Iraqis rediscover the joy of reading

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Iraqis used to be great readers of books but government censorship under Saddam Hussein caused many Iraqis to mistrust the written word. Now there’s a freer flow of information into and out of Iraq and Baghdad’s bookstores are showing new signs of life. Susannah George went browsing for us. Download MP3

The poet of Baghdad

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Nabeel Yasin is a highly-acclaimed Iraqi poet who was blacklisted in his country in 1978 for refusing to write poems glorifying Saddam Hussein’s regime. Now three decades later he is back in his homeland where he is running for prime minister in the elections scheduled in March. Jeb Sharp talks with Yasin. Download MP3

• ‘The Poet of Baghdad’ – BBC video about Nabeel Yasin’s life
• BBC: the struggle for Iraq