After 30 years working in conflict zones, Londoner writes of people he never forgot
In many parts of the world, people live under the constant threat of violence and have to endure political systems they can't change.
Jim Freedman ran an international consulting firm for decades that worked with agencies and governments to reduce conflict. Along the way, he met people with incredible stories who lived through crisis and social chaos, and he's now telling those stories in his latest book, Carpet of Tears - Resilience in War Zones.
Freedman joined London Morning Host Andrew Brown to talk about sharing the stories of people from places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Andrew Brown: As I'm thumbing through this book, the first thing I'm thinking is: what a life you've lived. You've been all over the place. Why did you want to put these stories in print?
Jim Freedman: There's an emotional way of understanding the world and the changes that have taken place—particularly during my career and my lifetime. And I think it's important for people to realize not only how they respond, but what the world is like these days. That's important.
AB: I think so too. What kind of work did you do during your career?
JF: Well, I had a consulting firm. I worked to try to find economic or political ways to reduce conflict. For example, in the Congo, we worked on regulating the mining of valuable minerals to prevent rebels from accessing them.
I did this kind of work in a number of places. It just so happened that—fate or whatever—I ended up doing it in areas with a lot of conflict.
JF: Oh, I did. That's part of why I wrote the book. Some of these people... it was just heart-rending to see what was happening to them.
The title of the book, Carpet of Tears, reflects their resilience. That resilience was quite remarkable. It shows how the world is still standing up to the disorder it now faces.
AB: And the title Carpet of Tears—it's connected to an actual carpet you once had?
JF: At one point, yes. When I was living in Peshawar, Pakistan, I became very close to a rug seller whom I liked very much. After we became friends, he told me this extraordinary story about transporting guns during the war of the Mujahideen against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
He also told me about an intimate relationship he had with another man—someone who was later killed while trying to protect him. It's a remarkable story that follows a powerful arc… which I won't spoil.
But it was so heart-rending—such an intense and moving story. He and I remained friends. Initially, I tried to write these as essays, but it just didn't work. So I put them in a drawer. Eventually, I realized I had to write them as short tales, with the emotion they deserved.
LISTEN | Jim Freedman talks about his latest book, Carpet of Tears:
AB: Through your work and travels, what did you learn about the world?
JF: It's interesting. I kind of started all this at the end of the Cold War. At that time, there was a real feeling that, now that the Soviets were gone, we were entering a period of peace. But it's been exactly the opposite. Year by year, there's been more conflict, more disorder, and more tragedy in the world.
Everywhere you look now, there's some kind of conflict or war. Many people don't realize just how widespread it is. That's one reason I wanted to write the book—not as journalism or nonfiction per se, but as an emotional response.
AB: Where do you think we are right now in the world? Do you see better days ahead?
JF: I don't know. I really don't.
I think if you ask anybody—myself included—there's no clear sense of what's ahead. There are so many factors that could lead to unpleasant situations. Of course, in Canada, we're very fortunate.
AB: What did it feel like for you to get these stories out there?
JF: A release. To finally find a way to tell them—it was a great relief. And it did take a while. I'm just thrilled it's out and that I'm able to talk about it.
Carpet of Tears is published by Borealis Press.
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