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| Juliana Ruhfus |
Our job is to uncover the stories of how power is applied, for better or worse, in all corners of society, in all parts of the planet.
Documentaries are the heart of our show.
They're the people part of People & Power - snapshots of human experience which grab you through strong stories and unforgettable pictures.
We work with independent producers and reporters around the world to take you to the grassroots, drawing on their local knowledge and expert understanding of the issues on their home turf.
| Coming up this week on People & Power: |
Outlaws and Lost Boys
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People & Power gains
unique access to
Sudanese gangs in Cairo |
People & Power has gained unique access to Sudanese refugees struggling to cope on the streets of Cairo. This is a story of desperation and violence, but also of ingenuity and creativity against all the odds. At its heart this is a story about power.
The international community has forgotten Sudanese refugees. Egyptians despise them. The only way they can carve out an identity for themselves in a society that has totally rejected them is by forming street gangs.
Inspired by American hip-hop culture, these gangs provide identity and security to their members. Gangsters wear baggy clothes, have their own gang signs, carry knives and have turf wars. Gang life revolves around making music, fighting and holding parties.
But the gang phenomenon is causing a wave of social problems, both for the gangsters and for the millions of other Sudanese refugees who are trying to start a new life in Cairo.
The organisations dealing with refugees regard gangs as a danger to the fragile relationship between Egypt and Sudan. Millions of innocent Sudanese living in Cairo risk being caught up in this phenomenon and many believe the gangs are financed – and some say armed – by political groups in Sudan. Some say a proxy war is unfolding.
People & Power follows the story of several young Sudanese gangsters. We see how gangs are both a means of empowerment and a natural reaction to life in Cairo. We also speak with the organisations responsible for tackling the gang phenomenon, before it spirals out of control completely and sours the delicate relationship between Sudan and Egypt.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has let the refugees down. Two gangs, the Lost Boys and Outlaws, are conducting a gang war in the slums of Cairo, below the authorities' radar.
We follow two young gangsters, one from each gang. Despite the fighting, we find that the two gangs are virtually identical. We also hear from the NGO workers who are struggling to deal with the gang phenomenon, only to discover that the problem is spiraling out of control.
Ain El Helweh
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| Militant Islamists use refugee camps as a safe haven |
People & Power has gained exclusive access to Ain El Helweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp.
Approximately 400,000 Palestinian refugees live in 12 camps throughout Lebanon. Known as the 'capital of refugees,' Ain El Helweh is home to over 70,000 people who live in a radius of less than one square mile. Some families have been living in the camp since the 1950's. It is a place of poverty and unemployment. It is also a place where armed Islamist groups operate freely.
More recently, some of these groups have been linked to bombings and other acts of violence in Lebanon. Lebanese public opinion is overwhelmingly in favour of disarming the Palestinians, but Lebanese security forces have little control over Ain El Helweh and other refugee camps. Meanwhile, the local population lives in constant fear of violence erupting at any moment.
People & Power's Zeina Awad witnesses this violence first hand and investigates the context through which militant Islam grew to become a potent force inside Lebanon's most controversial Palestinian refugee camp.
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