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24 September 2014
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´óÏó´«Ã½ Swahili commemorates 10th anniversary of US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania


A special series and live broadcasts from Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and New York

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´óÏó´«Ã½ 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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´óÏó´«Ã½ 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 ´óÏó´«Ã½ Swahili, added: "´óÏó´«Ã½ 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, ´óÏó´«Ã½ÌýSwahili 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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´óÏó´«Ã½ 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 ´óÏó´«Ã½, 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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´óÏó´«Ã½ 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 ´óÏó´«Ã½'s international charity, ´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service Trust

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´óÏó´«Ã½ World Service Publicity

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Category: World Service
Date: 24.07.2008
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