James Imam

Since moving to Italy in 2013, I have covered the biggest issues affecting the country, from the rise of nationalism to the Mediterranean migrant crisis. My work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times (UK) and The Economist. As a recipient of the $10,000 GroundTruth Migration Reporting Fellowship, I explored the city of Palermo’s innovative approach to integrating migrants — a project that led to a documentary and long form multimedia article. Some of my work focuses on how the arts interconnect with broader social and economic trends, for example a contemporary art initiative for combating the mafia or the rise of China as a classical music superpower. I am an opera critic covering Italy for the Financial Times. My reporting assignments have also taken me around the world, including to China, Mexico, Oman and North America. I have contributed to programmes on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and RTÉ.