Latin America

Testifying to the wide range of content available to partners via DW Premium, DW’s Colombian broadcasting partner NTN24 will be acquiring more Spanish-language DW programs, including the political talk show from Cuban activist Yoani Sánchez and the globalization program Global 3000. NTN24 is broadcast internationally and is received by 10 million households across Latin America, the US and Canada.

Asia

Indonesia’s second-largest news website, SindoNews.com now includes a wide selection of DW articles in Indonesian. SindoNews receives and estimated 450 million page views every month. And a new news website from an Indonesian radio broadcaster, RadioAntero.com, is supporting its launch with content from DW.

In Taiwan, the news website StormMedia.com has added full DW news articles in Chinese. The partner gets 6 million page views every month and has 800,000 subscribers on Facebook.

DW’s television programming is once again available nationwide in Japan. The leading Japanese Pay-TV provider, SkyPerfect TV is diversifying its OTT bouquet with DW’s HD-quality English programming.

In Laos, the new DTH provider LaoSat Asia has integrated DW’s English TV channel into its basic package. LaoSat will broadcast DW all over the country along with 50 other channels, including many international options.

Africa

DW’s Portuguese for Africa department and Soico (STV) in Mozambique have launched a news partnership. Every Thursday, DW journalists and experts will appear on the news program “Tarde Informativa” broadcast on STV Notícias to report on important issues in Lusophone Africa.

Online

Since March, DW content has been available on StreamOn – the video streaming service from Deutsche Telekom. StreamOn allows users to user content from the DW App at a flat data rate without using any of their individual data volume.

Former Uruguayan president José “Pepe” Mujica has distinguished himself as a voice for progressive values and for being a social reformer. As one of Latin America’s most notable personalities, during his presidency Uruguay transformed itself into one of the most liberal countries in Latin America.

Now Mujica is appearing on DW’s Spanish-language website every two weeks to share his ideas on what is shaping the Latin American world and beyond. Conciencia Sur – El mundo según Pepe Mujica (The conscience of the south – The world according to Pepe Mujica), makes a valuable contribution to the depth and diversity of opinion on DW’s Spanish-language web content. By giving a platform to one of the most notable contemporary political figures in Latin America, DW can reveal unique insight into issues that are important to the region.

In his video commentary , Mujica shares his views on issues like fanaticism, corruption, greed and the ineffectiveness of international agreements to protect life and nature. He talks about problems facing young people, while at the same time saying that never before have people had the resources and knowledge to change the planet for the better.

Much like the DW program La voz de tus derechos from Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez, Conciencia Sur brings an alternative perspective into social issues affecting Latin Americans. Outstanding public figures are set apart by the ideas they represent and the force of conviction in which they express themselves. With respected wisdom and a unrivaled dedication to his ideas, Pepe Mujica’s originality and insight will make a big impression on everyone who hears his message.

Cuban online activist Yoani Sánchez has a new show on DW (Latinoamérica) called “La voz de tus derechos” (The voice of your rights). The weekly talk show features activists from across Latin America who discuss social, economic and political injustices they encounter in their countries. They are then able to promote the initiatives they are spearheading and draw attention to important issues. A guest on the show said the format inspires people to discover new directions while allowing their voices to be heard.

Speaking out against criminality, corruption and abuse can be a dangerous occupation. In Cuba, where information is strictly controlled by the government, Sánchez faced harassment for publicizing critical opinions on her blog Generacion Y. As a global advocate for free speech, DW recognized the value of Sanchez’s work and awarded her The Bobs – Best of Online Activism award in 2008 for best blog. But it wasn’t until 2013 that she was able to leave Cuba and receive the award.

DW’s strong presence across Latin America brings this important discussion to a large audience. In Cuba, Sanchez’s blog was one of the only sources of dissention against what she calls the “monopoly of information” from the Cuban government. With her new format on DW, she can now support local activism, sustainability and human rights across Latin America.

In 2008 when she won the Bobs for best blog, she could only leave a video message to let everyone know what an important contribution the Bobs award would make in encouraging free speech in Cuba.  After waiting nine years and winning many awards in absentia, the laws in Cuba changed and Yaoni Sánchez could travel the world and collect all of the trophies that had been put on ice while she was stuck behind a wall of oppression.

“We don’t have a wall in Cuba made of cement,” she said while at the Berlin Wall during a visit in May to collect her Bobs award. “Our wall is a system of control, censorship, and surveillance – it is harder to tear it down.”

While technology enables change, Sánchez personifies it. Her blog may often be blocked, but actions speak louder than words and awards like the Bobs take her message outside of the box. Sánchez speaks for Cuba however what she is doing goes much farther. Her work in exposing the truth about the hardships of everyday life encourages activists all over the world.

When accepting her Bobs award in May, Sanchez dedicated it to people everywhere who are using new technology to speak out and improve their lives. DW Editor-in-Chief Ute Schaeffer added, “we are proud to be able to support bloggers and Internet activists like you in the fight for human rights and freedom of expression – your efforts are an invaluable step toward a freer Cuban society. With this award we want to unmistakably point out how important your work is.”

Bringing the voices together
Since 2004 the Bobs has brought together people from around the world who are working behind the screens and exposing truths that would otherwise stay in the dark. It isn’t surprising that in the past many winners have not been allowed to travel and participate in the award ceremonies. Ironically by preventing people from leaving, authoritarian governments do more to emphasize why the Bobs are so important than the mere presence of an activist ever could. Holding people like Sánchez back only makes them more interesting.

The 2013 winner for best blog, Chinese activist Li Chengpeng, said Chinese authorities were “out of their minds” when they forbid him to communicate with thousands of fans at a recent book signing. Sánchez has also met resistance even outside of Cuba. At a recent appearance in Italy, Castro loyalists threw fake US Dollar bills on the stage with Sánchez’s face printed on them. She sat there almost smiling, the senseless protest of her as being a “puppet for the west” was almost doing her work for her.

But there is still much work to be done and the Bobs are there to help show the world that there are fewer and fewer places for lies to hide and more opportunities and technologies for people to tell the truth about what is happening in their communities. Websites like the 2013 Bobs winner for best innovation Free Weibo, which posts content censored in China are the tip of iceberg for new technology getting around censorship. The 2011 Bobs winner for “best use of technology for social good” was a Russian website that tracked corrupt purchases by state officials. The list of Bobs winners is sure to get more interesting as technology improves but we should always remember it is people that count the most.

The endeavors of Yoani Sánchez, and many other bloggers working all over the world, remind us that freedom of speech is not to be taken for granted, even if the privileges enjoyed by many people may cause us to forget. What they are doing is exactly what the Bobs and DW stand for and will continue to support until every voice can be heard.

The winners of this year’s Bobs will be presented with their awards at the Global Media Forum in Bonn on June 18. You can find out more about the conference here.