The Wheeler Centre
It has been a stellar year for podcasts, from the compelling murder-mystery Trace to the addictive LA Times tale Dirty John.
Another podcast that needs to be on your radar? The Messenger, which gives listeners an unflinching look at life inside Manus Island detention centre.
The podcast is co-reported by young Sudanese refugee Abdul Aziz Muhamat, who sent over 5000 WhatsApp voice messages recorded on Manus Island to Melbourne journalist Michael Green.
The Messenger charts 24-year-old Muhamat’s his journey out of Sudan, his experiences in offshore detention and forcible removal from the centre.
On Wednesday, the podcast received a journalism top honour, taking home a Walkley Award for Radio/Audio Feature.
“It has given me a chance to say something about my life, and also to report what has been happening for the last four and a half years in the detention centre,” Muhamat said of the Walkley win in a statement.
“I am speechless because I just came out of a kind of trauma that I haven’t seen in my life before. But I’m sure I will gather my energy again.”
He added: “This situation hasn’t ended. We have closed the first chapter of the detention centre, but we have these three different detention centres. And we need to work constantly until the last person will walk out of here.”
The podcast is co-produced by the Wheeler Centre and Behind the Wire.
You can listen to The Messenger here.
