The Somali prisoner, the secret language and the life-saving book
Mohamed Barud was losing hope in a Somali prison, when his neighbour devised a secret language and tapped out the Russian novel Anna Karenina through his cell wall.
Mohamed Barud was losing hope in a Somali prison, when an inmate in a neighbouring cell devised a secret language and tapped out the Russian novel Anna Karenina through his wall... for Mohamed, the book was transformative. He tells his story to Emily Webb.
Mohamed wrote a book about his experience called The Mourning Tree.
If you're affected by issues raised in the programme, you can find information about support available at bbc.co.uk/actionline or befrienders.org
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Emily Webb
Picture: Mohamed Barud and a copy of Anna Karenina
Credit: Mohamed Barud, JannHuizenga via Getty Images
Podcast
-
![]()
The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
