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

RTL reporter Antonia Rados pushes the boundaries time and again. 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, poorly dressed. High heels, light blue linen suit." But the interview with Arafat worked out. "That's when I thought: Well, it's not that difficult." Now, 38 years later, Rados is still an RTL war and crisis reporter. She turns 65 on Friday (June 15), but that doesn't mean much to her. Originally, the Austrian-born wanted to become a foreign correspondent, but 40 years ago it was unimaginable to let a woman report from Washington or Paris, she explains over the phone. "Back then, you were still referred to as a 'girl'." Her only opportunity to report temporarily from abroad: 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 about the war itself, but about the consequences. Soldiers are something extremely foreign to them. Women are not fascinated by weapon systems. I often see male colleagues starting to geek out. Or walking 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 this recently in Yemen. You are then invited to dinner like a man. On the other hand, you are also allowed to question the women. That is a great advantage." Over the years, she has witnessed many tragedies up close, in Iraq, Syria, Yemen. "The worst thing for me was a few years ago when I reported on a young woman in Afghanistan who set herself on fire out of desperation 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. It gave me nightmares." She often thinks: "I can't do anything. Or very little." She has been living in Paris for over 30 years; her partner is French. "That is a different world." This applies regardless of where one lives: Paris, Düsseldorf, some small town, it doesn't matter. The contrast is living in war and 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."