Arabic journalist finds new voice

Amjed Al-Saad has found a new life and a new way to celebrate his culture and language, more than 15,000km from his former home.

Mr Al-Saad hosts new radio show and podcast NZ Arabic on OAR FM Dunedin.

In his former role as a television journalist in Iraq, he faced regular death threats and even assassination attempts from those seeking to suppress stories about financial corruption cases, terrorism links and human rights abuses.

Forced to leave the country for their safety, Mr Al-Saad and his family resettled in Dunedin in April last year following eight years in Indonesia, under the protection of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Mr Al-Saad said he had to find a new way to communicate with the Arab community in Dunedin.

"It is New Zealand that gave us life and the future again after the wars burned our homes and schools in our Arab countries.

"On the radio show, I am keen to present Arabic music and promote Arab New Zealanders who have achieved success in terms of business and integration here, as well as preserving the national identity of the Arab community through the Arabic language and the political and economic news circulating in our Arab homeland."

NZ Arabic airs on 105.4FM and 1575AM on Thursdays, at 7pm. Podcasts are available from oar.org.nz and all major podcast platforms.

A full schedule of OAR FM programmes can be found at www.oar.org.nz.