Who we are

Photographer Gordwin Odhiambo is from Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum, and looked for images reflecting the pandemic’s impact.  He photographed a girl who, despite the curfew, was taking part in ballet classes at home over her smartphone. His photos show people who carry on despite the crisis, and whose stories offer another perspective of life with the coronavirus in Kenya. His photos make clear that to portray life’s reality, you need to do more than just focus on disasters. You need to look for solutions instead of problems, give inspiration instead of distrust and concentrate on courageous people who are taking control of their own lives. Constructive journalism provides a counterweight to negative, attention-grabbing reporting that so often prevails.

Afghan refugees have been living in northern Pakistan since the 1970s, where they face restrictions and discrimination and often live in poverty. DW Akademie and the news agency Tribal News Network (TNN) worked together to train community reporters in constructive journalism to effectively report on Afghan refugees and the issues they face. They have since produced video reports on the refugees’ community, which focus on solidarity and resilience.

DW Akademie has worked with local partners in Ukraine since 2014. Journalism instruction and advanced training have been at the center of our activities, as well as supporting the establishment of new editorial offices and the financial operations of media in the country. At the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, we retrofitted our projects to fit the new reality on the ground. Since then, the main issues have become the security and survival of independent journalism and media houses. Alongside financial support and immediate assistance with evacuations, new competencies for media workers are also part of the work in fighting disinformation and propaganda. 

"When you are in exile, you are not in a good psychological place. Writing is somehow difficult, but I still try. If I stop writing, I stop existing."

Participant of the Space for Freedom project, a part of the Hannah Arendt Initiative, aimed at supporting and training media professionals in exile

African filmmakers Akuol de Mabior (center-left), Ike Nnaebue (center-right) and their crew have a lot to celebrate. The films from Generation Africa, a project of DW Akademie and the South African organization STEPS, deal with the future of youth in Africa and the pressing issues of migration. DW Akademie works to train filmmakers from the Global South and supports them in producing internationally competitive films and series. The project makes an important contribution to freedom of expression and acts as a driver for social change and dialogue. “No U-Turn” by Nollywood director Ike Nnaebue received a special mention at the 2022 Berlinale. 

DW Akademie works to ensure that refugees and migrants can exercise their right to access information and freedom of expression while promoting dialogue with host societies. In Bangladesh, for example, we have been supporting Rohingya refugees and locals through our partner organization since 2018. Working together, they produce a weekly radio show that focuses on how to better cope with the problems of everyday life. In Latin America and the Caribbean, we promote reporting on the challenges migrants face along dangerous routes to the US.