From Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre, The Messenger brings you into the Australian immigration detention centre on Manus Island – and reveals, in intimate detail, one man's experience of what it's really like to flee tragedy and seek asylum by boat.
Since March 2016, Aziz has been reporting from Manus in short 30 second bursts, via WhatsApp messages sent from a smuggled phone. On the day his correspondence kicks off with Michael, he’s already been in detention for 864 days.
Aziz tells the inside story – the good and the bad – of a place that consistently features in the headlines. A place some consider a necessary product of a successful border control policy, for others, a stain on Australia’s reputation from which it will never recover. A place that despite dominating the news, remains largely unknown and unknowable by the public.
This story involves Australia and the small island nations of Manus and Nauru, but it’s also a global story. Right now, people are fleeing for their lives in many parts of the world. What Australia is doing by detaining asylum seekers offshore is unique, but it might not be unique for very long. Some politicians in other countries have criticised the policy, but others want to copy it. Either way, the world is watching.
And Aziz wants to tell them what’s going on.
Begins Monday 23 January at wheelercentre.com. Subscribe here.
Hi, is there a way to download the mp3 without using a subscription app? Thanks!
Catstar – Absolutely. Each episode page has a 'download audio file' link on it … just below the web audio player. You can also copy and paste the RSS feed and subscribe in whichever podcast app; some don't yet support the 'Open in my podcast app' link. Hope this helps!
What an awesome podcast! The horrific treatment of these people is just beyond comprehension and the damage they endure on a daily basis is very hard to learn about. I love Aziz's humanity in helping John when he needed it regardless of the situation he himself is in. Tell Aziz he is a hero in my eyes!
Thank you so much for these podcasts. I spent two years in El Fasher, Darfur between 1978 and 1980 and knew many Zaghawa people so I feel a strong connection. I would be interested to know where Azia learnt his amazing English - he hasn't mentioned schooling in Darfur so I wonder if he was able to attend school there before he had to leave.
His resilience truly amazes me - I keep having to tell people the story of him counselling John for an hour! I hope so much that he, and all those in offshore detention, are soon brought to Australia or found asylum in another country of their choice. He will contribute so much, wherever he ends up, and his wasting his life on Manus is our loss as well as his.
Wow this is powerful, thank you for opening my eyes to Aziz's story and the ongoing situation in PNG.
I'm going to send this podcast to my family and friends to listen to.
After listening to the podcast though, I have so many questions.
Is Aziz still living in the detention centre?
What can I do as an individual to help the situation and these people?
Are there any charities or fundraising happening that I can donate to?
– Aziz remains in detention. He has spent some time in Port Moresby receiving medical treatment, but is returning to Manus imminently.
– While The Messenger seeks to add much-needed balance and insight to the heated debates about asylum seekers and refugees, and particularly Aziz's individual story, we do emphasise our role as opening a new space for informed public conversation, rather than as campaigning or fundraising for any causes or specific outcomes.
Thank you for listening – we really appreciate it.
I've been talking about this podcast to my family tonight, we are all feeling upset by the grim reality for the asylum seekers and exasperated by the governments behaviour.
We will start looking at the various ways we can help this cause. Thanks again for making this podcast.