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Outlook: Child Refugee to Liberian Police Chief

Magazines & Reviews

Gregory Coleman

10/08/2016 GMT

Child Refugee to Liberian Police Chief

BBC World Service - Outlook, Child Refugee to Liberian Police Chief

Gregory Coleman on the challenges of keeping Monrovia safe during the chaos of Ebola.

It's been two years since the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of the Ebola virus in west Africa a global health emergency. For Liberian police chief, Gregory Buster Coleman, the virus presented a huge challenge. He had to try to maintain order amongst the chaos in the capital Monrovia whilst also keeping himself and his officers safe - but it wasn't the first time in his life he'd faced difficulty. As a child he'd lived through Liberia's devastating civil war, which eventually forced his family to become refugees in neighbouring Ivory Coast. He tells Matthew Bannister his journey from child refugee to police chief - and eventually, a Harvard graduate.

Sughra Hussainy is an Afghan artist who uses traditional methods to create contemporary images - she paints intricate miniatures in a style which stretches back hundreds of years. Sughra is part of a movement in Afghanistan which is working to re-build craft skills after decades of conflict and Taliban rule. 

When Gary Fildes was a small boy of around five years old, he crawled underneath the family Christmas tree and imagined the lights as twinkling stars. So began a lifelong obsession with the night skies. But growing up in a working class background in the north east of England, his route to becoming an astronomer wasn't an obvious - or particularly easy - journey. He became a bricklayer, and it was only after the death of his father that he was spurred on to change his life.

In April 2001, Dr Ron Shemenski was the only physician working at the Amundsen Scott base at the South Pole. It's known as the most remote place on earth, and staging a rescue from there in the depths of midwinter is a dangerous and challenging operation - so challenging that it's only been done three times. The very first time was when Ron himself was taken seriously ill. 

Image: Liberian police officer Gregory Coleman

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