Rana is a prolific radio journalist whose ranging documentary - 'A New Life in Europe: The Dhnie Family' - recently won her the One World Media Radio Award, in a commemoration of professional excellence. Indeed the winning work is undeniable as a trailblazing piece of journalism. Aired on BBC Radio 4 as an epical 20-part series, the story follows the dips and dearths of one Syrian family as they leave their perilous homeland and make their way with yet more fear and uncertainty across the many geopolitical borders until they are finally thrust into Germany. "As you can imagine" the intrepid, globe-trudger told us, "the journey was fraught with challenge. I met the Dhnie family in Turkey and travelled with them for five weeks. In Turkey, they had to deal with smugglers, they attempted to cross the Aegean a few times and were once caught by coastguards, the father was beaten and they were all sent back. I was with them as we crossed Europe; walking through forests at night, sleeping on railway lines and getting caught up in riots. It was interesting too that even once they got to Germany, their journey was far from over. They had only just begun the process of integration and forging a life for themselves." After the success of the initial coverage, Rana is now continuing to shadow the Dhnies as they adapt to their new life in Frankfurt.
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"The father I was following was from a middle-class background," Rana added. "He had been a property developer back in Syria: but of course when you're fleeing a country in a hurry, property is the one thing you cannot take. Over just the period of a few days, he had lost everything." As Rana continued to talk with us, it felt as if live podcast but with the bonus of creator commentary and her additional notes: "There was one experience at the Macedonian border, where we were hoping to cross over, but instead we found ourselves stuck for days in a bare, open dusty field. People were suffering sunstroke, going hungry and falling ill: the situation finally erupted into a riot one night, with some 5000 refugees trying to charge the border. The Macedonians released tear gas and beat a number of people - a three year old girl was hit on the head with a baton. It was quite harrowing." Through her raw descriptions of the migrant reality then, the reporter at once made clear the unique power of her auditory medium: "obviously on the series, there were also direct conversations and you could hear the background atmosphere: people's feet on the dusty gravel, the crickets at night, and the sound of the many families gathered all around." Unlike television journalism which can sometimes overwhelm the senses, the reporter's deft and intimate recordings leave the space open for visualising, which catalyses profound thought. In the case of The Dhnie family, we find that these seemingly rigid, grand topological lines that separate our cultures are in fact more delicate and fine than we realise. Not because of careless border control or a deluge of a desperate people, but because as Rana best put it: "for every one of us, it doesn't take much for the certainties around us to crumble. Caked in grime and sweat, and finding myself having to choose between food and charging my phone, this is what I went through first-hand. The Dhnies are ordinary people: just in extraordinary circumstances."
What Inspired you to do a documentary on the Dhnie family?
It was just before the migrant crisis in Greece had exploded in the media. I'd worked for the BBC in Lebanon a couple of years ago, where there are 1.5 million refugees - in a country with a population of about 5 million. The refugee crisis in Europe is on a completely different scale compared to that. When migrants started making their way to Europe, I was very keen to understand the process.
Tell us more about the family's struggle with integration after arriving in Germany?
It took us five weeks to finally get to there, and I had seen what this family had already gone through. In Germany specifically, there was the immediate language barrier and the long procedure of red tape to get through. They had hoped that the children could go straight into education, but in reality one of the sons has now realised he will be 21 before he graduates high school - which is quite demoralising. In Germany it's also mandatory to learn the language so the father felt quite intimidated by that. Of course, it's a useful requirement but it can be alienating for the older generation. You have the sobering realisation that no one is going to employ you, and you no longer have a community around you who you can talk to.
Did you want to leave a specific message with the listeners?
Not so much: as a reporter you observe rather than tell people what they should think. My goal was to show people who these refugees, what they experience and why they go through with it. It's not my job to tell you to like them or hate them - but just to understand their plight. The documentary doesn't paint a rose-tinted picture of them - it's a warts and all portrayal. The Dhnies don't necessarily want to be seen as victims themselves. They're proud; they have the same interests and self-respect as any normal family would. The sons, for example, play video games and have crushes on the same American actresses as any 14 year-old boy here would.
How are you able to translate such visceral experiences through your radio journalism?
You do evoke the environment in a very nuanced and personal way, and from a purely pragmatic standpoint, having a small recorder means you really are a fly-on-the wall. TV equipment can be very clunky. It doesn't allow for the same agility.
Finally, apart from the One World Media Award, what have been some other highlights of your career?
The documentary also received a Peabody in America, and since the One World Awards, it's gone on to win a few awards at the International Radio Festival in New York, including one from the UN. Apart from that there are several big interviews I remember: talking to Warren Buffet - the richest man in the world at the time -at the height of the financial crisis, as well as Presidents Gorbachev and Jimmy Carter.
