Gordana Knezevic with her daughter Olga in 1987. On May 2, 1992 -- a day she calls "my own 9/11" -- she was forced to put Olga and an older son on a bus out of Sarajevo to escape the war. It was five years before the family was reunited.
As the world commemorates the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Episode 35 of The Blender explores memory, pain, and consequence, as we examine the lives around the world affected by 9/11 and other tragedies like it.
We hear from victims' relatives about how, a decade after the attacks, some memories of that day remain precious -- like the phone call a mother received from her son moments before he helped storm the cockpit of doomed United Airlines Flight 93, averting a fourth attack. For others, the anniversary is a day like any other -- another opportunity to grieve, another opportunity to ask if enough has been done since.
Daisy Sindelar
Nowhere have the consequences of the 9/11 attacks been more profound than in Afghanistan. But what do Afghans really know about September 11th? Correspondents Charles Recknagel and Sayaed Jan Sabawoon report on the misperceptions and confusion that continue to color how 9/11 is seen in Afghanistan -- even as anger over the repercussions of the attacks remain pointedly real.
We also listen to the recorded memories of people around the world who recount where they were -- and what they thought -- when they first heard about the 9/11 attacks. You'll hear a range of voices, from a journalist in Iran struggling to craft a front-page headline to a world-traveling American interrogated by terrorism investigators on the eve of the attacks.
You'll find more recollections, photos, and videos at #my911, a special Tumblr page on our website.
Finally, we asked RFE broadcasters Gordana Knezevic, Hashem Ali Mandee, and Aslan Doukaev to look back to their "own" 9/11's -- days that remain locked in their memories as the moment when their lives and their homelands changed irreversibly.
If you've got a question about The Blender, or to contribute your own 9/11 memories, write to us at podcast@rferl.org or leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you.
Music used on this week's show includes "On That Day" by Leonard Cohen; "The Rising" by Bruce Springsteen; "Wakhandi" by Humayon Sahebzai; "Pismo prijatelju" by Kemal Monteno; "Intidhar" by Anwar Abu Dragh; and "Motherland" by Makka Mezhidova.
