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.

DW has brought back The New Arab Debates – with Tim Sebastian for its viewers around the world. The first of six new episodes was broadcast yesterday on DW, DW (Europe) and DW (Arabia). For the first time, the show is also being produced in Arabic for its viewers in the Arab world.

Each episode will focus on current affairs from the Arab world, with two guests offering their opinions and perspectives. Veteran journalist and television host Tim Sebastian is back for the English version and Egyptian TV journalist Mai El Sherbiny will be hosting the Arabic version.

 

“What happened in Syria is a catastrophe,” said one of the guests in the first episode of talk show “Rabia Al-Shabab” – a coproduction from DW and Voice of Lebanon (VOL). It might just have set the tone for the entire series, which celebrated its premier on January 17. “Just like in our television talk shows, we are using radio to create a dialogue between young people in Germany and the Arab world,” said Rainer Sollich, head of the Arabic editorial team at DW.

The radio coproduction will be aired every Tuesday on VOL’s  FM frequencies in Lebanon and in neighboring Syria. “We expect controversy and are looking for continued debate on our Arabic Facebook fan page,” said Sollich. Khaldoun Zeineddine from VOL and Yasser Abumuailek from DW hosted the first show, which highlighted the teamwork between the teams in Bonn and Beirut.

 

DW has a new show looking at the changes taking place in the Arab world: The New Arab Debates – With Tim Sebastian. It offers a spotlight on the Arab revolutions – inviting a new generation to get involved in politics and help shape history. Tim Sebastian asks the vital questions and insists on the answers.