DW’s trainees 2021-2022 introduce themselves

Marcel Aburakia

Yourself in a tweet: 
I’ve spent the past 25 years understanding who I am, the last five learning the ins and outs of this industry and now I am looking forward to DW.

You should definitely see/listen to/read:
"Kanackische Welle", my podcast on identity in Germany, a country which has so profoundly been shaped by migration. And also, all sorts of holy scriptures: the Bible, Torah, Koran or the classical scriptures of Hinduism and Buddhism. 

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with:
I’d love to sit down with Jasser Arafat and Schimon Peres and enjoy some Arabic coffee – qahwa – , sunflower seeds and a hookah.

The world really needs to see a drone video of:
the John F. Kennedy assassination or the "Thrilla in Manila".

Instagram Story or Polaroid?
Find out @marcelnadeem

Isabella Escobedo

Yourself in a tweet: 
I wanted to be a climate activist and became a (eco-)business person. Wanted to be a writer and became a journalist. Wanted to see the world and ended up back in Bonn. #failbetter

You should definitely see/listen to/read:
You should definitely see the birth of a living being, listen to a poet reading his or her own poems (insider tip: lyrikline.org) and read "Orlando" by Virginia Woolf. 

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with:
friends and family who live all around the world and who I haven’t seen in a long time. 
And with Pina Bausch, if I could travel back in time. 

The world really needs to see a drone video of: 
the Páramos in the Colombian Andes, one of the most unique ecosystems on earth and one of the most threatened by climate change, too. 

Instagram Story or Polaroid?
Polaroid for my soul, Instagram Story for my job. 

Thomas Gordon-Martin

Yourself in a tweet: 
Brother, son and uncle. Interested in politics, masculinity and the environment in a changing world. Want to travel and keep learning.

You should definitely see/listen to/read:
You should definitely see your favorite band live.
You should definitely listen to "Moment of Truth" by Gang Starr.
You should definitely read "Boys & Sex" by Peggy Orenstein.

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with:
A beer with Rick Sanchez and a mineral water with Malcolm X.

The world really needs to see a drone video of: 
a crowd of people celebrating the end of the pandemic. 

Instagram Story or Polaroid?
Polaroid for me.

 

Warda Imran

Yourself in a tweet:
Intersectional Feminist. Journalist. #TeamNewspaper. Biryani lover. Rock/House/Techno

You should definitely see/listen to/read:
Read "Orientalism" by Edward Said
Listen to the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, at least once in your life.

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with: 
Saadat Hasan Manto, Arundhati Roy and/or Kimberle Crenshaw.

The world really needs to see a drone video of: 
mass migration of people on foot.

Instagram Story or Polaroid? 
Definitely Polaroid.

Catherine Lankes

Yourself in a tweet: 
As an Austrian with a background in print and wire, I finally arrived in TV. Love being in the mountains but like being out in the world even more. 

You should definitely see/listen to/read:
Op-Docs by the New York Times.
If you are far from your loved ones: The sound when someone picks up your FaceTime call.
"Berg und Sinn" (mountain and meaning) about the life and work of Viktor Frankl. You’ll learn a lot about things that are larger than you and how to overcome difficult times. 

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with:
A weißer Spritzer (white wine with sparkling water) with all my Facebook friends. Individually. To learn about the many lives of those I’m "friends" with. 

The world really needs to see a drone video of:
the diamond mines of the world. (And the Viennese balls.)

Instagram Story or Polaroid?
35mm!

John Marshall

Yourself in a tweet: 
Describe yourself in 140 characters. German-American, adventure-seeker, traveler, writer. #bourbon 

You should definitely see/listen to/read: 
I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin / This American Life: Day At the Beach by / Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with: 
Earnest Hemingway, Jose Marti and Toni Morrison 

The world really needs to see a drone video of: 
humans socially distancing on busy sidewalks.

Instagram Story or Polaroid? 
Polaroid

Isabela Martel

Yourself in a tweet: 
Latin American journalist. Passionate about social inequality reduction. Lived in BR, DNK, BHR, and ITA. Currently based in Germany and looking for the best ramen around. 

You should definitely see/listen to/read: 
See: Bacurau (movie) and L’Amica Geniale (TV series).
Listen: Caetano Veloso.
Read: "Caliban And The Witch: Women, The Body, and Primitive Accumulation" by Silvia Federici and "Las Venas Abiertas de Latinoamerica" by Eduardo Galeano

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with: 
I would love to have a beer with Carlos Marighella.

The world really needs to see a drone video on: 
the first carnival in Rio de Janeiro after the population is vaccinated and the Covid-19 pandemic is over! Or the meeting of waters in the Amazon. Nature is amazing.

Instagram Story or Polaroid? 
Instagram story (or a combination of both, maybe?)

 

Okeri Ngutjinazo

Yourself in a tweet:
Namibian journalist who loves traveling, writing and the occasional wine. My curiosity probably killed the cat. A sucker for human interest stories. Fernweh.

You should definitely see/listen to/read: 
See: Bogenfels rock arch south of Lüderitz in Namibia, Raych Jackson - "Period Rules" (on YouTube)
Listen to: Ludovico Einaudi‘s music is the best if you’re anxious, trying to sleep or relaxing. "One of us" from Lion King 2 but you need to dramatically act the song out. 
Read: "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey, and Rupi Kaur’s "Milk and honey" or "Home Body"

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with: 
My mom’s 20-year-old self, Stacey Dooley and Bong Joon-ho

The world really needs to see a drone video of: 
Namibia’s Skeleton Coast.

Instagram Story or Polaroid? 
Polaroid, you can take a picture in that moment without trying to perfect it.

 

Madelaine Pitt

Yourself in a tweet:  
Editor @tnf_webzine, political junkie. Heart between Alsace & Bodensee. Probably writing, cycling, dancing, travelling and #nobrexitjokesplease

You should definitely see/listen to/read: 
The book "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can’t stop talking" by Susan Cain and, if you live or want to live in Germany, the podcast "Gute Deutsche" by Linda Zervakis.

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with:
Jacinda Ardern and let’s make it a Kölsch 

The world really needs to see a drone video of: 
outdoor dancing at the world’s biggest jazz dance festival in Herräng, Sweden

Instagram Story or Polaroid?
Polaroid 

 

Marie Sina

Yourself in a tweet:  
Globetrotter at home in the news cycle, looking to connect the dots @DW.

You should definitely see/listen to/read:
Watch the documentary "Honeyland".
Listen to any episode of the BBC’s "Outlook Podcast".
Read "Educated" by Tara Westover.

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with:
A water with Trita Parsi and a beer with Louis Theroux and Werner Herzog

The world really needs to see a drone video of: 
Persepolis in Iran

Instagram Story or Polaroid?
I heard all the cool kids are on Tik Tok now.

Katja Sterzik

Yourself in a tweet: 
Sciencefluencer on Instagram (@echonaut.science), skateboarder at heart, disco, funk & 80s on repeat, audiophile programmed brain, stray

You should definitely see/listen to/read:
See: Animated videos of e.g. a replication fork during duplication of DNA or a kinesin protein carrying stuff around in our cells. Those videos are on YouTube and it’s mesmerizing to see.
Listen to: "Cobra Man" – Toxic Planet 
Read: "Untenrum frei" – Margarete Stokowski

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with:
Maja Göpel 

The world really needs to see a drone video of: 
downhill skateboarding

Instagram Story or Polaroid?
Insta-Story for outreach, Polaroid for myself

 

Gasia Ohanes Trtrian

Yourself in a tweet: 
Adventure Seeker, Traveler, Writer. A hybrid of three identities and an avid consumer of both news and caffeine. Interested in the Middle East and beyond. I love board games and in-person debates.

You should definitely see/listen to/read:
"MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed Bin Salman" by Ben Hubbard, "Assad Or We Burn the Country" by Sam Dagher, any (or all) of George Orwell’s books. "The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: A History of Now" by Michael Burleigh

I would love to have a beer (or mineral water) with: 
Liz Sly, Wladimir van Wilgenburg, Elizabeth Tsurkov, Jaafar Abdul Karim, Nicolas Jaar, Vahe Berberian

The world really needs to see a drone video of: 
small Armenian villages nestled in its mountains. Absolutely magical!

Instagram Story or Polaroid? 
Polaroids because there is something sentimental about owning a portable physical copy of a photo.