DW’s Shababtalk was in Rabat as part of its Arab World Tour.

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.

Tunisian blogger Lina Ben Mhenni was presented with the award for this years best blog. The 28-year-old professor at the University of Tunis has been writing about social and political events in her country in a blog called “A Tunisian Girl” for several years. She writes in French, English and Arabic.  “When I saw how people were being killed it became clear there was no going back,” said Ben Mhenni. “I had to ensure that the voices of these people and their families be heard so that they hadn’t died in vain.”

Find out more about the ceremony and the award winners in the official press release or on The BOBs website.

Europe
DW-TV is now available on Zon – the leading provider in Portugal. The Pay TV channel has included the full DW-TV channel into its “Funtastic” and “Digital” packages. Zon has more than 1.3 million subscribers in Portugal.

Africa
Deutsche Welle (DW) has entered into agreements with Télévision Tunisienne und Hannibal TV. The two channels will integrate current shows, magazines and background features as part of their programming.
 

Hannibal TV is one of the largest private stations in the country and has been broadcasting the Arabic version of DW’s Journal since May 1. The station will also be showing the talkshow Quadriga and In Focus – a series of documentaries.

The public broadcaster Télévision Tunisienne also agreed to broadcast DW programming, including the Arabic versions of Quadriga and In Focus, as well as the magazines Tomorrow Today and euromaxx.

In addition, DW-AKADEMIE was included in the partnership agreement and will work with the new partners to help provide journalistic training.