EPISODE 10: Should A Reporter's Camera Reflect or Frame Reality? with Ximena Borrazás

What compels a woman to trade a career in marketing for war zones, famine, and frontlines of sexual violence? What drives someone to document the unspeakable — not just to inform, but to demand justice?

In this searing episode of Fading Causes, Mukesh Kapila speaks with Ximena Borrazás — an award-winning photographer and filmmaker whose work doesn’t just show suffering, it confronts complicity. From the battle-scarred towns of Ukraine to the ravaged refugee camps of Tigray, she brings us face-to-face with atrocities that the world often chooses to ignore.

Why are the horrors of one war front-page news, while others vanish from view? What does it mean to be a “lucky migrant”? Can a photograph become legal evidence of a genocide — and should it?

What do we do with the pain of others once we see it?

Watch and listen.

EPISODE 8: Why Is The History Of African Slavery Kept Hidden? with Martin Plaut

Can present-day African conflicts be understood without tracing their roots to slavery and colonialism? Should reparations be pursued as a path to justice, or do they risk deepening divides?

Historian and journalist Martin Plaut, whose upbringing under apartheid South Africa gives him a piercing lens on the unfinished business of history, shares his story from the Soweto uprising that jolted a generation into activism to the long shadow of slavery and colonialism.

Plaut reveals how the past still shapes the conflicts, inequalities, and prejudices of today. His book Unbroken Chains traces slavery’s complex story, one that extends beyond the transatlantic trade to include the complicity of African elites and the brutal mechanics of enslavement itself.

The legacy of slavery is not merely a matter of memory but a living force. The descendants of enslaved people still face stigma, while modern slavery thrives in new forms of exploitation, from human trafficking to bonded labor.

But if the arc of history does indeed bend towards freedom, what forces are pulling it back?

EPISODE 7: Can We Ever End Poverty And Hunger? with Mohsen Sarhan

In this conversation, Mohsen Sarhan opens up about his unlikely path—from a life of privilege to leading the Egyptian Food Bank, one of the region’s most impactful organizations tackling hunger. He reflects on the paradox of abundance in some corners of society, while millions remain trapped in cycles of poverty and food insecurity.

What does it take to break these cycles? Why do systemic inequalities continue to leave the most vulnerable behind, despite decades of aid and policy reforms?

EPISODE 6: Is Optimism For Tackling Climate Change And Migration Justified? with Ovais Sarmad

From surviving a plane crash to navigating the frontlines of the climate crisis, former Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Ovais Sarmad’s life has been shaped by moments where the odds seemed insurmountable.

As a top UN climate official, he’s wrestled with the moral and political weight of a warming planet, the growing wave of climate migration, and the urgency to act before tipping points become irreversible.

Through it all, he holds onto an unshakable optimism, not as a naive belief, but as a deliberate choice. For Sarmad, hope is the engine of action. The question is: Can the rest of the world summon the same resolve before time runs out?

EPISODE 5: Is the Future of Global Governance Stuck in Bureaucratic Gridlock? with Claus Sorensen

Is the true architecture of peace and progress found in quiet, painstaking compromise or in bold vision?

Global economist Claus Haugaard Sorensen speaks to Mukesh Kapila on his journey from a skeptical young Dane resisting European integration to a key architect in helping Central and Eastern European countries join the European Union.

Yet, Sorensen does not shy away from acknowledging the limitations and contradictions that haunt the European project. The rise of nationalism, economic inequality, and the perception of a “fortress Europe” complicate the narrative of European unity and inclusivity.

If inclusivity and solidarity lie at the heart of European ideals, why are so many citizens in both old and new member states feeling left behind?

His warnings echo in the unsettled present: Are supranational projects like the European Union vulnerable to accusations of fortress mentality, or can they reinvent themselves to deliver justice and security for all?

When democracies struggle with distance—geographical, linguistic, and institutional—what will restore the social contract and bridge the gap between citizens and distant power centers?

Listen to the conversation

EPISODE 4: Can One Person's Passion Create Lasting Impact? with model Noella Coursaris Musunka

In a world longing for heroes and hopeful stories, Noella Coursaris Musunka stands as a shining beacon of what is possible when resilience meets purpose. From a childhood marked by loss and displacement in the Congo, to gracing international stages like the UN and the World Economic Forum, she has transformed her platform from fashion runways to real-world impact. How can we, regardless of our background or resources, harness the power within to uplift our communities and break cycles of hardship? And in an age of growing cynicism, how do we reclaim faith in humanity, turning compassion into lasting change?

True greatness lies not in status or fame, but in the courage to dream big, the commitment to act locally, and the compassion to build ecosystems where every child can thrive. Listen to the podcast.

EPISODE 3: Can Good Soldiers Still Exist In Bad Wars? with Major General James Cowan

What does it mean to serve, not just a nation, but humanity? Can a soldier who once led men into battle find peace in guiding others through minefields of the past?

Major General James Cowan’s journey — from the battlefields of Helmand to the minefields of Angola — is not just a soldier’s tale, but a meditation on what it means to lead with conscience in a world that too often forgets the cost of conflict. He has seen what war destroys and what peace demands. In his quiet return to the ruins of old battles, he asks not for glory, but for redemption — not just for himself, but for the nations that once promised more. Can power still serve a moral purpose? Can we hold on to our sense of duty when the noise of war fades and the world looks away?

The answers may not come easily. But in Cowan’s steady voice, we hear the echo of a deeper truth: that service does not end when the war is over. Sometimes, it only begins.

As the world teeters between digital distraction and deepening disinformation, Heidi Kingstone, a veteran foreign affairs journalist and author of Dispatches from the Kabul Café (2015), reminds us that the role of the journalist, not just as a recorder of facts but as a witness to humanity’s triumphs and atrocities, has never been more vital. From the alleys of Kabul to the killing fields of Rwanda, from genocide memorials to refugee camps, she has borne witness not to headlines, but to heartbreak and resilience. Her stories, shaped not by sensationalism but by sincerity, challenge us to resist the temptation of forgetting.

In an age when truth is too often traded for virality, Kingstone’s work calls us back to the essence of journalism: to listen, to illuminate, and, above all, to remember. Because as she reminds us, history doesn’t just repeat, it forgets. And unless we keep telling these stories, so will we.

As the world teeters between digital distraction and deepening disinformation, Heidi Kingstone, a veteran foreign affairs journalist and author of Dispatches from the Kabul Café (2015), reminds us that the role of the journalist, not just as a recorder of facts but as a witness to humanity’s triumphs and atrocities, has never been more vital. From the alleys of Kabul to the killing fields of Rwanda, from genocide memorials to refugee camps, she has borne witness not to headlines, but to heartbreak and resilience. Her stories, shaped not by sensationalism but by sincerity, challenge us to resist the temptation of forgetting.

In an age when truth is too often traded for virality, Kingstone’s work calls us back to the essence of journalism: to listen, to illuminate, and, above all, to remember. Because as she reminds us, history doesn’t just repeat, it forgets. And unless we keep telling these stories, so will we.

Fading Causes - Kilian most recently became known as the “Mayor of Zatari” where he managed the refugee camp of Za’atari in Northern Jordan on behalf of UNHCR from 2013 to 2014. Za’atari has become a symbol for new and innovative refugee and humanitarian management approaches under his leadership. As the founder and President of the Startup “Innovation and Planning Agency” (IPA) Kilian Kleinschmidt now aims at connecting the millions of poor and dispossessed with the idle and under-utilised resources and modern technologies of the 21st century. He is part of a number of arts projects and various initiatives which aim at global connectivity through better use of globalisation. He is challenging the Humanitarian Aid Sector through a range of new and unorthodox partnerships, technologies, and financing. His work on emerging cities and urbanisation is widely recognised. Team building and leadership in crisis situations are a focus of his work.