Annabell van den Berghe suggested in a Dutch newspaper that we should keep in contact with these younger people who tend to find grip in extremism. Although her opinion will not get a warm acclaim, it could be a more human and realistic approach to a solution. Who are these young radicals and how can we understand them. Working within and beyond the Middle East, Annabel Van den Berghe aims to portray the human reality of the individuals behind the newsreels. Van den Berghe emphasises the voices of those she comes across, painting a vivid image of daily life, survival and escapism in countries ravaged by war.

Annabell Van den Berghe is a graduate in Middle-East studies and Arabic. She started working as a freelance print and broadcast journalist in Egypt in 2009. Since then she has been active as a writer for English media, among others The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Syria Deeply & IPS. Her articles are also featured in Dutch and Belgian newspapers and magazines and she often writes in Arabic for Agency Fish and others. Besides writing, she worked as a broadcast journalist for English, Dutch, French and Spanish media such as Canvas, EeÌn, EenVandaag, NOS, FOX, Russia Today & others. She also worked as a teacher of Arabic at Belgian’s university K.U.Leuven.