East4South: New networks connecting Africa and Eastern Europe

A third group of participants taking part in the DW Akademie East4South project completed their assignments within four months. Participants from Eastern Europe and Africa presented their audiovisual reports at a closing ceremony in Bonn. They'd filmed the raw material in nine different countries and then produced their pieces in Bonn with the support of DW Akademie trainers. Their reports are to be broadcast in their home countries.

The East4South reports focus on the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals. One 30-minute video documentary looked at sustainable rural development in Uganda through the eyes of a banana grower, while a TV report focused on waste management in Zambia. A photo series documented the lives of women who earn a living in the Democratic Republic of Congo by carrying heavy loads. The photos point to the discrimination women face there. Another report depicted how children in the Himba pastoral tribe are being educated in a mobile school.

Focus on development and education

During the first East4South "warm-up workshop" held last October, participants worked on ideas and concepts. Teams consisting of one African and one Eastern European journalist then communicated via social networking sites. They later met up again for a twelve-day production phase in Africa. "The Eastern European participants had never been to Africa before. That meant the African journalists were the on-site experts and could offer their colleagues new ways of seeing things," says Yinka Kehinde, DW Akademie project coordinator. African participants say it's been a positive experience. "It was great because I could help my partner get a better sense of Africa," says 25 year-old Paulin Mushamuka from DR Congo.

all photographs © Tomas Halasz

East4South is a new way of connecting Eastern Europe and Africa. Because participants in the project work in mixed teams, "they can exchange impressions and this encourages dialogue," says East4South trainer Martin Hilbert. He says the goal is to use multimedia productions to draw attention to problems in developing countries.

Due to its success, the East4South project has now been extended. A fourth group of participants will begin later this year.