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Sunday 27 May RNW - NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM THE NETHERLANDS IN 10 LANGUAGES, WORLDWIDE 24/7 ON RADIO, TV AND ONLINE

The State We're In - 2010 - the year in review

On air: 1 January 2011 2:00 (Photo: RNW)

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The State We're In, 1 January 2011. Producers pick their favourite stories from 2010 including "Dancing in Auschwitz", "Barry Gibbs’ wrongful conviction" "Sarajevo remembered" "Stealing coffins in Kenya" and "The man who disappears people". Photo: Holocaust survivor Adolek Kohn, second from right, with family at Auschwitz.

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Dancing in Auschwitz
Adolek Kohn survived Auschwitz. More than 60 years later, he went back. But this time he went with his daughter and three grandchildren. And they danced. To the disco song I Will Survive. It caused a storm of protest, but also inspired a lot of support. Adolek and his daughter Jane tell Jonathan why they did it and how important dancing has been in their lives. Click here to see the video.
 
Wrongfully convicted
Barry Gibbs was sentenced to 20 years in jail for a murder he didn’t commit. He was framed by a cop who was on the Mafia’s payroll. But Barry worked daily to get himself free, and finally, 19 years into his 20 year sentence, he was released. Barry talks to host Jonathan Groubert about life back then on the inside, and about life right now on the outside.
 
Sarajevo remembered
Amela Marin Simic survived the siege of Sarajevo. It’s something she preferred not to talk about. But after Radovan Karadzic was put on trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, she decided to write an audio essay about a video clip that’s haunted her since the Bosnian war – one that she’s now been able to exorcise.
 
Coffin stealing
John Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya grew up stealing. He and his gang would cruise funeral services and steal the coffins so they could resell them. They finally got caught by the police who shot dead his gang members. John survived by hiding in the casket and then running into the crowd, scaring everyone. They thought he had come back from the dead. John is now a pastor.
 
The man who disappears people
Frank Ahearn used to be a "skip tracer", tracking down anyone, for anybody, as long as the client paid. After a while, he became disillusioned. He tells Jonathan how he now helps people in trouble "disappear" - often for free.
 
Click on image for slideshow

  • Holocaust survivor Adolek Kohn, second from right, with family at Auschwitz<br>&copy; Photo: RNW - http://www.rnw.nl/english
  • Performing the dance routine at Auschwitz<br>&copy; Photo: RNW - http://www.rnw.nl/english
  • The family at the entrance to Auschwitz<br>&copy; Photo: RNW - http://www.rnw.nl/english
  • Louis Eppolito - the &quot;Mafia cop&quot; who framed Barry Gibbs<br>&copy; Photo: RNW - http://www.rnw.nl/english
  • Amela Marin Simic<br>&copy; Photo: RNW - http://www.rnw.nl/english
  • Pastor John Kibera<br>&copy; Photo: RNW - http://www.rnw.nl/english
  • Frank Ahearn<br>&copy; Photo: Frank Ahearn - http://www.frankahearn.com/

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Discussion

Anonymous 4 January 2011 - 6:47am

Thank you. These were all beautiful stories about inspiring human will.

Anonymous 2 January 2011 - 3:00am / USA

Thank you for sharing the 'coffin thief' story. I knew of the coffins being stolen in Nairobi, but never heard the end of that horror story. John Kibera rising up and running from the coffin was comical....just unbelievable.

JAFP 1 January 2011 - 11:16pm / USA

Dancing in Auschwitz is gimmicky no matter how you slice it. If you have to explain it, then it ain't art.

user avatar
Greg Kelly 2 January 2011 - 11:24am / Netherlands

Hi JAFP: I think you missed the point of Dancing Auschwitz.  They weren't attempting to make 'art'.  They were making a statement: the extermination camp is extinct, but he and his descendants are still here.  And you have to admit: he has a point.  Greg, Editor TSWI

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