Empathy was George’s great strength, he radiated it

George Alagiah, who has died aged 67, was 1 of the BBC's longest-serving and astir respected journalists. Being a person and workfellow of the award-winning overseas analogous was a privilege - writes Allan Little.

George and I were thrown unneurotic erstwhile we shared an bureau successful Johannesburg successful the Mandela years. So erstwhile I deliberation of him I spot him not successful a tv workplace successful London but connected immoderate reddish particulate road, bathed successful the airy of Africa.

Empathy was his large strength. He radiated it. It was rooted successful the deepest respect for the radical whose lives and - often - misfortunes helium was reporting on. He could speech to anyone - from heads of authorities to children successful a exile campy connected the borderline of a warfare zone. And everyone wanted to speech to him. You saw him winning their trust, responding to his effortless warmth. He wanted to bash good by each of them - to beryllium existent and honorable and fair.

Once we sheltered successful a stairwell, aft 3 mortar bombs landed adjacent to the edifice we were staying successful Central Africa. A workfellow reported that dense shelling had, arsenic they enactment it, rocked the metropolis centre. Later, George said to maine softly "Allan don't accidental that. Heavy shelling didn't stone thing tonight. Three bombs fell adjacent to wherever we happened to beryllium and gave america a fright. Keep it successful proportion." And I thought, not for the archetypal time, "My sanction is George Alagiah and I'm present to calm you down." George didn't privation to beryllium dramatic. He wanted to beryllium true.

I came to recognize that I was learning from him astatine a clip erstwhile I was inactive trying to find my ain distinctive broadcasting voice. What did I learn? That bully reporting, honorable and true, is rooted successful respect for others. That the champion reporters person astir nary ego. That they are ne'er the story, but the means by which the voices of others tin beryllium heard. I hoped that the values helium embodied and lived would hitch disconnected connected me.

George wasn't conscionable a bully reporter; helium was a bully man. He was wholly without malice. He carried his profound decency precise lightly without a hint of sanctimony. He seemed unaware of his ain instinct for kindness. When we worked successful unsafe and morally troubling places, I looked to him for guidance. I loved his unflappability, his calm authority, his bonzer wisdom. I thought of him arsenic thing similar an older member - idiosyncratic I softly looked up to, whose occurrence I could respect and observe without envy. I'm not ashamed to accidental that I felt looked aft by him. I thought erstwhile I was with George thing atrocious could hap to me.

I americium alert I americium successful information of making him dependable a spot saintly - helium wasn't. He was large fun. He could beryllium a witty and sometimes hilarious raconteur - with a acquisition for sometimes merciless mimicry. And similar each of us, helium enjoyed a spot of intrigue and gossip.

There is simply a connection successful the Nguni languages of Southern Africa that was, I think, George's lodestar. He spoke astir it astatine a enactment to observe his 60th day successful 2015: Ubuntu. It expresses the thought that quality beings are bound unneurotic successful a shared work for each other.

George and I some interviewed Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who'd helped extremity South Africa's racist strategy of white-minority rule. He defined Ubuntu similar this: "I americium maine due to the fact that you are you. I tin ne'er beryllium escaped portion you are enslaved. I tin ne'er beryllium affluent portion you are poor. We 2 are connected."

George had been a migrant doubly by the property of 11. Born successful Sri Lanka, moved to Ghana and past to a boarding schoolhouse successful England.

Adapting to caller cultures and thriving were formative experiences. And it planted successful him thing that was besides cardinal to his talent: helium could spot however the satellite looked from the constituent of presumption of the Global South - the presumption from Africa and Asia particularly - and convey that position to the surviving rooms of the globally prosperous.

George would ne'er person made specified a assertion for himself. Off surface helium was funny, clever, entertaining, a generous person and confident. I told him erstwhile that the cookware successful companion came from the Latin connection for bread, that the connection carried successful it the ingrained quality tendency to interruption breadstuff with those we emotion and attraction about. He laughed and said, "How bash you cognize these ridiculous things?" But I person had immoderate of the richest experiences of companionability and conviviality astatine George's table, breaking bread.

For George was besides afloat of a benignant of energetic hope. There was thing infectious astir his optimism. You ever walked distant from clip with George liking the quality contention more, feeling amended astir the world.

He brought that cheerful disposition to his crab diagnosis. I rang him erstwhile I heard the news. "It's overmuch worse than the nationalist connection implies, Allan," helium confided. "But I person large doctors."

Years later, erstwhile the crab had returned and we knew it would ne'er spell away, I sat with him successful the plot of the London location helium shared with Frances, his woman of 40 years. "I'm not acrophobic to die," helium said. "There's nary constituent successful that. The lone happening I find unbearably achy is the thought of Frances being near present connected her own."

Always that successful George. Others earlier self. I saw him 1 past clip soon earlier helium died. He was precise weak. "Is it incorrect to accidental that determination is thing affirmative successful each this?" helium said. "I've had the clip to bespeak connected my beingness and marque consciousness of it. Time to accidental to radical the things I privation them to know. Not everybody is fortunate capable to get that…

And the adjacent connection helium utilized pierced maine - and I inactive consciousness the sting of it: "Not everybody is fortunate capable to get that luxury." And helium added successful a infinitesimal of self-doubt: "Is it bad, is it taboo, to accidental that astir cancer?"

I was guided by him, taught by him, astatine a cardinal clip successful my ain life. I deliberation I volition beryllium guided by him each my days. Becoming his friend, being exposed to his abundant affection, has been 1 of the top privileges of my life.

Ubuntu: I watched George adjacent up portion moving successful Africa. I marvelled astatine the mode helium engaged with people, and the mode they reciprocated with their trust.

For successful George's reporting determination was an outstretched manus - the outstretched manus of a shared humanity, of solidarity.