For his Reportage “doctor Gammel brings a child” has a star-author Jonas Breng the Axel Springer prize in 2020 will receive Bronze. The Text of the 31-Year-old tells the story of a special friendship. On the one hand, doctor Gammel, a German doctor from Mössingen, on the other hand, Khairi, a four-year-old Boy from Iraq who had been tortured by an IS fighter on bestial way.
As the German doctor learns of the fate of the boy, he decides to help and get Khairi, together with a part of his family to Germany. He sets a process in motion that brings him to his limits and at the end he wonders whether he has made the right decision. The report team traveled twice to Iraq, and was accompanied by Khairi and his family in the complicated process of finding in Germany of a home. In the Interview, Jonas Breng tells how the story came into the roles, how it developed and what difficulties there were.
Axel-Springer-award in Bronze
Doctor Gammel brings a child
How did you come across the story?
In this case, the story came to us. Andreas Gammel, the main protagonist of the story has set out to save Khairi from Iraq, was in search of donations to Fund the operations for the boys. He had already had good experiences with the star is made and has, therefore, to our editors turned.
How went the Research?
Me and the wonderful photographer Tamina-Florentine Zuch was clear that we had to accompany doctor Gammel on his way to Iraq. First of all, the piece was planned, as the fate of history to the end of the IS, as a portrait of a young boy who had witnessed unimaginable cruelty. Then it turned out in the course of the Research, however, quickly, that the story was much more complex. Gammels use, its setbacks and doubts, as well as the many twists and turns that took the story, showed that the Reportage of the difficulty of helping had to a total of tell. Our great luck was that rotten and Khairis family have left us so close. It was a great privilege.
Over what period the Research covered?
Overall, it was just under two years. It was in July of 2017, los, and we were at almost all important Meetings and encounters in the process. This included two trips to Iraq, a number of Meetings in Nuremberg and Konstanz, as well as a visit to a doctor is a serious issue in Mössingen. The Interviews with Khairis mother took place at different points in time in Nuremberg and Konstanz, and were accompanied, as almost every Meeting of a Translator.
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There were difficulties in traveling in Iraq?
Between trips a year was just. In this respect, the difficulties were very different. On our first trip of the IS was not yet defeated, the fight for Mosul were so still. Nevertheless, it was quite easy to come to Erbil in Iraq. The second trip was more complicated. Gammel had to get Khairis brothers after the death of the father somehow, to Germany. But the Problem was that at the time of our second trip, the struggles to Afrin raged and the airport in Erbil was closed. Along with rotten we had to enter, therefore, on the overland route from the South of Turkey in Iraq. It was a little complicated. Especially on the way back, where we are crossing alone, for the limit of eight hours needed. We had to hire a taxi driver who brought us back to Turkey. Unfortunately, a fight between two taxi drivers is then broken out, because each of them wanted to transport us. At the end of a disgruntled driver ran after our car and hit repeatedly with a broken antenna on our car roof. But it all went well.
How could you convince Khairis family that you were able to join and Khairis mother, to tell their story?
This is what touched me in the story the most, and impressed. The trust of Jaleela, who is traumatized even the most difficult. When we met you for the first Time, was the captivity of two months. She was very shy and spoke no English. Therefore, we have a lot of time left with the first talks about the captivity. These talks were for Jaleela, of course, is a torment. We have been interrupted again and again. The terrible descriptions are the distillate at the end of nearly ten hours of interview material that we had. In some cases we have the same questions two Times, to different points in time. Simply because Jaleela was our only source and we had to be sure that the descriptions agreed. I am very grateful that you went for us once again through this Horror. It has helped through the donations that has recorded the Text, that the Khairis operations could be paid.
The portrayals of torture in the Text are very cruel. What is the power with a?
It was self-will endure for us to listen to only, barely. But we have pulled together: Just out of respect for the strength of the Khairis mother. But, of course, have occupied me for the Text and Search madly for a long time. I have used that is why for a very long time, the Whole write up. There are probably many people who would say that such Violent portrayals were overwhelming and wrong, but even though I have a lot of debate with myself, I believe that it was the right one. It comes to the truth in this story that is not only closer, if the abomination that is driving this boy to resist. The only way Andreas Gammels decisions are understandable.