Deutsche Welle (DW) has put intercultural dialogue at the forefront in 2012 by expanding its work with partners in the Arab world. DW is producing “Hiwar El Khamies” with Raya FM in Palestine along with “Rabia Al-Shabab” with Voice of Lebanon. Both coproductions show DW’s focus on the future of the Arab world and will be produced weekly.

“DW is committed to working in the most dynamic regions in the world,” said Naser Shrouf, DW’s Head of Distribution for Africa/Middle East. “Our presence in Palestine, Lebanon and the Middle East is one of our priorities. Coproductions like these are the best sign of beneficial dialogue across cul-tural borders and national lines. We look forward to long partnerships and new challenges in the future.”

New challenges in Palestine
Hiwar El Khamies officially began on February 1 and will be aired on Thurs-days at 3:30 pm local time in Palestine. “Similar to our TV talk shows in the Arab world, we want to use radio as a medium to create a dialogue between Europe and the Middle East,” said Rainer Sollich, Head of the Arabic Radio Programming at DW.

The talk show will be hosted by radio personalities from Raya FM and DW, and will welcome expert guests to discuss a range of different topics. Listen-ers will have the opportunity to join the conversation and continue the debate online on DW’s Arabic Facebook page.

Besides Raya FM with its nationwide reach in Palestine, the coproduced program will be aired by three other DW partners: Radio Albald in Jenin, Radio Alwan in Gaza and Radio Marah in Hebron to maximize the number of lis-teners in the region.

“This coproduction is the result of a perfectly-functioning partnership be-tween DW and Raya FM,” said Ihab Al Jarere, Program and News Manager at Raya FM. “This has been proven by the current expansion – from re-broadcasting DW programming to creating a new format together. The idea of the new show is to create a platform for open dialogue on a number of issues that play a major role in the Middle East and Palestine.”

DW and Palestine Public Broadcasting Commission (PBC) signed an agreement of cooperation on Thursday, September 15. Samah Khader, General Director of International Relations, and Mahmoud Mizher, General Director of Administration and Finance, were on hand at DW’s headquarters in Bonn to clarify the details. PBC TV will now be including several DW programs in its line-up, including in good shape, In Focus, Kick off! and Kick off! Countdown, as well as selected episodes of euromaxx. PBC’s radio station will also begin broadcasting some of DW’s radio programming covering topics like science and technology.

This partnership will increase DW’s presence in the Middle East. PBC TV is available in Palestine, but also in several neighboring countries due to its inclusion in the Arabsat and Nilesat networks. Palestine Radio is available in Palestine, Israel, Jordan and parts of Egypt.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is in full gear in Germany – and a special project from DW-AKADEMIE is helping to provide more coverage to the feminine side of soccer. DW-AKADEMIE invited eight TV journalists – from Bhutan, Egypt, Palestine, Ghana, Nigeria, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico to take part in a workshop in Berlin. The results from “Reporting the Women’s World Cup 2011” have already been broadcast on ZDF (in German) and Phoenix and are now also available on the DFB website. The team also includes trainees in media design (audio and video) and will produce a total of 20 stories surrounding the Women’s World Cup.

Find out more about DW-AKADEMIE or check out DW’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup.