Pakistani stand-up comedian Sami Shah has been delivering punchlines from the frontlines of the war on terror for several years. He’s been profiled on Comedy Central, by Australian Story and in the New York Times.
Shah left Pakistan for Australia after being targeted by death threats; at home, he fronted his own satirical show and worked as a journalist. In his own unique comic style, he shares his story of what it’s like to leave the home you love to start a new life – somewhere your child can grow up safely. In conversation with Rafael Epstein.
BYO lunch.
Featuring
Sami Shah
Rafael Epstein
Rafael Epstein is a journalist who has worked in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Timor, Indonesia, Europe and the Middle East.
He has covered national elections in the UK and Australia, East Timor’s vote for independence in 1999, the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, the 2005 London bombings, and the arrest of several high profile war crimes suspects in the Balkans.
Rafael won a Walkley Award for his reporting on the links between police and Melbourne’s underworld wars. He won a second Walkley for his coverage of the Mohammed Hanif case, the Indian born doctor charged over his connections to the failed bombings in London in 2007.
He has also worked at the Investigative Unit at the Age, focusing on politics as well as Australia’s special forces and their role in Afghanistan. Rafael currently hosts the Drive program on 774 ABC Melbourne. His first book Prisoner X is published by Melbourne University Press in March 2014.