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Emily Johnson

Reporter

America Abroad

Freelance multimedia journalist working in East Africa and Southeast Asia

Carnegie Hall in New York, May 12, 2020. 

As war rages at home, Ukrainian choir heads to Carnegie Hall to celebrate 100 years of ‘Carol of the Bells’

Ukraine

In 1922, a Ukrainian choir sang the song “Shchedryk” at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The tune became a Christmas sensation known as “Carol of the Bells.” This Sunday, a Ukrainian choir will once again perform the famous song at Carnegie Hall. 

Cayuga Lake is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes.

A leadership dispute flares in Cayuga Nation amid evictions, arrests and demolitions

Conflict & Justice
The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra rehearses at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, Poland, the day before the premiere performance of the "Voice of Ukraine" tour that took them to nine cities across Poland and Germany

The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra fights on the war’s ‘cultural front’

Arts, Culture & Media
Students at the Warsaw Ukrainian School (SzkoUA), in Warsaw, Poland, sing during an English lesson.

‘Their lives collided with war’: Ukrainian refugees in Poland open their own schools

Ukraine
Ukrainian Nicolai, 41, says goodbye to his daughter Elina, 4, and his wife Lolita, on a train bound for Poland fleeing from the war at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine, Friday, April 15, 2022.

‘Home is home’: Ukrainians in Poland consider options as Russia’s war enters new phase 

Ukraine
Shamans, like Tsering Yangzom in the Haa Valley, often treat patients experiencing symptoms of mental illness. She describes them as being afflicted by deities and treats them by invoking mantras.

Bhutan, known for its Gross National Happiness Index, comes to terms with mental health crisis

Health & Medicine

The country’s tourism council paints an image of a real-life Shangri-La. But Bhutanese identity has been undergoing a seismic shift as it is thrust into a modern age, prompting a mental health crisis in a country that is struggling to keep up.

soldier in mogadishu

Inside America’s shadow war against al-Shabab

Conflict

The US is quietly ramping up its military presence in Somalia, sending in more special operations forces to complete more missions. But is it enough to fight al-Shabab?

Refugees at Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in Uganda fill jerrycans at the water tank.

Uganda has been a welcoming place for South Sudan’s refugees

Conflict

South Sudan’s refugee crisis seems to be getting worse. But there’s reason for optimism, and it all comes down to Uganda’s unusual and progressive refugee policy.

Mosque Musa in Mombasa

Raids and rehabilitation: Kenya’s dual fight against Islamic extremism

Culture

Increasingly, the Kenyan government has been taking steps to root out terrorists on its own soil, but the crackdown has been marked by disappearances and extrajudicial killings, which has only inflamed the simmering resentments of young men in the coastal city of Mombasa. 

Tibet

Despite government surveillance, Tibetans turn to WeChat

Business

Tibetans are embracing WeChat to communicate with friends and family who have left the remote part of China. But WeChat isn’t just like any other social network, it’s heavily monitored by the Chinese government.