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Christine Arrasmith

Stories

  • caption: Loved ones celebrate the life of August Balojin Banjoko in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan.  Banjoko is the grandfather of NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu.

    An Adored Grandfather’s Funeral Exposes Painful Realities of a Beloved Country

    In a deeply personal postcard from NPR’s Emmanuel Akinwotu, we go the funeral of his venerated grandfather in Nigeria. It was a huge celebration of life, with music and dance. However, the family was confronted with extortion and exploitation at the gravesite. It’s an all too common occurrence, one that amplifies the grief of many Nigerians.  

  • caption: Left: Released hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal is escorted into Beilinson Hospital in Israel on Monday. Right: Palestinians released from Israeli prisons under a Gaza ceasefire and hostage exchange deal with Palestinian factions, arrive at the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.

    Hostage Exchange Between Israel and Gaza

    Nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israeli prisons were released into Gaza and the occupied West Bank as part of phase one of the ceasefire deal. All 20 surviving Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas after spending more than two years in captivity in Gaza. We hear reaction from Gaza and Tel Aviv.