“What I see is incredibly heroic people fighting for things — like democracy — that we take for granted every single day … All I am is a witness. My role is to bring a voice to people who are voiceless … To shine a light in the darkest corners of the world.”
Reporter Janine di Giovanni has been travelling to the centre of the world’s worst conflicts since the 1980s to bring back stories from Bosnia, Sierra Leone, and most recently Syria. In the talk below, filmed for TEDxWomen, she tells stories of human moments within large conflicts — and explores that shocking transition when a familiar city street becomes a bombed-out battleground.
“I had the honor of being one of those reporters who lived through that [three-year] siege. And I say I had the honor and privilege of being there because it taught me everything — not just about being a reporter, but about being a human being”
And while a journalist cannot stop a war or prevent atrocities, the responsibility and the power of telling these stories is extraordinary. The TED blog has compiled a great list of Di Giovanni’s work from a number of conflicts, which I highly recommend reading.
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