Conflict of Interest – Details, episodes & analysis

How have artists, filmmakers and photographers shaped our understanding of wars and conflict? Journalist and writer Helen Lewis explores the recently-opened Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries at Imperial War Museum, London.

From No Man's Land to mushroom clouds, Helen discovers the people that have interpreted over a hundred years of conflict, in this specially-curated tour by James Bulgin, Head of Public History at IWM.

They are joined by Suzanne Plunkett, Reuters' Chief Photographer for the UK and Ireland, and a photojournalist for almost 30 years - and someone who can give us a first hand account of what it’s like to be capturing a seismic event in the moment.

Objects Discussed:

Paul Nash, The Menin Road, 1919

John Armstrong, Pro Patria, 1938 

War Pictorial News No. 21

Mushroom Cloud over Nagasaki, 1945

Suzanne Plunkett, People Covered in Dust and Debris New York, 11 September 2001 - 

© AP (IWM DC 123993)

© AP (IWM DC 124023)

Narrator:  James Taylor. Producer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio, with support from Eleanor Head, Daniel BenChorin, and the IWM Institute team at Imperial War Museums

More conflicts explained in a brand new series focusing on the role of art, film and photography in depicting warfare across the Twentieth Century. This time featuring:

• Broadcaster Helen Lewis

• Actor Sanjeev Bhaskar

• Comedian Rachel Parris

• Writer Carl Miller (‘The Kill List’)

• Actor Susan Wokoma

• Comedian Geoff Norcott

New episodes from 3rd January - if you know someone who would love our show, please share the news with this link: https://podfollow.com/conflict-of-interest

Narrator:  James Taylor. Producer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio, with support from Eleanor Head, Daniel BenChorin, and the IWM Institute team at Imperial War Museums

Singer and guitarist Jake Shuker was nine when he first discovered death metal, despite the genre being banned in Syria. From that moment on he was hooked. He formed death metal band Maysaloon as a teenager living in Damascus, before being forced to leave the city as war escalated around him.

If you’d like to see a visualisation of Jake’s story, head over to @thefakepan.

To learn more about the war in Syria, check out our main podcast feed.

In this special episode of Conflict of Interest, we hear what Afghanistan was like for a young girl growing up in Kabul before the Taliban retook power - a girl who dreamed of being a famous artist. Calligrapher and miniaturist Samira Kitman discovered art as a young woman, allowing her to travel the world before threats to her freedom and fear of violence forced her to flee her home. 

To learn more about the Afghanistan War and the September 11th attacks, check out the episodes on our main podcast feed

In this bonus episode of Conflict of Interest podcast, marking the twentieth anniversary of the attacks on September 11th, 2001, we examine this monumental moment in history which profoundly impacted the world of war and conflict, and the way we live our lives today.

Our guests Hannah Maguire and Suruthi Bala, hosts of the true crime podcast RedHanded, ask the simple but important questions about the events of 9/11: Who were al-Qaeda and what did they believe? What actually happened on September 11th? How have the attacks shaped our current world and values?

Answering these questions are IWM curator Amanda Mason and King’s College London terrorism expert Shiraz Maher. We are also joined by special guest Mohsin Hamid, author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

Want the chance to win a £50 Amazon gift voucher? Just fill in this quick survey on what you thought of the podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/7DH98XM. Terms and conditions apply.

IWM is also inviting listeners to share their stories of how 9/11, and how the events that followed have impacted their lives today. Share your story here: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/911

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CREDITS: Excerpt from ABC 9/11 9:02 - 9:12 - ABC Live Coverage on September 11, 2001. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaxo8-mvSCg&ab_channel=Resident_Pinto

So far, Conflict of Interest has examined wars in far-flung parts of the world like Yemen and Afghanistan. But in our final episode, we'll explore one much closer to home. When did ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland begin, and what was it like to live through them? Who were the IRA, and what happened on Bloody Sunday? And with the Good Friday agreement bringing an end to the conflict, what does Brexit mean for the peace process today?

In this episode we were joined by James Graham, playwright and screenwriter behind This House, Quiz and Brexit: The Uncivil War.

*credits*

• ©  AP Archive. 

• Excerpt from ‘Reverend Ian Paisley | The price of Peace | This Week | 1974 https://youtu.be/wOsde5z0XsM
• Excerpt from Gerry Adams - Panorama Interview [1982] https://youtu.be/wqsfxs8qHu8

Until recently, Yemen was seen as a remote part of the world that many Westerners knew very little about, perhaps beyond the book-turned-film 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen' and a Friends episode where Chandler moves to 15 Yemen Road. But in the last few years, the conflict there has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with millions facing starvation. So why did the violence start? Who are the Houthis? What has been the true impact on Yemen’s civilian population? And what is Britain’s role in all of this?

In this episode we were joined by comedian, rapper and satirist Munya Chawawa, as well as Yemen expert Iona Craig.

Credits

• ©  AP Archive. Boris Johnson remarks, 2017.

• Excerpt from CNN - 'This war has to end': Watch Biden's Yemen announcement - https://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2021/02/04/joe-biden-foreign-policy-yemen-saudi-arabia-sot-vpx.cnn
• Audio clips from Iona Craig

The Syrian conflict is one of the most complex and catastrophic wars of recent memory. It has left more than 380,000 people dead and over 10 million people displaced, has destroyed entire cities and drawn interventions from multiple countries. But what are the roots of this conflict? Why has it been so chaotic? And is there any hope on the horizon for Syria’s devastated civilian population?

In this episode we were joined by Carey Mulligan, award winning actor and star of ‘Promising Young Woman’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’ and Waad al-Kateab, Syrian filmmaker and creator of ‘For Sama’.

CREDITS:
Maysaloon - Pillars Of Creation (Single Performance) | Live at The Imperial War Museum, London, UK (YouTube video clip by Maysaloon)
For Sama, Courtesy of Channel 4 / ITN Productions
US President Barack Obama in 'red line' warning to Syria over chemical weapons, The Telegraph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avQKLRGRhPU

Who was Muammar Gaddafi? What happened in the Arab Spring? What were the reasons behind Britain, France and America intervening in Libya in 2011? And why is there still fighting going on today? In this episode we’ll explain the story behind one of the most consequential (and confusing) conflicts of recent times.

In this episode, we were joined by the renowned poet and playwright Inua Ellams, who has written plays including Barber Shop Chronicles and An Evening With An Immigrant.

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CREDITS: 

• Muammar Gaddafi - Zenga Zenga Song - Noy Alooshe Remix (YouTube video clip by Noy Alooshe)
• Clinton recalls night of Benghazi attack, © Associated Press
• British Foreign Secretary meets head of Libyan National Army, © Associated Press