Foreign Star - Sorious Samura

He is an award winning journalist with several cutting-edge, thought-provoking documentaries under his belt. Cry Freetown (2000) made his name and Exodus from Africa (2001) cemented it. Cry Freetown was an uncensored account of the violence meted out to civilians during the Sierra Leonean civil war. Exodus from Africa is a first hand depiction of the many hurdles Africans face while attempting to escape Africa for Europe via the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain. In both documentaries, and the many more he has made since, Sorious Samura stands out from other journalists by doing more than just reporting the experience - he lives it as well.

Sorious Samura's journey from Sierra Leone where he was born and raised to being one of the World's most respected journalists is as improbable as it is inspiring. It was while working as a cameraman for the UN in Sierra Leone, during the civil war, that the RUF rebels took the capital city Freetown. This sparked one of the most violent periods of the war. Unable to leave the country like some of his colleagues in the UN, he managed to convince the rebels to let him film them as a means for them to get their side of the story to the rest of the world. It was also a means for him to be spared by the rebels. The scenes and footage he captured during this period would eventually shed a chilling light on a war that most of the world knew little about.

Initially, however, the media world would be uninterested in either Sorious Samura or his war footage which remained hidden away for years.

In the latter stages of the war he managed to move to London. Although holding arguably some of the most vivid war footage in history, he struggled to find employment in his profession or to find a news organisation willing to feature his story. To make ends meet and save enough for film equipment, he worked several jobs including as a cleaner on the London Underground. His experience, of being unable to demonstrate his talent and skills in his profession, is similar to that of many talented individuals from abroad.

Through dogged persistence and hardwork, he was eventually able to convince the media that he not only had a compelling story to tell but that he was a journalist with immense potential.

Sorious Samura is now a renowned world class journalist and his documentaries are often aired on networks such as BBC, Channel 4 and CNN. He has won numerous awards including a BAFTA, Emmy Awards and Amnesty International Media Awards. His story is a glimpse into a pool of talent that is often ignored and underutilised while his achievements are a testament to the benefits this talent pool can bring if effectively tapped into.

Sorious Samura is one of the directors at Insight News TV, an independent media house and agency that represents him and distributes his work.