https://www.instagram.com/kurdakad_uk/

https://www.instagram.com/kip_uk/

https://ahvalnews.com/

https://anfenglishmobile.com/

https://www.rudaw.net/english

Documentaries Ala recommends:

On Syrian Kurdistan:

On Turkish Kurdistan

On Iranian Kurdistan

On Iraqi Kurdistan