Centrafrique : le soft power russe

Zentral-Afrika: Die Söldner aus Russland

ARTE Reportage

ARTE Reportaje

The Wagner group, a secret mercenary far-right Kremlin army, has struck a deal with the regime of Faustin-Archange Touadéra to stabilise the country in exchange for mineral resources. Russia is taking advantage of France's waning influence in this former colony. Our reporters met Central Africans who welcome the mercenary army, while others have fallen victim to their brutal attacks.

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Russian Soft Power in The CAR

Russia is trying to increase its influence in the Central African Republic via the infamous Wagner Group.

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According to the latest calculations by the OECD, South Korean women could live to be over 92 years old on average in 2070, and men over 89. That would be a world record. What's the secret?

South Korea: An Obsession With Health

South Koreans are on track to be the longest-lived people in the world

Five years ago in the in the Cabo Delgado region of northern Mozambique, jihadist violence broke out. One areas of the poorest in the country, its people already had enough to deal with, but things have gone from bad to worse. Islamist militias such as Al-Shabab, an offshoot of the Islamic State, have driven 800,000 people out of their villages and towns.

Mozambique: No Way Home

Islamist militias such as Al-Shabab, an offshoot of the Islamic State, have driven away 800,000 people

The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad sits between Lithuania and Poland. Once German East Prussia, it is now home to 1 million Russian citizens. What is life like in this small territory now practically cut off from its EU neighbours since the war in Ukraine began?

Kaliningrad: Putin's Enclave

The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad sits between Lithuania and Poland and is now practically cut off from its EU neighbours since the war in Ukraine began.

Many Taiwanese are realising that if Ukraine can stand up to Russia, they might just be able to pull off the impossible, and stand up to China. Inspired by Ukraine's surprisingly successful resistance, some civilians are studying the basics of civil defense, others are taking urban warfare courses, and some are considering how to renovate old bomb shelters.

Taiwan: Learning from Ukraine

Many Taiwanese are realising that if Ukraine can stand up to Russia, they might just be able to pull off the impossible, and stand up to China.

Fleeing persecution in Burma, 740,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, which is struggling to welcome them. Many refugees end up in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, the most densely populated in the world and also the most dangerous.

Bangladesh: The Rohingya's Bitter Exile

The resistance against the Taliban is embodied by the Massoud family and is organised in the rebel province of Panjshir. Commander Ahmad Shah first drove the Soviets out of this mountainous territory in the 1980s.

The Afghan Resistance

The resistance against the Taliban is forming in the remote rebel province of Panjshir. 

It has its own currency, flag and government. Yet the state of Transnistria is not recognised by the international community. Wedged between Ukraine and Moldova, 450 kilometres long and a few dozen kilometres wide, it claimed independence in 1990.

Transnistria: Back to the USSR

It has its own currency, flag and government. Yet the state of Transnistria is not recognised by the international community.

Human-wildlife conflicts are on the rise in Kenya, as in the rest of the world. The source of the conflict is man and animal competing for the same scarce space and resources. As the human population continues to grow and urban development creeps into the countryside, conflict between wildlife and people will only increase. 

Kenya: Protect Animals, or Humans?

As the human population continues to grow, conflict between wildlife and people will only increase

In South Africa, many miners illegally enter long abandoned mines to dig coal just to survive. 

South Africa: Mining Coal to Survive

Yazidi women box in a gym in the heart of a refugee camp in northern Iraq. To recover their sense of dignity and self-confidence, they train in self-defense. They are survivors of horrific abuse, having been kidnapped and used as sex slaves under IS rule.

Iraq: Return to Sinjar

Yazidi women box in a gym in the heart of a refugee camp to recover their sense of dignity and self-confidence.

After two months of fighting, the Russian troops had their advance towards the West blocked by fierce Ukrainian resistance. Forced to leave the suburbs of Kyiv, the occupying army left behind mass graves and horrific accounts of rape and abuse in their wake. Russia is now turning its efforts to the Dobas and the coastline along the Sea of ​​Azov. In Kyiv, the return of spring is also the return of many residents who had fled.

 In Kyiv, the return of spring is also the return of many residents who had fled

Ukraine: Kyiv in Spring

Undermined by the corruption of its leaders, the country is going through one of the worst economic crises in its history. Since the collapse of the banking system, Lebanese people have seen their living standards plunge. The local currency has lost up to 90% of its value, and inflation is soaring. There are also shortages of fuel, electricity, and medicines. Some citizens even say Lebanon is on the brink of becoming a failed state. 

Lebanon: A People in Crisis

Since the collapse of the banking system, Lebanese people have seen their living standards plunge

"They called us: 'Tutsi! Tutsi!' They took you out of the tent and did what they wanted with you." 

Prisca, Marie-Jeanne and Concessa say they survived the Rwandan genocide and sought safety in refugee camps, only to be repeatedly raped and abused by the French soldiers sent there to protect them. All describe similar horrors: abduction from their tent, the gang rapes, and the photos of the assaults taken by the soldiers. “We naively thought that the white man was a saviour, that he would bring peace,” sighs one of the women. While French army denies all accusations of rape, the three women filed a complaint with the French courts in 2004 and 2012. The investigation is now at a standstill.

Rwanda: The Silence of Words

Three survivors of the Rwandan genocide level terrible accusations at the French army

In 10 years, Jean-Patrice Keka and his team have succeeded in getting five rockets off the ground with varying degrees of success. This 'Made in Africa' space programme is one-of-a-kind and proof of what can be achieved by one engineer with a bold dream: to become the first African in space.

DR Congo's Space Man

DR Congo's 'Made in Africa' space programme is proof of what can be achieved by one engineer with a bold dream

Since 2016, more than 450,000 Venezuelan children have left the country for neighbouring Colombia. Four teenagers Keider, Jordan, Miguel and Ander, decided to travel to Bogotá on foot by illegally crossing the Colombian border through smuggling routes known as "trochas".

Colombia: Disappearing Children

Since 2016, more than 450,000 Venezuelan children have left the country for neighbouring Colombia, a journey that can be dangerous.

Since 2020, Cuba has deployed 3,000 medical professionals to 42 countries including Mexico, Andorra, South Africa, Italy, Kuwait and France. This policy of cooperation has been one of the strengths of Cuban diplomacy for over 50 years. The fees charged for this support is a massive money-maker for Havana: some $10 billion in 2019, according to the World Trade Organisation.

Cuba: Humanitarian Diplomacy

Cuba has managed to control Covid and provide the rest of the world with medical assistance

The students of The Stars of the Desert programme are to become the new Bedouin elite. The alumni of this course go on to have amazing careers, thanks to the help of Jewish teachers who until then were only used to meeting Bedouins on the fringes of society. But the programme has also suffered a backlash from other Bedouins, who suspect Israel of only wanting to use this project to extend its influence.

Israel: The Stars of the Desert

The students of The Stars of the Desert programme are to become the new Bedouin elite

At Lviv station, a convoy prepares to make its way to Kyiv. The driver in his cabin, is at the front of the train. In the other cars are volunteers and men going into battle. Without even picking up a gun, Evgeni, a train driver, is now on the de facto front line.

Ukraine: Keeping the Trains Running

Without even picking up a gun, Evgeni, a train driver, is now on the de facto front line

The 11 days of conflict between Israel and Hamas in May 2021 left more than 200 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. The physical and psychological damage in Gaza is significant. As Gazan’s rebuild their homes they also try and rebuild their mental health.

Rebuilding Gaza: Body and Soul

As Gazan’s rebuild their homes after the Hamas-Iraeli conflict, they also try and rebuild their mental health.

Israel set up a legal immigration channel intended to bring thousands of Ukrainian Jews to the country. They are not refugees, they are brand new Israeli citizens entitled to a passport and social housing from the moment they set foot on Israeli soil. The same cannot be said for their non-Jewish countrymen...

Israel: Jewish Ukrainians Get Star Treatment

They are not refugees, they are brand new Israeli citizens

In the Idlib region, the last enclave still held by the opposition to Bashar Al Assad, many Syrians are following the situation in Ukraine with concern: they know that the future of their country also depends on the outcome of this war in Europe. After 11 years of war in Syria, which has cost the lives of at least 500,000 people, they still dream of freedom and democracy.

Syria and Ukraine: The Same Struggle?

After 11 years of war, the people of Idlib still dream of freedom and democracy

Some Russians feel unfairly condemned by international sanctions and deplore their government. Others believe in Putin and in state television; and agree with the Russian Orthodox Church, which says the West is decadent. But despite all the propaganda, thanks to the Internet, Russians who want to know the truth can find the truth.

Russia: Journey to a Divided Country

Some Russians feel unfairly condemned by international sanctions and deplore their government

Their days and nights are filled by the sound of bombardment. They would have liked to flee, but they are too old, too sick or destitute to leave their homes. But some brave volunteers are helping them escape the danger.

Ukraine: The Ones Who Stayed

Their days and nights are filled by the sound of bombardment. They would have liked to flee, but they are too old, too sick or too poor to leave their homes. 

Covid is spreading mainly in overcrowded disadvantaged neighborhoods. The measures, very strict, are saturating the hospital system of the territory. The new Fanchang Hospital, built with Chinese assistance, currently has more than 50,000 patients. Health authorities, too, have different opinions. Some advocate the abolition of mass testing and say a complete lockdown of the city is impossible, while others say Hong Kong should take inspiration from the mainland.

Hong Kong: The Victims of China's Covid Policy

Is Hong Kong's covid policy causing as many problems as it claims to solve?

Almost 60% of the Brazilian population is now food insecure and around 20 million Brazilians suffer from hunger... This is Twice as many as in 2018. A situation further aggravated by the COVID-19 epidemic that has caused more than 600 000 deaths and ruined the economy.

Hunger in Brazil

Almost 60% of the Brazilian population is now food insecure and around 20 million Brazilians suffer from hunger.

In Rakovets, a village in western Ukraine, local people’s lives have been turned upside down since the war began. Myron Miroslavovitch's wife has left the village and his two sons are fighting at the front.

Ukraine: A Village in Wartime

In Rakovets, a village in western Ukraine, local people’s lives have been turned upside down since the war began.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church decided three years ago to no longer place itself under the authority of the religious authorities in Moscow. Our reporters accompanied a Ukrainian bishop, who supports his faithful and openly supports the army, on his journey to the frontline in Ukraine.

Ukraine: The Church on the Front Line

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is fighting to protect its people in any way it can

A breakaway region of Moldova that is not recognised internationally, Transnistria is largely pro-Russian. The war in Ukraine has awakened fears that Russia will try to annex the region.

Moldova: Transnistria and Russia

For days now Ukrainian refugees have been crossing the border into Moldova. The former Soviet republic fears they will be next to be on the receiving end of Russian aggression.

Moldova: Ukrainians Seek Refuge

Parallel to the very real war in Ukraine, an information war is raging. Some Ukrainian newspapers are translating their articles into Russian to combat what they see as Moscow’s distorted media picture of the conflict.  

Ukraine: The Information War

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought the people of Kyiv together like nothing else. Calling on the spirit of the Maidan Revolution of 2014, they are ready to resist.

Ukraine: Maïdan Spirit

Ordinary Ukrainian citizens are preparing to resist the Russian invader by joining the army and helping the resistance in any way they can.

Ukraine: Resisting the Agressor

What do Russians think about the invasion of Ukraine? Independent media in Russia is criticising the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russian people are protesting against their country’s actions.

Moscow: Russians Who Say No to War

Independent media in Russia is criticising the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russian people are protesting against their country’s actions.

The self-proclaimed Republic of the Donbas, a Ukrainian region bordering Russia, is governed by warlords. ARTE visited this separatist region in 2015 to film this reportage.

Donbas: Land of the Separatists

Arte Reportage

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Martin Ritter is a German organic farmer, with land in both Germany and Ukraine. All of a sudden, his livelihood is located in a war zone. With the help of the municipality of Ostheim, he decides to send aid to Ukraine and to welcome refugees.

Martin Ritter is a German organic farmer, with land in both Germany and Ukraine. When war broke out, everything changed.

Re: Farming in a War Zone

Planting trees against climate change: Ireland is reforesting its territory by growing spruces. But it's not just about being green, it's about profit. Wood is a big business... much to the displeasure of local environmental activists who want Ireland's forestry policy changed. 

Growing trees to be harvested for wood is big business - but what are the environmental ramifications? 

Re: Money Grows on Trees

Even in Germany, forest fires represent a risk: due to the climate change, they are of extreme intensity and capable of reducing immense areas to ash. Are German firefighters equipped to deal with increasingly frequent fires? What are the appropriate fire fighting strategies?

When Germany Burns

Are German firefighters equipped to deal with increasingly frequent forest fires?

Re: Wildfires

The Tigray region has been cut off from the rest of Ethiopia because of the civil war. Supplies are low and people are starving. Because of the fighting, crops could not be sowed and there is no harvest this year? It is the youngest that are the first to die in what is a major humanitarian crisis.

Ethiopia: Tigray Humanitarian Crisis

The Tigray region has been cut off from the rest of Ethiopia because of the civil war. Supplies are low and people are starving.

The Z symbol was spraypainted five times on the walls of a church. The community reacted with shock and alarm. Residents want a sense of peaceful unity to return to their area. Denis Bartuschkine is originally from Kazakhstan, and works with local children. Through sport, he seeks to give them self-confidence. His motto: we have always been neighbours and will remain so!

Since February 24, German Russians have been deeply divided.

Re: The Russian Germans and the Ukraine War

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One hundred years ago, on February 2nd 1922, James Joyce’s Ulysses was published by Sylvia Beach in a small bookshop in Paris. The book, which consumed 7 years of Joyce’s life, years in which his family’s circumstances were very difficult, would have a profound and unprecedented impact on the literature and culture of the century to follow. 

Though Ulysses was banned initially in the US and UK, Joyce’s epic was soon celebrated as a masterpiece of modernism.

100 Years of Ulysses

Kitschy trash or misunderstood genius? Italo disco was the euro sound of the 1980s that many loved and many hated. This documentary looks at how big names of the genre like Sabrina Salerno and duo Righeira conquered the charts.

The Sparkling Sound of the 1980s

Kitschy trash or misunderstood genius? Italo disco was the euro sound of the 1980s that many loved and many hated

Italo Disco

Young Korean musicians have been taking the world of classical music by storm. A new generation are winning the big prizes and pursuing successful careers in Europe and around the world. What makes these Korean classical artists so good? A documentary following the rising stars of K-Classic

The Korean Musical Mystery

Generation K-Classics

Israeli choreographers Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar present their show Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey of the Heart at Nuits de Fourvière.

Nuits de Fourvière

The Brutal Journey of the Heart by Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar

Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong was the most densely populated area on Earth. 33,000 people settled on 2.5 hectares of land that was disputed between Chinese and British - meaning neither country asserted its authority there. This vertical slum was a hotbed of crime, but also full of factories, cheap shops and a strong community. This is a case for Crazy Borders. 

Kowloon: The Lawless Super City

This vertical slum was a hotbed of crime, but also full of factories, cheap shops and a strong community.

Crazy Borders

How can you misplace 80km2 of territory? In Mexico, the island of Bermeja had been on maps for generations. But when it came to actually finding the island... it seemed as if it had disappeared into thin air. And with the loss of Bermeja, Mexico lost a huge windfall of oil revenue in the Gulf of Mexico. This is a case for Crazy Borders. 

The Lost Island of Bermeja

The sea absorbs our carbon emissions, gives us plentiful food, and regulates our climate. A healthy sea is a healthy planet. But we can't stop stripping the sea of resources. Whether through overfishing or deep sea mining, humanity is destroying an ecosystem it can't live without.

Whether through overfishing or deep sea mining, humanity is destroying an ecosystem it can't live without.

Overexploited Oceans

The prisoner of a promise made to Neptune, King Idomeneus is faced with a cruel dilemma... From the Théâtre de l’Archevêché, the most romantic of Mozart’s operas, directed by Satoshi Miyagi and conducted by Raphaël Pichon, with soprano Sabine Devieilhe, promises to be the operatic event of the 2022 Aix festival season.

Aix-en-Provence Festival 2022

The most romantic of Mozart’s operas, conducted by Raphaël Pichon, with soprano Sabine Devieilhe.

Mozart: Idomeneus, King of Crete

Did you know that the Middle Ages is only a few kilometers off the French coast? A lord and his vassals live peacefully on the island of Sark where cars are not allowed. This is a case for Crazy Borders! 

Sark: A Modern Day Feudal Island

A lord and his vassals live peacefully on the island of Sark where cars are not allowed.

If a woman gave birth at the top of Mont Blanc, what nationality would the child be? For France, of course, the baby would be French. But not for Italy! The quarrel has been going on since 1860, when the divison of territory at the top of the mountain was unclearly defined... leaving each country to interpret the boundary more or less as they saw fit. This really is a case for Crazy Borders!

Mont Blanc: A High Altitude Dispute

If a woman gave birth at the top of Mont Blanc, what nationality would the child be?

Did you know that the last war between France and Spain took place in the 1970s? It was the war of the stop signs in Llívia, a Spanish town - but in France, in the Pyrenees. This bizarre quirk is due to a treaty signed centuries ago. This really is a case for Crazy Borders! 

Llivia, Between France and Spain

Did you know that the last war between France and Spain took place in the 1970s?

In the town of Baarle, a body of a woman was discovered in a house... but before police could intervene, first authorities had to call a surveyor. Baarle is crisscrossed over with a winding frontier between the Netherlands and Belgium, and police needed to know which country was responsible for investigating the killing. One half of the house was Dutch, the other half was Belgian. This is a case for Crazy Borders! 

Baarle, a Town of Two Nations

A city divided between Belgium and the Netherlands, and scene of a murder? Welcome to Baarle.

Can a state in the EU prohibit women from accessing its territory? In the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos women are not allowed in - even tourists - and any woman who enters could be arrested by police. It's a peninsula from another, bygone world and yet benefits from taxpayer funding (including female taxpayers, presumably...).

Mount Athos: Off Limits for Women

Can a state in the EU prohibit women from accessing its territory?

Bulgarian DJ and techno producer KiNK is adored for his dynamic and spontaneous sets. Both playful and experimental, his sets brilliantly alternate house, techno and acid, peppered with jazzy improvisations. Electro sounds that evoke the characteristic frenzy of a rave.

Stone Techno 2022

Bulgarian DJ and techno producer KiNK is adored for his dynamic and spontaneous sets.

KiNK live

The former military base Camp Zeist in the Netherlands was once lent to Scotland. It was where the two men accused of orchestrating the Lockerbie bombings were put on trial. Libyans saw them as unfair victims. Meanwhile bereaved families demanded justice.

A Scottish Court in the Netherlands

The former military base Camp Zeist in the Netherlands was once lent to Scotland for the Lockerbie bombing trial

The trio led by Matthew Bellamy is one of the most explosive and creative forces in rock music over the past two decades. There is no one else quite like Muse. Be impressed by their committed performance at Berlin’s Tempelhof Sounds Festival.

Tempelhof Sounds 2022

 There is no one else quite like Muse. Be impressed by their committed performance at Berlin’s Tempelhof Sounds Festival.

Russian Soft Power in The CAR

ARTE Reportage

ARTE Reportage

Russian Soft Power in The CAR

ARTE Reportage

ARTE Reportage

South Korea: An Obsession With Health

ARTE Reportage

ARTE Reportage

Mozambique: No Way Home

ARTE Reportage

ARTE Reportage

Kaliningrad: Putin's Enclave

ARTE Reportage

ARTE Reportage

Taiwan: Learning from Ukraine

ARTE Reportage

ARTE Reportage

Bangladesh: The Rohingya's Bitter Exile

ARTE Reportage

ARTE Reportage

The Afghan Resistance

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ARTE Reportage

Transnistria: Back to the USSR

ARTE ReportageRussian Soft Power in The CAR

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