Gregory Warner
Gregory Warner is the host of NPR's Rough Translation, a podcast about how things we're talking about in the United States are being talked about in some other part of the world. Whether interviewing a Ukrainian debunker of Russian fake news, a Japanese apology broker navigating different cultural meanings of the word "sorry," or a German dating coach helping a Syrian refugee find love, Warner's storytelling approach takes us out of our echo chambers and leads us to question the way we talk about the world. Rough Translation has received the Lowell Thomas Award from the Overseas Press Club and a Scripps Howard Award.
In his role as host, Warner draws on his own overseas experience. As NPR's East Africa correspondent, he covered the diverse issues and voices of a region that experienced unparalleled economic growth as well as a rising threat of global terrorism. Before joining NPR, he reported from conflict zones around the world as a freelancer. He climbed mountains with smugglers in Pakistan for This American Life, descended into illegal mineshafts in the Democratic Republic of Congo for Marketplace's "Working" series, and lugged his accordion across Afghanistan on the trail of the "Afghan Elvis" for Radiolab.
Warner has also worked as senior reporter for American Public Media's Marketplace, endeavoring to explain the economics of American health care. He's used puppets to illustrate the effects of Internet diagnostics on the doctor-patient relationship, and composed a Suessian poem to explain the correlation between health care job growth and national debt. His musical journey into the shadow world of medical coding won a Best News Feature award from the Third Coast International Audio Festival.
Warner has won a Peabody Award and awards from Edward R. Murrow, New York Festivals, AP, and PRNDI. He earned his degree in English from Yale University.
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The U.S. exports a billion pounds of used clothes every year. Much of that winds up in used clothing markets in sub-Saharan Africa. -
The Kalenjin people dominate long-distance running, and it seems there's no one secret. Their body structure, training regimen and traditions all appear to contribute to their incredible success. -
The gang rape of a 16-year-old schoolgirl has sparked outrage in the country and beyond. The attack was so violent it left the girl in a wheelchair. She identified several of her attackers, whom police captured but then released after their punishment: mowing the police station lawn. -
A Kenyan intelligence official says that the "high-value terrorist leader" whose residence was targeted in a Navy SEAL raid was the senior al-Shabab leader Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, alias Ikrima. Ikrima is a Kenyan of Somali descent who boasts connections to both al-Shabab in Somalia and to a Kenyan jihadist group called al-Hijra.
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The allegations have shaken people in Nairobi, who just a week ago were hailing the soldiers as heroes after Islamic militants stormed an upscale mall and killed dozens. President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to set up a commission to look into lapses in intelligence and security, and to investigate the accusations. -
The bloody siege at an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya, has entered its fourth day. Authorities there are trying to wrap up their standoff with al-Shabab, a group allied with al-Qaida. At least 62 people have been killed. The death toll is expected to rise.
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Scientists say that one of the most drought-prone regions in the Horn of Africa is lying atop vast reserves of water. Test drilling has confirmed the existence of two aquifers under Kenya's northern Turkana district. Government officials say the water could provide 70 years' worth of supplies.
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Jan Scannell is a 32-year-old former accountant with a dream: to establish a national holiday in South Africa like July 4 called Braai Day. Braai is a South African barbecue of meat or vegetables over wood embers. -
The fast-growing economy has created a demand for construction workers, and more women are taking those jobs. It's difficult work, but for some it offers a path to independence. -
Gay pride celebrations are held loudly each summer in New York, Paris and Berlin. But when Uganda held its version of the event this weekend, it was done very privately. It came as the Ugandan parliament considers a piece of extremely anti-gay legislation, and as discrimination against gays is widespread
