Today, Deutsche Welle officially launched Destination Europe – its multimedia project examining the challenges and opportunities associated with migration and present a realistic picture of life in Europe.

What drives young Africans to search for a new life in Europe? How do they get there? And do their dreams come true? The 15-part “Destination Europe” series goes inside the real lives of African migrants and follows them from the moment they decide to leave their home to their experiences in Europe.

The project includes radio dramas, video portraits, informational charts, picture galleries and social media activities, like an online discussion using Facebook, with experts and those affected. “Destination Europe” is available in English, French and Arabic, with a special in German.

DW is in Nigeria this week looking for extraordinary journalistic talent. Under the motto “Social media: a challenge for journalism”, Germany’s international broadcaster developed a contest to award the best up-and-coming journalists in Kano. Entries were received as both audio reports and articles.

This project represents more than three and a half years of cooperation with Freedom Radio in Nigeria. It is also the first time that Deutsche Welle has worked with Bayero University.

Winners will be chosen by a jury made up of experts from DW’s partners Freedom Radio and Freedom Express, the faculty from the Department of Mass Communications at the Bayero University, and an independent journalist. The award ceremony will also feature a podium discussion about the impact of social media on Nigerian journalism in the future.

 

In the latest issue of Content Asia, editors spoke to seven of the world’s leading clips and archive companies about challenges in Asia, Asia-related content, demand, trends and the adjustments they’ve had to make for a new connected environment. Among these experts, was DW’s Stefan Bliemsrieder.

What does he see as the biggest challenge in selling archive/news clips into Asia?

“Two challenges: presentation and content. Asian consumers like to watch online clips that are relevant to them and in their language. DW has started providing local language versions (e.g. Mandarin, Bahasa Indonesia) to address this audience need in selected territories. The key challenge remains in the cost of localizing our content.”

Check out the full “Short & Sweet” interview.

DW today announced the winners of the 2011 Deutsche Welle Blog Awards – The BOBs.

An international jury of blog and media experts awarded honors in six multilingual categories. The awards will be presented as part of the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum on June 20, 2011 in Bonn, Germany.

Best Blog went to "A Tunisian Girl", a blog written by Lina Ben Mhenni, a 27-year-old assistant professor at the University of Tunis. She has blogged about repression and censorship in her country since 2007 – long before a popular uprising unseated former president Ben Ali. During the protests in December 2010 and January 2011 she traveled to places including Sidi Bouzid and Kasrine to document the repression and killings occurring there. She now keeps a careful watch on political developments in the new Tunisia. ().

A list of all the User Prize winners can be seen here.

DW will also be hosting a panel discussion with jury members from The BOBs later today (April 12) in Bonn.

Winners will receive their prizes at the Global Media Forum in Bonn on June 20, 2011.