Radiolab Presents: Anna in Somalia

Podcast: Radiolab (WNYC Studios)
Episode Date: September 12, 2017
Contributors: Gregory Warner, Jad Abumrad, Robert Krulwich, Elif Batuman, Dr. Aden Abacore, Muhammad

Main Theme

The episode follows the true story of Muhammad, a Somali man imprisoned for writing a critical newsletter under a repressive regime in the 1980s. Enduring years of solitary confinement, Muhammad finds unexpected solace and transformation through a surreptitiously shared copy of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, tapped out by a fellow inmate, Dr. Aden Abacore, through the prison walls. The story is an exploration of resilience, empathy, and the life-changing power of literature—even in the darkest, most isolating circumstances.

Key Discussion Points & Timeline

[03:35] Muhammad’s Life Before Prison

• Muhammad describes the six months prior to his arrest as the best of his life—securing a good job, falling in love and marrying Ismahan, a bank teller.
  • “We realized we wanted to get married.” — Muhammad [03:51]
• The era is a cultural renaissance in Somalia under dictator Siad Barre, despite political repression.

[04:59] The Arrest and Prison Life

• After Muhammad helps raise funds for a struggling hospital (cut off by the government for political reasons), he risks further exposure by writing a letter describing the hospital’s dire conditions.
  • “I suppose maybe I wanted to share my happiness... contribute. Because there are other people who are less fortunate than us.” — Muhammad [05:29]
• Security forces arrest Muhammad in the middle of the night; his wife is left terrified.
  • “You know, love, but also terror.” — Muhammad describing his wife’s face [06:23]
• In solitary, Muhammad is overwhelmed by isolation, darkness, pests, and fear for his wife’s fate outside.

[07:33] The Forbidden World of the Prison

• It is forbidden to speak to other inmates. Muhammad combats boredom and despair by observing ants, his only companions, in the cell.
  • “Just like watching a film. Great film.” — Muhammad on observing ants [09:37]

[10:03] Learning to Communicate: The Tap Code

• A neighbor whispers: “Learn ABC through the wall.” [10:12]
• Prisoners develop and teach each other a homemade knock-based alphabet code, enabling secret conversations about politics, memories, and daily struggles.
  • “Learn ABC through the wall.” — Neighbor [10:12]
  • “Nabat, which means peace in Somali.” — Muhammad on his first tapped word [11:09]

[11:44] Coping with Anxiety and Despair

• Muhammad’s insomnia and anxiety are soothed by late-night tapping exchanges with Dr. Aden, the prison doctor and Muhammad’s friend.
  • “I was only sleeping… maybe half an hour, then wake up.” — Muhammad [11:44]
  • Dr. Aden serves as a nocturnal therapist: “Just like a baby… making him fall asleep.” — Dr. Aden [15:09]

[15:52] The Invention of the Knock Language

• Another prisoner invents the knock code, inspired by his faint knowledge of Morse code—enabling covert cell-to-cell communication.
  • “Hey, what if I invent a language and we can talk?” — Gregory Warner explaining the inspiration [16:21]
  • “If there is a joke and somebody laughs, everybody starts knocking on the wall and asking that friend, ‘What’s that joke about?’” — Dr. Aden [17:13]
• Communication fosters camaraderie and preserves sanity.

[19:03] The Arrival of Anna Karenina

• Two years in, Dr. Aden is allowed one item from his confiscated possessions—he selects the largest book: Anna Karenina.
• Dr. Aden wraps his knuckles in a bedsheet for protection and begins tapping out the novel to Muhammad, letter by letter.
  • “I put [the bedsheet] around my wrist like prepping for a medical procedure… So then I started knocking and he started listening.” — Dr. Aden [20:16]

[25:00] The Transformative Power of Tolstoy

• The story of Anna—her public love, ostracism, and loneliness—mirrors Muhammad’s own feelings of jealousy, isolation, and longing for his wife.
  • “Although it was only knocking, it brought the whole story to me.” — Muhammad [25:05]
• Muhammad’s jealousy and resentment toward his absent wife transform into empathy as he realizes her suffering is as profound as his own.
  • “If he loved her, he would understand all the difficulty of her situation and he would rescue her from it.” — Muhammad quoting Anna Karenina [26:45]
  • “She was suffering all the time.” — Muhammad [27:17]
• Literary empathy leads him to reevaluate his past actions and perspective on his wife’s struggles.

[30:00] Literary Analysis by Elif Batuman

• Writer Elif Batuman explains that Tolstoy’s narrative uniquely immerses readers in many characters’ subjectivities—even the dog!
  • “He never gets bored of showing that.” — Elif Batuman [31:17]
• This skill, Batuman argues, helps a reader like Muhammad step outside his pain and see reality from others’ perspectives.

[32:00] Release and Reunion

• Eight years after imprisonment, Muhammad is unexpectedly released. He finds his homeland in ruins and discovers his wife, Ismahan, never gave up on him—despite immense pressure to divorce, relocation, and her own exile to Germany.
  • “She had not given up on him, and she had suffered in his absence.” — Gregory Warner [32:44]
• Their reunion is not as emotionally overwhelming as expected. Muhammad wonders why:
  • “Even in prison, I was feeling so much in love with her. And yet when we met, it wasn’t the same… as a stranger.” — Muhammad [33:22–33:36]
• Muhammad realizes, similar to Levin in Anna Karenina, that after enduring such trauma, building love again is a process—not an instantaneous return.
  • “You are still inside yourself… you have to open… we had to learn to love each other again.” — Muhammad [35:43, 35:59]

[36:08] Tolstoy’s Lasting Role

• Muhammad credits Tolstoy—and Dr. Aden—for teaching him empathy, patience, and how to approach rebuilding his life and marriage.
  • “I should build a monument for that book.” — Muhammad [36:50]
• Dr. Aden, unable to revisit the book himself, passes it on to others in need, declaring:
  • “The best present you can have in a prison is a book.” — Dr. Aden [37:50]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the birth of the knock language:
  • “Learn ABC through the wall.” — Unnamed neighbor [10:12]
• On literary empathy:
  • “If he loved her, he would understand all the difficulty of her situation and he would rescue her from it.” — Muhammad quoting Anna Karenina [26:45]
  • “It helped me survive. It helped me even sleep better.” — Muhammad on the impact of the story [31:34]
• On regaining humanity:
  • “We had to learn to love each other again.” — Muhammad on reuniting with his wife [35:59]
  • “I should build a monument for that book.” — Muhammad [36:50]
  • “The best present you can have in a prison is a book.” — Dr. Aden [37:50]

Episode Highlights with Timestamps

• [03:35] Muhammad’s love story and arrest
• [06:06] Nighttime arrest and prison conditions
• [10:03] The secret tap code is introduced
• [11:44] Muhammad’s mental anguish and late-night therapy tapping
• [15:52] Inventing the knock language in prison
• [19:03] Anna Karenina arrives in the prison
• [25:00] Muhammad identifies with Anna’s plight
• [30:00] Elif Batuman explains Tolstoy’s “empathy engine”
• [32:00] Release, Ismahan’s story, and the realities of reunion
• [36:08] The enduring legacy of Anna Karenina and the power of literature in survival

Tone and Atmosphere

• The episode features the signature blend of curiosity, empathy, suspense, and literary wonder that characterizes Radiolab. The personal voices of Muhammad and Dr. Aden are clear, open, and moving, while contributors like Batuman add insightful commentary. There’s a striking sense of both fragility and resilience throughout the narrative—a testament to human connection even in the bleakest of circumstances.

Summary Takeaway

"Anna in Somalia" is a unique story about how literature—even laboriously tapped out in secret code on a prison wall—can save minds and hearts. It's also a profound meditation on trauma, empathy, and the long road back to love and self outside the confines of enforced solitude. Through a Russian novel, two Somali prisoners—and the storytellers who bring their experience to us—discover the redemptive, enduring power of imagining life through another’s eyes.