The Documentary Podcast Folgen

Three years ago the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. BBC Afghan journalists Shekiba Habib and Shoaib Sharifi were living and following the events as they unfolded and continue to do so.Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia. (Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

It began as a peaceful student protest against the way some government jobs are reserved for war veterans and their families. The violence that followed is some of the worst the country has witnessed in recent years. More than 200 people are reported dead, with most blamed on police gunfire. Host James Reynolds speaks with those in Bangladesh and hears stories of what they have witnessed; their fears for their safety and that of friends and family. They describe being afraid to leave their homes and being unable to sleep and eat.

Injuries meant wrestler Dan Russell missed out on two opportunities for glory at the Olympics back in the 1990s. But missing the chance to fight for gold twice was not what left him feeling empty when he retired from the sport. Dan had a difficult childhood, suffering abuse from neighbours and enduring a brutal training regime, being made to wrestle all day, every day, by his father. Once retired, Dan’s past traumas began to haunt him, leading to a deep depression. Dan had trophies and medals from his sporting days, but what next? And where was God in his life when he needed Him most? Then, a call from USA Wrestling asking Dan to head up Wrestling for Peace, a charity project bringing people together through wrestling and humanitarian work, changed the course of everything. A dream told him he was destined to move and work in Jordan, in the Middle East and Dan and his wife Joy, moved to Jordan to set up the charity there. Can Dan find redemption as he continues to wrestle, now with life itself rather than in the ring?