gerry an author and poet he came to fame in the nine hundred ninety s. when he was the youngest ever winner of the booker prize one of the world's top literary awards since then he's written novels plays and poems and he may not call himself this but believe me he's a philosopher too he's here in berlin to open the african book festival and will be my guest in a minute after this report. back in berlin award winning writer been acri business the german capital every now and then sometimes as a tourist sometimes a director and now. the sixty year old lives and works in london dockery was born in one area and spent his formative years between the two countries after finishing high school oak tree studied comparative literature at essex university or chris passion for literature started at an early age. the real turning point for me was my father's library. bought a great collection of books from england. and my job was to dust every day. my

father was totally doest the books but don't read them and. in one nine hundred ninety one or korea was awarded the prestigious man booker prize for fiction for his novel the famished road the book addresses the coexistence of the spiritual and material worlds through the life of a spirit child living in an unnamed nigerian city. the river became a road. on the road branched out to the whole world. because the road was once a river it was always hungry. the author is in berlin to headline the african book festival which starts on thursday then all create is the philosopher a mesmerizing and thought provoking author and someone who's not afraid to step up and speak his mind. joins me now thanks. very much thank you for

correcting me about the pronunciation of your neck see it's a pleasure to be here and i'm glad you disobey joe father and read the books i think everybody is. you said the famished wrote the book prize winning book you wrote it to give yourselves reasons to live things evolves it changed a great deal for you since then so what inspired the new book the freedom artist i think i wrote the freedom artist. asked myself some of the central questions that i feel faces us as human beings. and faces us in our times how free are we. what are we prisoners of what ideas what cultural assumptions what political ideology is what limited visions of the world we prisoners of and indeed the book which i have here as the freedom artist it has a title almost or sometimes above it who is the prisoner can you reveal that or can

anybody reveal that no i think if you have to read the book and you have to do a lot of contemplation you have to ask yourself awkward questions it's a it's a question directed at the world or not the individual is a piece of graffiti it's an act of rudeness or great questions are a bit rude. and it also in the book. this is the sleep police i also came across the phrases to be like everyone else was the highest distinction a citizen could hope for in a few pages later it had therefore been decided that everyone would be spied on this for me has shades of out us huxley's great book brave new world was that intentional and inspiration that side yes the freedom artist is very much in our very great tradition. outspoken books about the human condition books that ask these or good questions books like brave new world and i

salute you for the trial. their books of the twentieth century. their books. look at. the state the individual in the state when the state has become or could. and difficult illusion to the individual and i feel we're living in a strange time the idea for this before but twenty years. but it's only recently that the full pressure of it became necessary this leads me on to the inevitable question about. the subject concerning your adopted country written before we talk of an x. from a poem you wrote about rex it you told me to read it so i will have delegated do the yes wonderful responsibility just a little a little bit to fold is not to fall from space or height it is to fall from unity

from one but it is easier to walk out than to work it out easier to fall apart than to stay together the romance of independence of freedom is stronger than the truth of unity. bearing that in mind and also in your new book you talk of a fictional society that is tearing itself apart is that what's happening in britain now do you feel yes i think britain has been the most divided i've known it in all the years i've been. division is is it's not a superficial one it's actually very deep very passionate. and i don't know how it's going to be healed because it's not just a philosophical division it's. it's a deep question of identity and history you also wrote a very beautiful poem about the grand disaster. tragedy i should say rarely

cow can poetry help in situations like that terrible tragedy and indeed wrecks it. i think most in poetry is eminently good it is. touching the so. it's good it resonates and i humanity is good it reminded us. of the things that connect us. poetry is very powerful helping us to really. and really appropriate. humanity. very briefly. i don't revise president of penn the worldwide association of writers which of course concerns itself with freedom of speech. i have feeling the feeling that things are getting worse for journalism writers very briefly do you yes things are getting worse for certain for journalists because in many troubled areas where journalists must speak the truth and when you speak the truth in those places

sometimes are killed i have a very good friend who died. she was a legendary reporter and but i think that just strengthens actually the necessity of what writers and journalists and poets do absolutely ben operates been a pleasure having you here thank you very much a day on mine thank you. now our continuing series baking bread where our europe correspondent mathis is investigating this staple from every e.u. member state all twenty seven of them or perhaps twenty eight if he does britain very soon also dog fills us in on the local political situation as he's needing to and talking of dealing with it is an important part of the multis economy. in baltimore if you say someone spread is faked it means that person has a lot of. letterbox companies gambling and tax avoidance of the bread and butter

of the e.u. smallest state regulation no thanks who wants to do without. all this oil all capers on their bread especially on a traditional multis slice. it's an undercover operation traditionally multis bread is made from sourdough the dough needs to prove over night and in the morning all is exposed but if you've come to dish the dirt on someone you better be careful. a journalist who investigated corruption in high places was murdered in broad daylight. her stories involved money laundering tax avoidance the sale of e.u.

passports to rich foreigners in multi everything is thrown together in our recipe to. water yeast olive oil salt sourdough and of course flour six hundred fifty grams of plain flour and one hundred fifty grams of strong bread flour that's one gram of strong growth flour that flows into a multi bank account. every. vote total of four hundred fifty billion one multis idiom has it multiple never refused any wheat in other words never look at gift horse in the mouth. now we need to work the dough just like several you committees. probed mulder's justice minister. tough love tough needing eight minutes in the food processor he hasn't lost his bread as

they say in malta meaning his job in fact nobody has lost their job in the wake of the journalist mara brussels is demanding action more to needs to show to europe and indeed the world. it's rules and regulations are healthy and robust. as healthy and robust as monti's bread. sourdough is a top helper for the intestinal police good tyria that wash out the toxins and doubled the dough in just two to three hours. but don't wait too long or gluten britches will collapse something else. experience off. now poor over the dough and handle with kid gloves just like multi continues to treat those mega-corporations. finally bake for thirty minutes had two hundred fifty decrease celsius on a hot stove just like malta the island has always been

a sunny stepping stone between continents for the greeks the romans the arabs the normans the french and the british. but at some point the fire went out of them no guns are now demanding this for all the shady dealings too. because another month. you can't have them for money and why would you with bread like this simply buy. that soul for today we leave you with some quotes from our crew which may give you some food for thought thanks for watching and join us at the same time tomorrow if you can buy.

the food.

enters the conflict zone confronting the powerful music national criminal courts as a new enemy in washington the trump of ministration those accused of having no legitimacy and says it once it's done my guest this week here in the hague is chief of sujit who is the president of the i.c.c. for helping he defend the organization against such powerful opposition conflicts so food few minutes on. earth a home for saving global india's tell stories of creative people and innovative projects around the world ideas to protect the climate and boost green energy solutions by global oil india has been by in a series of global three goals and on d w and on line. position rooms. are always.

a symbol of a long conflict in the philippines. between the muslim. and the christian population. when i asked fighters occupied the city. central two thousand and seventeen president to church's response was told. by the rich will never again book called. the reconquest turned into tragedy. that's not the reason at all this is not the kind of freedom that new . how did we become a gateway to islamist terror. until now this. is the original. and exclusive report from a destroyed city. philippines in the sights of bias starts. on d w.

s t w news live from berlin the resulting indorsement of nato despite transatlantic tensions secretary general. appeals for unity in an address to the u.s. congress marking the alliance the seventieth anniversary of rejects a new arms race with russia we'll take you live to washington on the program. british prime minister to resign.