The Year in People: Our 12 Favorite Saturday Profiles of 2023

World The Year in People: Our 12 Favorite Saturday Profiles of 2023 By Julia Carroll – December 30, 2023 A young person imprisoned in Egypt, intent on exposing the human rights violations endured during years in captivity. An advocate for peace in Colombia, haunted by death threats. An Indian father striving to overcome ingrained patriarchal beliefs to provide a better future for his two daughters.

The Saturday Profile in 2023 introduced remarkable individuals from 34 countries spanning six continents. Our correspondents regularly brought us stories of ordinary, unnoticed individuals with extraordinary tales to tell. Among them was a Muslim leader in Ukraine who now serves as a medic in the ongoing war, a Bangkok whistle-blower with an unsavoury past, and a Paris-based scientist and hair salon owner, specialising in styling curly hair.

Some of our subjects offered insights into current news themes, such as Africa’s first heat officer; a former fisherman in Senegal encouraging his peers not to migrate to Europe; and a French rap producer who, after losing his voice to A. L. S.

, turned to artificial intelligence for a replacement. Johannes Fritz once used an ultralight aircraft to teach endangered ibises how to migrate across the Alps. Due to climate change, he had to revert to this innovative technique to guide them along a much more extensive route to a winter sanctuary.

Otherwise, the bird species, once extinct in the wild, faces another extinction. “In two or three years, they’d be extinct again,” Fritz remarked. — By Denise Hruby, photographs by Nina Riggio Lisa LaFlamme was let go after a longstanding TV career shortly after she stopped colouring her hair.

This sparked debates in Canada around sexism, ageism, and the societal perception of going gray. “The highest number of comments I’ve ever received wasn’t for months in Baghdad or Afghanistan, or any other story for that matter, but when I decided to allow my hair to go gray — overwhelmingly” Ms. LaFlamme noted.

“And I must say this, 98 percent were positive, save a few men and a woman — I can still remember that — but they were promptly criticised on social media because women do back each other. ” — By Norimitsu Onishi, photographs by Ian Willms In a full auditorium before 2,000 spectators in central Tokyo, J-pop sensation Shinjiro Atae disclosed a secret he had held for the most part of his life: He is gay. “I don’t want people to endure what I went through,” Mr.

Atae stated, making a rare and profound declaration in traditionally conservative Japan. — By Motoko Rich and Hikari Hida, photographs by Noriko Hayashi Following her role in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” María Mercedes Coroy resumed her ordinary life as a farmer and trader in a Guatemalan village at the base of a volcano. “People often ask what I do after filming,” Ms.

Coroy shared. “I simply return to normal. ” — By Julia Lieblich, photographs by Daniele Volpe Tharshan Selvarajah, who has lived in France for 17 years, hasn’t yet applied for citizenship.

Despite this, he has had the honour of baking bread for the French President, Emmanuel Macron. He attributes the special quality of his bread to his hands. “Although my mother and my wife use the same chicken in their curries, they don’t taste the same,” he explained.

“God has given me the hands to create France’s best baguette! I never experience anger with the flour while kneading the dough. ” — By Roger Cohen, photographs by Dmitry Kostyukov Narges Mohammadi has paid a hefty price for her pursuit of change; it cost her career, separation from her family, and robbed her of freedom. But prison failed to silence her.

“Each day, I sit by the window, gaze at the greenery, and dream of an Iran free of oppression,” said Ms. Mohammadi during a rare, unauthorized phone interview from Evin Prison in Tehran. “The more they punish me, the more they take away from me, the more my resolve to fight until we achieve democracy and freedom, and nothing less intensifies.

” In October, Ms. Narges was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, four months after this profile was published. — By Farnaz Fassihi Moha Alshawamreh stands out as one of the few Palestinians working in Israel’s technology sector.

His commute underscores the stark disparities of life in the West Bank, but also how these disparities can be overcome. “My message is that we should strive to understand each other better,” Mr. Alshawamreh advocated.

“Let’s break these barriers, let’s talk, let us attempt to empathize with one another as two traumatized groups. ” (This profile was shared in March, which is seven months prior to a conflict in Gaza provoked by an attack led by Hamas on Israel. ) — By Patrick Kingsley, photographs by Laura Boushnak South Korean writer Hwang In-suk, during her late-night strolls through Seoul, feeds stray cats.

Her nightly routine informs her poetry, which revolves around themes of loneliness and fleeting life. “I’ve discovered worlds that I wouldn’t have come across had I not been feeding cats at night,” she revealed during a recent nightly walk. — By Mike Ives, photographs by Jun Michael Park Dan Carter lived on the streets for 17 years.

His past experiences now shape his policy decisions as mayor of Oshawa, Ontario, a city with 175,000 residents grappling with issues of drug overdoses and rising costs of living. “For 17 years, I was an absolutely abominable individual,” Mr. Carter reflected on his former life as an addict.

“I was dreadful. I lied, cheated, and stole. ” — By Ian Austen, photos by Ian Willms For fellow exiles, 88-year-old singer Sadiq Fitrat Nashenas represents a nostalgic link to the Afghanistan they have left behind, as well as an allegorical representation of what Afghanistan could have been.

“I was merely trying to hold onto my music because it provides a spiritual connection, it takes me to heaven. A life devoid of music is a mistake. ” he mused before performing at a concert — his first public appearance in almost 20 years.

— By Mujib Mashal, photographs by Jim Huylebroek South African singer Nomcebo Zikode, known for her global pandemic hit “Jerusalema” which sparked a worldwide dance challenge, penned the chorus during her own struggle with depression. “It’s as if there’s a voice compelling you to take your own life,” Ms. Zikode recalled about her state of depression at that time.

“I recall telling myself, ‘No, I can’t kill myself. I have my kids to look after. I can’t, I simply can’t do that.

’” — By Lynsey Chutel, photographs by Alexia Webster The role of governing Kherson may seem more of a burden than a privilege at this time. But the city’s mayor, Halyna Luhova, refuses to capitulate despite the Russians both shelling her city regularly and being positioned ominously across the river. “If my vanishing could precipitate the end of this war, I would willingly make that sacrifice,” Halyna Luhova, the mayor, professed.

“I would readily give up my life to put an end to this nightmare. ” — By Jeffrey Gettleman, photographs by Ivor Prickett Our Top 12 Saturday Profiles of 2023: A Year-End Review TAGS favorite people Profiles Saturday year Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Linkedin ReddIt Email Telegram Previous article Chinese Spy Agency Rising to Challenge the C. I.

A. Julia Carroll.