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Press Releases
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Swahili commemorates 10th anniversary of US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania
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A special series and live broadcasts from Nairobi, Dar es Salaam
and New York
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Swahili will bring together the victims of terrorist attacks
in Africa and the United States in a special eight-part series starting
on Monday 28 July.
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Miaka kumi tangu mashambulizi ya 1998 (10 years
after the 1998 attacks) commemorates the 10th anniversary of USÌýEmbassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
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The series will be
followed by live broadcasts from memorial sites in Nairobi, Dar
es Salaam and New York on the day of the anniversary, Thursday 7
August.
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Miaka kumi tangu mashambulizi ya 1998 will remember the immediate
aftermath of that fateful day through stories shared by survivors
and those deeply affected.
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It will also investigate how the
blasts affected Muslim communities across Africa.
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The series
will be broadcast each week day at 03.00, 04.00, 15.30 and 17.45
GMT and can be accessed online at bbcswahili.com.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ presenter and producer, Mariam Omar, will travel with blind
student, Stanley Mutuma, a survivor of the blast in Nairobi, to
the US where he will discuss with 9/11 survivors how their
experiences have impacted their lives.
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Stanley was just 16 when he lost his sight in the bombing in
Nairobi, and he talks to Mariam about the strength it took to
rebuild his life again.
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Before the event, he was a regular young
man, attending school, hanging out with friends and going about
his daily chores.
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After that fateful day when it dawned on him
that he would not recover his sight, he was devastated but also
determined that it would not rule his life.
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After a period of
rehabilitation Stanley joined the Thika School for the Blind and
was its top student in 2005. He then went to Nairobi University
Law School as its only blind student.
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Mariam Omar said: "Remembering what happened on that terrible day
is very important but giving a voice to those deeply affected –
either physically or emotionally – is just as crucial.
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"Stanley
is a shining example of someone whose life has been dramatically
changed but who, through strength of character and resilience,
continues to succeed in the midst of adversity.
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"Not everyone
caught up in the blasts is as strong as Stanley, and this series
will also give a voice to those who are still struggling."
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Solomon Mugera, Head of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Swahili, added: "³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Swahili will
tell the 'untold' stories of those who continue to suffer in
silence. Over 240 people died in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam,
survivors were left with long-term physical and emotional
injuries and many children were orphaned.
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"Some victims say they
received little or no compensation whilst others say they
received little or no counselling or professional help.
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"We will
also talk to the families who are left to mourn the loss of a
loved one or continue to take care of family members damaged by
the blasts – but with very little support."
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On the anniversary of the blasts, Thursday 7 August, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ÌýSwahili
will broadcast live from memorial sites in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam
and New York.
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Presenter Mariam Omar will be at Ground Zero in
New York talking to survivors of all three terrorist attacks.
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There will also be a special performance by Kenyan band Jabali
Afrika who recorded a song for the victims of the bombings.
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Notes to Editors
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Stanley Mutuma is available for interview.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Swahili is a multimedia broadcasting service providing radio
and online content to Swahili-speaking audiences across Africa
and the rest of the world.
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Its flagship breakfast programme,
Amka Na ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, is broadcast at 6.00am EAT and brings regional and
world news as well as music and human interest features.
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Its most
popular news and current affairs programme, Dira Ya Dunia, starts at 6.30pm.
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Leo Afrika is the last show of the day. Broadcast
between 8.45 and 9.00pm, it focuses on African news.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳
Swahili's popular 24/7 website is bbcswahili.com. Visitors can
access, in text and audio, up-to-the minute news, features and
analysis on East Africa and the rest of the world.
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It also
features the award-winning Kimasomaso project, which aims to
break down taboos and myths around sex and sexuality and was
launched jointly with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s international charity, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ World
Service Trust Ìý
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ World Service Publicity
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