Feurat Alani

The Fatiha is the first sura of the Koran. In Muslim tradition, it is also the name used for the ceremony to pay tribute to the deceased. Today, it's Amir’s Fatiha, Feurat Alani’s father, a French and Iraqi journalist. It’s the opportunity for his friends and family to reflect on Amir's story, and for Feurat to revisit his own story and Iraq's history.

This is a journey like no other, after several months of wrangling with North Korean authorities in Paris reporters Michaël Sztanke and Julien Alri obtained a visa for Pyongyang but as soon as they arrived the scene was set by a compulsory photo shoot. Journalists are kept under close surveillance and to go to North Korea is to accept the presence of guides who provide supervision 24 hours a day, their primary role is to protect the countries image. In North Korea’s eyes every foreigner is a potential enemy who must be closely watched, this being said Sztanke and Alri attempt to delve deeper into the inner workings of the hermit kingdom, discovering the real nature of this political regime and how life is for your everyday North Korean.

Prize-winning journalist Feurat Alani gives his personal perspective on global current affairs, including his own experiences of reporting on the ground. Animated by Ulysse Gry.