Diana Darke, who has lived and worked in the Middle East for over thirty years, tells the story of Syria, both as a nation built on trade, and through the lens of the life of one remarkable man – cloth merchant Abu Chaker, who escaped the country to eventually build up a global textile brand. Blending human interest and history, The Merchant of Syria contains a heartfelt plea for multiculturalism, and sets out the possibility of retaining the best of one culture while still adapting to another. Join Darke for a fascinating conversation on survival against the odds.

 

In conversation with Siân Kevill, former Editor of BBC Newsnight and Director of Make Waves – making films that have social impact