Antonia Rados turns 65: "There is no retirement age for crisis reporters"

RTL reporter Antonia Rados always pushes the limits. For almost 40 years, she has been reporting from war and crisis zones. In doing so, she has noticed: Women approach it differently than men.

Her first assignment was in 1980. Civil war in Lebanon, Beirut. Antonia Rados was supposed to interview PLO leader Yasser Arafat. "I showed up there without any clue. Ill-prepared, dressed inappropriately. High-heeled shoes, light blue linen suit." But the interview with Arafat worked out. "Then I thought to myself: Well, it's not that difficult." Now, 38 years later, Rados is still an RTL war and crisis reporter. She will turn 65 on Friday, June 15, but that doesn't mean much to her. Originally, the Austrian native wanted to become a foreign correspondent, but 40 years ago it was still inconceivable to have a woman report from Washington or Paris, she says on the phone. "Back then, you were still referred to as a 'girl'." Her only option to report from abroad temporarily: She had to travel to areas that were too dangerous for others. Rados is convinced that women report on war differently than men. "They don't report so much on the war itself, but on the consequences. Soldiers are something extremely foreign to them. Women are not fascinated by weapon systems. I often experience that male colleagues then start to talk shop. Or that they walk around in uniform-like disguises. Women don't do that." She has often reported from Islamic countries. "As a Western woman, you are elevated to an honorary man there. I experienced that recently in Yemen. You are then invited to dinner like a man. On the other hand, you are also allowed to interview the women. That is a great advantage." Over the years, she has witnessed many tragedies up close, in Iraq, Syria, Yemen. "For me, the worst was a few years ago when I reported on a young woman in Afghanistan who set herself on fire out of despair over a forced marriage. This woman expected help from us, but I couldn't provide that help. I knew she would die, the doctor had told me. That gave me nightmares." She often thinks, "I can't do anything. Or only very little." She has been living in Paris for more than 30 years; her partner is French. "That's a different world." This applies completely regardless of where you live: Paris, Düsseldorf, some small town, it doesn't matter. The contrast is between life in war and in peace. Both must be strictly kept separate. Some of her French friends don't even know what she does professionally. When she sets off, she takes very little with her: a small backpack containing a flashlight, a few blouses, Nivea, something to read, and chocolate. It's curiosity that drives her out time and again. "I visited Afghanistan and Iran for the first time 30 years ago, and these countries are still at the center of interest. I just want to know: What does it look like there now? What do the people say?" Antonia Rados is certain: "There is no retirement age for crisis reporters."