Read on Twitter
It's the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, that's right, here is my freelancing highlights thread of 2020. (Feel free to mute this if it's annoying and editors feel free to get in touch if you like what you see)
I was in Colombia in January. Incredible country. A month was not enough. Here is a report I did for @VICENews on the complicated politics of coffee farming and climate change. Please with the photos for this one: https://www.vice.com/en/article/889d7g/colombias-national-coffee-organization-profits-off-climate-change-denial
I reported on a centuries-old habit of ant-eating in the Santander region for the @BBC. During mating season, there is a crazy event where everyone downs tools, leaves their jobs, and goes to collect the hormigas culonas ("juicy butt ants"): http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200708-could-eating-ants-help-us-live-longer
I also spent some time with the graffiti artists of BogotĂĄ for @HUCKmagazine, which is bound up political thought and popular movements. Really stunning work everywhere: https://www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/art-2/bogotas-street-artists-are-rewriting-the-state-narrative/
Before the pandemic arrived, I was very happy to get the chance to do some visual arts writing again. Really enjoyed it. Here's one of several pieces I wrote for @AnOtherMagazine: https://www.anothermanmag.com/life-culture/11125/barbican-masculinity-liberation-through-photography-exhibition-review
Then, as a newly-minted @pulitzercenter grantee I made my way over to the Democratic Republic of Congo to do some reporting deep in the rainforest. Here's a story I did for @latimes I did on an experiment that is giving power back to small communities: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-12-07/congo-rainforest
After I flew to Goma, in the east of DRC, everything shut down. Domestic and international flights (including my return that @FlyingBrussels still hasn't paid me for!). But I was the last visitor to see the endangered mountain gorillas of @gorillacd: https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/africa/drc-s-mountain-gorillas-enter-lockdown-over-fears-coronavirus-could-wipe-out-population-1.1002720
I was happy to be able to do lots of meaningful reporting there though. COVID arrives. I thought, why not go report on Ebola? I did my first-ever radio segment for the @BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000h7bv
There's plenty other bits from the DRC, but I'll just keep it to this one. For @AJEnglish, I did a series of article on the impact of COVID-19, including this look at rocketing food prices and the impact of health measures on the poorest: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2020/4/17/life-now-is-so-difficult-food-prices-rocket-amid-drc-lockdown
Once finally home, I started writing a series of pieces looking at how COVID is changing society and the innovations that are coming out of it. In this wide-ranging piece for Bloomberg's @CityLab I reported on cities making their own money: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-07/a-depression-era-idea-gets-a-new-look-local-money
There was also some time in Greece, looking at how the refugee crisis has developed over time. The conditions are as bad as ever. For @VICENews I reported on how a law is forcing recognised refugees to sleep on the streets: https://www.vice.com/en/article/935mga/a-change-in-greek-law-has-left-thousands-of-refugees-homeless
Still in Athens, I teamed up with a local photographer to work an assignment for @TheFaceMagazine on the anarchist neighbourhood of Exarchia and the brutal police crackdown going on: https://theface.com/life/athens-exarchia-anarchism-political-activism-refugees-gaza-strip
I then went off to Lesbos and spent a long time on this investigation for @guardian into illegal "pushbacks" - when Greece forces asylum seekers that have arrived on its territory back out of it. Some heartbreaking stories but it's still going on: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/sep/27/catastrophe-for-human-rights-as-greece-steps-up-refugee-pushbacks
I also broke news for @AJEnglish that thousands of refugees, including pregnant women and young children, could be at risk of lead poisoning. The new camp on Lesbos is on a former firing range. This led to a Human Rights Watch report: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/2/lead-poisoning-greece
Then it was back to my spiritual homeland, Paris. I tried to see the positive side for @guardian with the opportunity that citizens' conventions bring to democracy: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/20/it-gave-me-hope-in-democracy-how-french-citizens-are-embracing-people-power
I also really enjoyed speaking to French Muslims about the current state of affairs for @AJEnglish and taking their portraits. They were so grateful to have the [rare] opportunity, although their thoughts were quite depressing: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/12/10/a-walk-in-paris-how-are-muslims-feeling-about-frances-policies
There was also this fascinating story for @thedailybeast on anti-vaxxers in France, the anti-vaxxer capital of the world. How did it come to this? https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-the-worlds-covid-anti-vaxxer-epicenter?ref=topic
Ok I'm pushing my luck. That's enough for this thread. 2020 has been interesting and tough. 2020 is also the year I told editors who treat me badly where to go (hooray!). Peace and love to you all.
