Podcasting can be a transformative avenue for suppressed perspectives, with the power to restore identity and voice to those denied both.

In this excerpt from The Messenger, journalist Michael Green shares audio reports from Abdul Aziz Muhamat, a Sudanese refugee detained for over six years in the Manus Regional Processing Centre. The format’s versatility is heightened by Aziz’s restrictive conditions: with the Centre limiting journalists’ access, Aziz communicates via WhatsApp voice notes from a smuggled phone. Green's narration and the collage of Aziz's reflection allow listeners to experience a full picture of Aziz's reality.

His reflections document daily life inside detention, the uncertainty surrounding the centre’s closure, and his eventual journey to asylum in Switzerland. The immediacy of his recordings not only humanises the political debate around immigration but also underscores podcasting’s ability to bridge distance and amplify voices that would otherwise go unheard.