Germany's voice in Africa should be strengthened, not weakened!

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) criticizes the planned cuts of the French program of the "Deutsche Welle" in Africa and the announced cancellation of its Portuguese program. "Germany's voice in Africa should be strengthened, not weakened – especially because there will be German peacekeepers taking part in peace missions", said the STP's Africa-consultant, Ulrich Delius, in Göttingen on Friday. "The coverage of the Deutsche Welle, which is independent and highly acclaimed by the civil society, can help to strengthen the democratization process in Africa. It would be short-sighted and against Germany's foreign policy interests to cut down or discontinue these programs. This is not the right way to advocate for democracy, for the rule of law or for conflict prevention. The listeners should be consulted before implementing any significant changes to the program structure." There are plans to reduce the French program of the Deutsche Welle from two hours a day to only 30 minutes.

The new director of the Deutsche Welle, Peter Limbourg, intends to expand the English-language programs. Last Monday, he presented the reform plans to the broadcaster's employees. At about the same time, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier confirmed Germany's support for the European peace missions in the Central African Republic and in Mali. "There are several countries in the French-speaking parts of Africa that are shaken by war and violence, the Congo for example. In order to support peace initiatives and democratic change, there must also be critical media coverage to explain the background of the conflicts," said Delius. "It will not help to promote the diversity of opinions if all the coverage is left to the French national radio station "Radio France Internationale (RFI)". RFI often shows a lack of neutrality, because it must represent the French interests in the region. So far, the Deutsche Welle was not subject to such constraints."

According to Delius, the fact that the Portuguese program for Africa is supposed to be discontinued is a major setback for the civil society in Angola. The country's authoritarian government pressurizes NGOs and media representatives. "The Angolan citizens appreciate the independent coverage provided by the Deutsche Welle" said Delius. In a global ranking referring to the freedom of the press, the country is only on rank 130 – out of 179.