The People We Know

Widd Bonney talks with Accalia

Now based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Widd Bonney sees himself as a proud New Zealander. But his background and that of both his paternal and maternal grandparents is far more complex and culturally rich. His family's story is that of war, displacement and survival. Fleeing the Armenian Genocide in Turkey and displacement from Palestine in 1948. Thankfully there was respite and peace and happier times in Baghdad Iraq in the 1950s, but sadly this does not last. This family is to face war again and again. Widd's parents, battered by conflict, instability and danger with the Iraq Iran war and the Gulf war, eventually migrate with their children Widd and Farah, to a safe and welcoming New Zealand. 

"The People We Know with Accalia Hipwood podcast tells the stories of individual migrants – their family’s heritage, how they found themselves living in a new country, the challenges and the triumphs. It highlights the human thread that connects us all, regardless of where we call home, and how life always has the ability to surprise, disappoint, delight and nudge us in different directions, sometimes through choice and other times through circumstance. The People We Know reminds us that everybody has a story worth sharing – and that these stories shape not only the storyteller, but the listener too".
        Sally Emery - Luckybird Content Agency