Imran Garda

Imran Garda
Born	(1982-08-07) 7 August 1982 Kagiso, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Nationality	South African
Occupation(s)	Journalist, author, television presenter
Years active	14
Notable credit(s)	The Stream Inside Story Newshour Al Jazeera America News AJ+ The Thunder That Roars The Newsmakers Third Rail' Crossing the Line
Title	Presenter of The InnerView on TRT World
Awards	Olive Schreiner Prize
Website	www.imrangarda.com

Imran Garda (born 7 August 1982) is a South African journalist, presenter, and award-winning novelist. The long-running host of The Newsmakers from 2015 to 2020, Garda returned to TRT World in 2022 with the one-on-one interview program The InnerView. He was formerly the host of Third Rail on Al Jazeera America based in New York City. Garda was also a senior presenter and producer for AJ+, Al Jazeera Media Network's all digital video news channel based in San Francisco. Previously, he worked for Al Jazeera English in Doha, Qatar and Washington, DC. He also hosted the award-winning show The Stream.

Early career

Garda's media career began as a sports presenter and reporter for SuperSport in South Africa in 2002. He covered mostly cricket and football. While at Supersport he was published as a freelance writer on politics—which included a series on Bosnia-Herzegovina ten years after the Yugoslav Wars ended.

With Al Jazeera

Garda worked in two different stints at Al Jazeera.

First stint

Imran Garda filming with Al Jazeera English in 2009

Garda joined Al Jazeera English in 2006 initially as a sports presenter, but was moved to news during the piloting phase. He anchored the news and Inside Story from Doha, Kuala Lumpur and Washington DC. He also hosted the award-winning (RTS) The Stream until he left the network in 2012. He reported from the US, Sudan, Turkey, Egypt, Namibia, Bahrain, Lesotho, India, South Africa and the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Garda hosted a 13-part series on the aftermath of the War in Gaza - Focus on Gaza and presented the long-form documentaries The Father of the Turks, A Voyage of Life and Death and India's Silent War. He also contributed feature articles and blog posts to Aljazeera.com and The Huffington Post. On 7 June 2012, Al Jazeera English announced that Garda would be returning to South Africa.

Second stint

In 2013, Garda returned to the network for the network's digital channel AJ+ based in San Francisco, California where he specialized in short documentaries, including a special on Black Lives Matter protesters in Ferguson, Missouri. Beginning in 2015, Garda also anchored the news at Al Jazeera America in New York City. On 16 April 2015 it was announced that Garda would host a show on Al Jazeera America called Third Rail, an hour-long, guest-driven debate program focused on under-reported stories and hot-button topics.

TRT World

In October 2015, Garda joined TRT World, Turkish Radio and Television Corporation's English-language channel as host of The Newsmakers, an interview and debate program with "in-depth reports and strong, unfiltered debates - examining the people and the stories that are shaping our lives."

In April 2016 Garda and his colleague Jerome Evans were given rare access to make a documentary in North Korea during the Pyongyang Marathon. Garda documented the challenges of doing journalism in the country.

In their documentary The Invisible Empire: the KKK and Hate in America, Garda and Evans got up close with the Ku Klux Klan in a show that highlighted the resurgence of white supremacism in the United States.

The Newsmakers also did a special show from London on the occasion of the historic Brexit referendum.

Imran’s final episode on the program aired in July 2020. During his time hosting The Newsmakers he also hosted the documentary series “Crossing the Line,” featuring guests such as Imran Khan, Yanis Varoufakis, Julius Malema and Juan Manuel Santos.

In 2022, Garda launched The InnerView, a one-on-one interview program for which he also serves as executive producer. The show features half-hour in-depth interviews with some of the world's most fascinating people, including prominent historians such as British historian Bettany Hughes, actors such as Adrian Grenier, politicians such as Ehud Olmert, John Bolton, Kersti Kaljulaid and Miguna Miguna, as well as figures from sport, music and the arts.

The InnerView show logo. The InnerView airs on TRT World. Source: TRT World

The InnerView / Episodes

2022-2024

No.	Original air date	Guest(s)	Promotion
1	November 21	Prince El Hassan bin Talal	Jordan’s Prince El Hassan bin Talal on choosing dialogue over hate
	Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan speaks to The InnerView about his quest to bring human dignity to the region, through dialogue and cooperation instead of conflict.
2	November 28	Yusuf / Cat Stevens	Yusuf / Cat Stevens on reconciling his past and present
	In a deeply personal interview Yusuf / Cat Stevens speaks to The InnerView about his life in the spotlight and his evolution as an artist and Muslim. Back on stage and performing some of his old hits, he tells Imran Garda how, even in his 70s, he's still trying to find a sense of harmony between his past and present.
3	December 5	Kersti Kaljulaid	Estonia’s former President: Ukraine is fighting for all of us!
	The InnerView travels to Tallinn to speak with Estonia’s former President Kersti Kaljulaid, a woman expected to be a frontrunner for next NATO Secretary-General.
4	December 19	Joram van Klaveren	Joram van Klaveren: from the Dutch far-right to Islam
	Joram van Klaveren, once seen as the heir apparent to anti-Islam ideologue Geert Wilders, speaks to The InnerView about disavowing his previous views and “falling in love” with Islam.
5	December 30	Richard D. Wolff	Richard D. Wolff: American empire in decline
	Economist Richard D. Wolff says runaway inflation and economic crises while hundreds of new billionaires are being minted are all signs of a global economy undergoing fundamental shifts, where inequality gets worse and wealth moves away from traditional centers of power in the West, who don’t know how to handle it.
6	January 2	Emira Woods	Do African leaders understand the power they have?
	Emira Woods of Africans Rising for Justice, Peace, and Dignity believes much more needs to be done to reverse the historical exploitation of the continent. She says African leaders should know that world powers need them more than they think.
7	January 16	Ron Garan	NASA astronaut Ron Garan’s epiphany in space
	When former F-16 fighter pilot Ron Garan went up into space for NASA, the astronaut came back down to earth a changed man. He explains to Imran Garda on The InnerView why he believes we all need to live with an “orbital perspective” to save us from ourselves.
8	January 23	Steve McCurry	Photographer Steve McCurry: his secret to capturing history
	His world-famous photographs have graced the cover of National Geographic and given us an intimate sense of the humans at the heart of conflicts, diverse cultures and remote outposts. Steve McCurry reflects on a career that has spanned almost half a century and on how much he, and photography have changed over the years.
9	January 30	Vanessa Nakate	Climate activist Vanessa Nakate on holding world leaders to account
	Vanessa Nakate speaks to The InnerView about her new role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, her ongoing quest for climate justice and why her faith is so important to her
10	February 27	Winnie Byanyima	UNAIDS Head Winnie Byanyima: Inequality is driving HIV/AIDS
	The Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima says humanity is not on track to meet the goal of ending HIV and Aids. She blames a global system rigged against the poor and as unequal as ever.
11	March 6	Luis Moreno Ocampo	Does Luis Moreno Ocampo think International Justice is flawed?
	Luis Moreno Ocampo speaks to The InnerView about why the trial is still relevant today, with democracy under threat worldwide and he addresses the limitations and double standards inherent in the international justice system.
12	March 13	Adrian Grenier	How did Adrian Grenier go from Entourage to Ecology?
	Adrian Grenier talks to The InnerView about the contradictions of fame and why Vincent Chase is no longer chasing the limelight, but tilling the soil and trying to make the world a better place.
13	March 20	John Kiriakou	John Kiriakou, the CIA spy who blew the whistle on torture
	Former CIA officer John Kiriakou speaks to The InnerView about his time at the CIA after 9/11 during George W. Bush’s “War on Terror” and how the promise of a presidential pardon from Donald Trump left him $50,000 poorer.
14	March 27	Peter Singer	Peter Singer says we’re living in a global moral crisis
	Peter Singer speaks to The InnerView about the moral and ethical dilemmas facing humanity today, from extreme poverty to artificial intelligence, discussing the role we as individuals can play in addressing them.
15	April 3	Nafees Hamid	Cognitive Scientist explains what makes extremists tick
	Nafees Hamid tells The InnerView what we can learn from their traumas, their social context and their “sacred values” in order to understand why some are willing to fight, kill and die for their beliefs
16	April 10	Omar Barghouti	Is BDS Palestine’s only hope against Israeli occupation?
	Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti tells Imran Garda why he believes the movement is winning hearts and minds around the world and forcing Israel to confront the consequences of its occupation of Palestinian territories.
17	April 19	Mariam al-Mahdi	Sudan’s former Foreign Minister says Khartoum is suffering
	Sudanese politician Mariam al-Mahdi appeals to the army and RSF paramilitary group to stop risking the lives of innocent Sudanese. In an emotional interview, the former foreign minister explains to Imran Garda what the root causes of the crisis are and describes her hopes for a way forward.
18	April 24	Pekka Haavisto	Why joining NATO means everything to Finland’s Foreign Minister
	Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto sayshis country had no other choice but to join NATO. However, Finland has no plans to house NATO’s nuclear weapons.
19	April 27	Enver Tohti	Enver Tohti: I was forced to harvest organs in Xinjiang
	Dr. Enver Tohti describes to Imran Garda how he was forced by Chinese authorities to harvest one prisoner’s organs and says life for his fellow Uyghurs in Xinjiang is “hell” on earth.
20	May 8	Miguna Miguna	Miguna Miguna’s “liberation war” in Kenya
	Kenyan democracy activist and lawyer, Miguna Miguna speaks to The InnerView's Imran Garda about his recent return from exile and his now defunct alliance with former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
21	May 15	Pretty Yende	Pretty Yende and the Coronation of Charles III
	Acclaimed soloist Pretty Yende’s breathtaking performance at the coronation of King Charles III brought her voice to the attention of the world. She talks to Imran Garda about what it means to be a black woman in a genre that is traditionally considered white and elitist.
22	May 29	Rimla Akhtar	Vinicius Jr abuse: How to end racism in football?
	The InnerView speaks to inclusion and diversity activist Rimla Akhtar OBE about what needs to be done to end all forms of discrimination across football and other sports.
23	June 5	Neil Woods	Neil Woods: The former undercover narcotics cop against the war on drugs
	Neil Woods speaks about his time in the shadows, waging a “war on drugs” that he no longer believes in. Woods reflects candidly on his experiences and argues passionately for a new way to combat the illicit drug trade.
24	June 12	Fadzayi Mahere	Fadzayi Mahere: The 2023 elections are a turning point for Zimbabwe
	Fadzayi Mahere speaks to Imran Garda on The InnerView about why she believes the government of Emmerson Mnangagwa has lost its credibility.
25	June 19	Karpe	Karpe: A musical fusion of cultures
	Chirag and Magdi speak to Imran Garda about the experiences they had growing up as immigrant children in Norway, and how their heritage has influenced their music.
26	June 26	Freddie Kanoute	Freddie Kanoute on football, faith and giving back
	Frederic Oumar Kanoute reflects on his career in the limelight for footballing and non-footballing reasons and tells The InnerView why he’s devoted to giving back to those in need.
27	July 3	Valerie Plame	Valerie Plame: the CIA spy who was outed by her own government
	Valerie Plame shares her perspective of the events that changed her life forever with The InnerView's Imran Garda, and delves into the ongoing global threat of nuclear warfare.
28	July 10	Kurt Volker	Kurt Volker on Ukraine war, Wagner and Pentagon leak
	Former US Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker talks to The InnerView about why he thinks Ukraine will not turn into a protracted quagmire.
29	July 17	Stephen J Shaw	Stephen J Shaw: The surprising truth about world fertility rates
	For centuries, the global population has been increasing at a steady rate, but in recent decades, the fertility rates of many nations have taken a downturn. One man believes this “Birthgap” could spell disaster for societies. On a new episode of The InnerView, Imran Garda explores the causes and consequences of the global baby bust with insights from esteemed data scientist, filmmaker and demographer Stephen J Shaw.
30	July 24	Barry Schwartz	Barry Schwartz on why the abundance of choice is driving us crazy
	Barry Schwartz discusses why the explosion of options in wealthier nations paralyses decision-making capabilities and makes people less happy and more prone to depression.
31	July 31	Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi	The American Buddhist monk calling for social change
	The InnerView travels to Chuang Yen Monastery in Upstate New York where Imran Garda meets Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi. The prominent monastic discusses the principles of Engaged Buddhism and explains why he believes being silent on issues affecting humanity’s most vulnerable is not an option.
32	August 7	Charles Bolden Jr	Charles Bolden Jr: Space exploration should not be politicised
	Charles Bolden Jr discusses how advances that come from international cooperation in space exploration have the power to save humanity from itself.
33	August 14	Jack Barsky	Former KGB Spy Jack Barsky on living a double life, communism and love
	Jack Barsky discusses his experience with espionage, love, and the difficulties he encountered living a double life.
34	August 21	Norman Finkelstein	Norman Finkelstein’s lifelong rebellion and new war on woke
	Norman Finkelstein tells Imran Garda how it feels to be labelled a holocaust denier and self-hating Jew. Finkelstein also addresses his fall from grace within some Palestinian circles after taking issue with the BDS movement.
35	August 28	John Bolton	John Bolton on why he now wants to stop Trump at all costs
	Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton opens up about his tumultuous term during Donald Trump's tenure as President, leading to a high profile falling out and a tell-all book.
36	September 6	Mustafa Nayyem	How to rebuild Ukraine while the war still rages?
	Mustafa Nayyem says that rebuilding critical infrastructure, damaged by Russia’s attack, in order to serve the war effort, is just one part of his challenge.
37	September 11	Nita Farahany	Nita Farahany is fighting for your cognitive liberty
	Nita Farahany discusses how our thoughts and feelings are closer than ever to being hacked and tracked, and in what ways we can shape new legal and ethical frameworks to tackle this uncharted territory in human existence.
38	September 12	Jacob Glanville	Is this a breakthrough for a universal flu vaccine?
	Every year the flu kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Biotech entrepreneur Jacob Glanville has raised $10 Million in his efforts to develop a universal flu vaccine. He tells The InnerView what a possible breakthrough could mean in combatting not only influenza, but also coronaviruses and HIV.
39	September 18	Philip Schlaffer	Why I became a Neo-Nazi and how I found my way out
	Philip Schlaffer shares his story of redemption, giving unique insights into the psychology of all-consuming hate and the hope of finding forgiveness.
40	September 25	Tim Urban	Tim Urban: What’s Our Problem? (Hint: Political tribes!)
	Tim Urban joins The InnerView to tell Imran Garda about his most recent book: What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies. Together they delve deeper into the profound challenges that shape our identity and the era we live in.
41	October 2	Rebecca Smith	Rebecca Smith on the rise of women’s football
	Rebecca Smith explains why she believes women’s soccer is growing and discusses how the recent kissing scandal at the World Cup reflects the state of women’s sport.
42	October 24	Rick Alan Ross	Cult expert Rick Alan Ross decodes brainwashing tactics
	Rick Alan Ross joins The InnerView to give his insight into the coercive persuasion techniques infamous cult leaders like Charles Manson and Adnan Oktar employ and explains why these groups extend beyond mere quirky movements.
43	October 30	Sherine Tadros	Sherine Tadros: The Gaza War, human rights and leaving journalism
	Sherine Tadros says she feels “destroyed” watching the latest carnage unfolding in Gaza.
44	November 6	Timothy Cho	Timothy Cho: Escaping North Korea
	Timothy Cho shares his harrowing experiences and raises awareness about what life is like for people inside North Korea.
45	November 13	Bettany Hughes	Bettany Hughes on Istanbul and why history matters
	Bettany Hughes joins Imran Garda for a stroll around Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet Square as they discuss what the unique monuments of the ancient hippodrome tell us about this great city’s history, her love for the city and why history matters now more than ever.
46	November 20	John Vervaeke	John Vervaeke on finding your life’s purpose amidst the meaning crisis
	John Vervaeke says we are experiencing a profound lack of depth and meaning in our lives. He delves into the concept of the meaning crisis, which he argues is a global phenomenon affecting modern humanity.
47	November 27	Kate Raworth	Kate Raworth: Why the world needs Doughnut Economics
	Kate Raworth says it is high time to reshape the economy of the 21st century to a more equal one. She speaks to The InnerView about why others should join Amsterdam, Brussels, and Copenhagen in using her innovative concept, and how a single-minded pursuit of growth has left many people behind.
48	December 4	Ehud Olmert	Ehud Olmert on Hamas, Gaza and why Netanyahu is a “disaster”
	Imran Garda travels to Tel Aviv to ask Ehud Olmert why he supports Israel’s latest war in Gaza, while fervently opposing current leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
49	December 11	Hanan Ashrawi	Hanan Ashrawi: “Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza”
	Palestinian activist and politician Hanan Ashrawi says Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has been conducting a genocidal war in Gaza.
50	December 18	Sami Abu Shehadeh	Sami Abu Shehadeh: “Israeli identity is built on racism”
	The conversation explores how October 7th and the war in Gaza have impacted the delicate balance that exists between Jaffa’s Jewish and Palestinian communities. An unexpected interruption shows Imran first-hand the danger of publicly expressing dissent against Israel and the war in Gaza.
51	December 25	John Francis	John Francis: The Planetwalker who kept a vow of silence for 17 years
	John Francis tells what he learned during his years of silence and why we need to be kinder to one another.
52	January 2	Stephanie Gibaud	Stephanie Gibaud: The woman who knew too much
	Stephanie Gibaud tells The InnerView why her experience has left her feeling disillusioned with the world of finance and her government’s willingness to reform it.
53	January 8	Avinash Persaud	This banker is financing the fight against climate change
	Avinash Persaud speaks to The InnerView about why he believes developing countries are key to climate action, while blaming rich nations for their lack of concern in formulating a comprehensive global strategy to address climate change.
54	January 15	Betül Kaçar	Betül Kaçar: What ancient DNA can tell us about life on Earth… and beyond
	Betül Kaçar says DNA holds the key to unraveling the fundamental attributes of life itself.
55	January 22	Connor Leahy	Why this top AI guru thinks we might be in extinction level trouble
	Connor Leahy tells Imran Garda why he is now sounding the alarm.
56	January 29	Sliman Mansour	Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour: “Revolution is not only shooting, it is art”
	Sliman Mansour describes his artistic process to Imran Garda and explains why, amid the backdrop of occupation and dispossession and a brutal war raging in Gaza, he still believes in portraying beautiful things.
57	February 5	Cristina Mittermeier	Cristina Mittermeier’s stunning photography and her mission to save the oceans
	Cristina Mittermeier joins The InnerView to describe the thrill and challenges she faced in photographing marine wildlife and the importance of really listening, especially to indigenous communities around the world.
58	February 12	Daniel Amen	Brain disorder expert reveals how lifestyle choices can impact your brain health
	Daniel Amen believes that we can reverse brain damage and overcome issues such as Alzheimer's disease, brain injuries, and even psychological problems. He speaks to The InnerView about what he has learned from his unique scanning approach and how we can improve our brain health.
59	February 19	Dacher Keltner	Dacher Keltner: Why we all need more awe in our lives
	Dacher Keltner says that by making space for awe in our lives, we can live a more fulfilling and connected existence.
60	February 26	Anil Seth	Anil Seth: Consciousness, subjectivity and what it means to be “you”
	Anil Seth says what we perceive as reality is actually a constructed representation created by our brains. He tells Imran Garda that even being yourself is not as simple as it sounds.
61	March 19	Jose Ramos-Horta	Jose Ramos-Horta on Gaza, Mandela, J.Lo and how to run a country after liberation
	Ramos-Horta gives strong views on the persecution of the Rohingya, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and reflects on key moments in his life, expanding on touching personal anecdotes that include Nelson Mandela and even Jennifer Lopez.
62	April 15	Sandiaga Uno Agung Wicaksono Anthony Leong Salwa Nadhira	Can "Gemoy" Prabowo Subianto be the president for all Indonesia?
	Imran Garda travels to Jakarta to talk to a range of Indonesians in activism, business and politics in the aftermath of the vote.
63	April 22	Ronald Lamola	Ronald Lamola of South Africa: Justice at the ICJ, injustice at home?
	Ronald Lamola argues that there is no contradiction between South Africa’s championing of the rights of the downtrodden and persecuted in the international legal arena and its own poor record of criminal justice back home.
64	May 6	Antony Beevor	Sir Antony Beevor on Russia, writing history and why he hates (most) war movies
	Sir Antony Beevor joins Imran Garda to talk about his latest book, Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921 to explain why those events more than one hundred years ago echo with relevance in today’s turbulent times.
65	May 13	Thuli Madonsela	Can South Africa live up to its post-Apartheid ideals?
	Thuli Madonsela says those in power should be at the forefront of using every cent to improve the quality of life of all citizens. She explains why the justice system lets fraudulent politicians get away with it.

Novel: The Thunder That Roars

In June 2014 Umuzi, an imprint of Penguin Random House published Garda's debut novel The Thunder That Roars. The book was awarded the 2015 Olive Schreiner Prize for prose and optioned for a feature film. A tale of a journalist who embarks on a journey to find a missing family friend and uncovers long-held family secrets and undergoes an inward journey of his own, the book was described by adjudicators as, "South African literature [that] soars above the tortuous apartheid history and redefines globalisation." Reviewer Eric Garland called it, "[A] breathtakingly strong debut novel about the self-discovery and strained relationships of human beings in an era that defies understanding." It was also long-listed for The Etisalat Prize for Literature. Garda is represented by The Lennon-Ritchie Agency.

Big interviews

Garda has interviewed many influential people throughout his career. They include former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai,^[25]President of East Timor Jose Ramos-Horta, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former UK Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown,  former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko,^[28] WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange,^[33] NASA Administrator Charles Bolden,^[34] Australian philosopher Peter Singer, former President of Estonia Kersti Kajulaid, South African politician and President of the Economic Freedom Fighters Julius Malema, former President of Georgia and Governor of Odesa Oblast Mikheil Saakashvili,^[31] ICC Chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, British historians Bettany Hughes and Antony Beevor, Tibetan PM in exile Lobsang Sangay,^[35] football star Frederic Kanoute, Jordan’s Prince El Hassan bin Talal, British singer Yusuf / Cat Stevens and UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima.

Garda has interviewed spokespersons and ministers from governments across the world. He has also had the opportunity to interview non-state actors from groups such as Hamas, Somali rebel groups, Chechen rebels, Uganda's LRA, and other designated terror groups. He has chaired panels for the World Humanitarian Summit, United Nations Human Rights Council, UN Migration (IOM), TRT World Forum, Antalya Diplomacy Forum and Advertising Week.

External links

• Imran Garda's Twitter account