In the barren region around Mount Sinjar mountain in the north of Iraq, two DW reporters were able to capture the harrowing story of a Yazidi woman who survived two years in the captivity of the so-called Islamic State (IS).

Opressed, Enslaved, Forgotten: Yazidi’s of Northern Iraq, brings viewers to a remote place with an intimate piece of reporting that captures how the suffering of one individual symbolizes the larger impact of genocide.

The DW reporters visited the Yazidi woman and the remainder her family at the Sar-Dashte refugee camp on the plateau of Mount Sinjar and recorded their story of survival. Describing the family’s personal tragedy along with an intimate portrayal of their everyday lives and their perspective for the future provides viewers a unique experience.

“We are making a forgotten story visible again,” said DW journalist Sandra Petersmann. “On every platform we need to captivate our audience with emotion and information.”

Although the world knows about the atrocities committed by IS, in-depth storytelling delivers a perspective that has an emotional effect on viewers.

The report is a great example of the work DW’s journalists perform to share stories of forgotten people with the entire world. It will be broadcast in all four DW languages and can be seen in the DW Media Center.

DW’s talk show for Arab youth, Shababtalk, recently produced a segment in the Iraqi city of Mosul together with local leaders, NGOs and 250 Iraqi students. Mosul was liberated from the so-called Islamic State (IS) in June 2017, and a lot of the city is still in ruins.

The host of Shababtalk, Jaafar Abdul Karim, said that the scene in Mosul’s destroyed old town was very shocking – even after his extensive experience in different crisis regions. The discussion centered on the challenges of rebuilding the city, dealing with the influx of refugees and the rights of minority people in the region. DW worked with local Iraqi production partner Alrasheed TV on the special episode.

Even during the conflict, DW provided a sense of connection to the outside world. One participant in the discussion said that Shababtalk was his “window to the world” during the IS occupation of the city.

The series has made an impact in recent years with young audiences from around the Arab world. The visit to a city like Mosul so directly affected by conflict is a big step for Shababtalk and is an indicator of how important free media and international broadcasting is to regions trying to develop positively for the future.

Even with all the possibilities for communication that exist today, there is still no substitution for real, human contact. That’s why, Shababtalk, the talk show for millennials on DW (Arabia) started its Arab World Tour.

“The show has become a voice for young Arabs,” says Shababtalk host Jaafar Abdul-Karim. “That’s why we want to get closer to our audience and topics. A tour like this is the first of its kind in Arab TV programming.”

This past week, Shababtalk was broadcast from Rabat, Morocco, produced in cooperation with the television stations Al Oula and Al Maghriba. This was the third stop on the tour, after successful shows in Baghdad, Iraq and Tunis, Tunisia.

Under the Moroccan stars

In Rabat, Abdul-Karim invited guests to a different kind of television studio, set up in front of the gates to the city. This current show revolved around how the younger generation can influence political decisions in Morocco – something that strikes a chord with nearly everyone. The participants couldn’t come to a consensus either, with political representatives stating that everyone has a voice, to a podcast producer saying that the political elite “don’t even speak our language”.

This is a reaction that is typical for the show, which tries to shed light on different opinions. The editorial team behind the program addresses bold topics and social issues that are generally considered sensitive or a taboo in Arabic-speaking countries. Whereas young audiences perceive this as a welcome sign of openness, the show has repeatedly stirred the anger of conservative forces and government officials in the region.

The Arab World Tour is just a further element of DW’s Local Heroes campaign. The next stop will be Cairo on October 24.

Education for all – that is UNESCO’s central aim when it comes to the world’s school systems. But where do we stand today? DW has developed a new multimedia project that examines innovative education initiatives and the areas where the international community still has much work to do. With “Education for all – Five bloggers, five countries, one dialogue”, young people discuss the state of education in their home countries as well as their own experiences in the school system. DW is relying on five bloggers from Iraq, Germany, Argentina, Russia and Kenya to provide discussion points for the online community. Interested? Join the discussion today.