Simple a answers. When democraracy is under r th, citizens take to the streets. Civil society becomes active, using preferably nonviolence as a form of resistance. And that requires clear messages and strong symbols. In serbia, we meet professionals in the field who say their most important weapon is humor. R. In protest or in life, its all the same the person you want to be around is the person who can make you laugh. And in our experience in serbia, the government didnt know what to do with being mocked. Because this people in power, they just think too highly and too seriously about themselves. If you mock them, than they do something stupid. These two men are in a way professional revolutionaries. They come from belgrade. Thats where their careers began. It was the mid1990s. Together with other students in ththe group otpor, they had a gl to topple thenpresident slobodan miloevic and set the stage for free elections. Their tactic nonviolent resistance, much of it based on humor in action. People need to have something to they need to belong to something. So creating that impression like using humor, making it sexy and this kind of things and then people know who you are if youre doing something on the streets. It is important to have symbols and to create a brand because thats the way of life. Otpors symbol was a fist. Today its been adopd as a logo by their new orgaganizatin canvas. Canvas trains and vises activists all over the wld, and offersrs seminars online. Weve probably worked with people from 40, 50 different countries. Ive lost count completely. And this ranges from small student groups fighting for justice or less rape on their campus to the Large Organizations that are shaking the autocratic governments across the world. Our idea is that skills you bring in the conflict are more important then the conditions. You can have the worst conditions in the world, but if you have a skilled movement, then you can get the sucess. To increase a movements chance of success, canvas provides protesters with books, training mataterials, and background videos. Human rights, education, generaral welfare,e, corruption versusus transpeacy rule of law what you think k is reay important. But its not only that. Its also ababout what your peoe thinink. Why . Because your visisn should n ner benlnly yours. It needs to be a s shared visi. Dont forget that you need people to join your movement and change the society. The more people share a vision, the more forceful it becomes. Ok, we had a Youth Movement and the graffiti were the Great Solutions and rock concerts because that his how you see protest when you are in your teens. But than we get a lot of retired people. So of course they couldnt march with us on a harsh winter, we couldnt invite them to the places where teargas was used. But they have a lot of time in their hands. So when some of our guys was arrested, you get a list of people that are avaiable that day, and then immediately 70 retired people are calling the Police Station asking questions and putting pressure. And so you see you find a place for them in the movement. Theyre doing something and feel like they really helping the movement. In fact, theyre helping the movement theyre helping the arrested person. Popovics team isis a small one, andnd the canvas officecee mhidden away in a residentialhe arrestarea. Rson. There are 11 trainers in all, and theyre often on the move, heading wherever theirirkills are needed. Because the job can be a dangerous s one, they dont wat to be filmed. Popovic provides the organizations public face. He has also taught n nonviolet resistance at american universities for over a decade. The very dangerous thing that i see with new media is a phenomenon we call clicktivism. So how many polar bears you have saved on facebook this morning by clicking like on a page. If you would be turning your computer off, it would actually help the polar bears more. The battles are won and lost in the real world. Interestingly, Climate Change is a topic that doesnt mobilize the masses. Apparently, the more global a problem,m, the less lilikely pe are toto feel personally threatened. Its time for activists. Its time for helping across the world. Its time for International Solidarity of the people, who define democracy. But its also time for people in the west to wake up from their comfortable dream that democracy is something that is for granted for them. There is no living democracy without a society that is alive and kicking. Tunisians proved themselves similarly defiant in late 2010 when they ousted their dictator ben ali. The event sparked the socalled arab spring, a series of protests and uprisings against rigid political systems, which spread throughout the arab world. Most were brutally quashed or ended in civil war. In tunisia, it was mainly young people who demonstrated against the countrys social inequality and corruption. The first free elections took place in october 2011. Nonetheless, the fledgling democracy is still finding its feet. 28year old zied zarrai from tunis is a child of the revolution. I was there for the protests of 2009 when ben ali was still dictator. A lot of young people, students in particular, were detained at the university and thrown in prison. Thats why i chose to campaign for my people, to fight for a different tunisia with democratic values. In the wake of the arab spring, zied zarrai and his fellow campaigners founded what they called the alternative youth network, known by its french acronym, r. A. J. They campaign for Environmental Protection, jobs, and political change. There are big problems in the Country Economic growth is slow, and terrorism is still attracting too many young people. Youth unemployment stands at more than 30 in tunisia and the political situation remains stable. Were convinced that ngos can bring about as much change as a political party. With politics, you get tied up in the election process. It takes so much effort. And tunisians have just had enough of politicians, especially after the revolution, when we had more than 120 parties. Today, the activists and other ngos are meeting with the minister of the environment. Theyre discussing preparations for the un Climate Change conference in november in bonn, germany. Zied says this never happened under the e dictator poliliticians actually discussg things with young people. Hey have a an Important Role to play in galvanising other people, so that they finally take notice of Climate Change. It has to become part of public discourse, and every single citizen needs to be aware of it. Zied says peoples relationonship with popolitics still far from whahat he thinkst should be. The country is still in transition. At least we can discuss things directly with ministers these days. Thats definitely a start. Nonetheless, theres a feeling of disillusion among these young democrats, because power stays in the same hands. We still have to endure a class of old politicians who are clinging to power. They wont hand over to the younger generation. For the politicians, the young just want to leave the country, or they are still at school or university and arent capable of governing or making decisions, even though it is the young who have brought about change here. Zied zarrai says in the future as well, little will change in tunisia unless the young remain engaged and committed. Womens involvement is key to change, too. And that all starts with their representation in parliament. Northern European Countries have the greatest percentage of women in politics. In the rest of the world, the figures are increasing only slowly. In subsaharanafrica, its around 23. 6 , and thats partly down to quotas. That figure is also roughly the global average. A we head to senegal to meet women who have to fight hard for their right to make a change. Yama ndiaye is the organiser of this project, planting a special kind of grass and eucalyptus saplings which help desalinate the soil. She also brought together the women who are implementing the project, and got the local foresters involved. It has not been possible to grow crops here for two decades the soil is just too salty. When i was a child, we grew our own rice here in joalfadiouth, and never had to buy any. The same with peanuts and millet. The problem is the rising sea level. Salt water is invading and destroying more and more fertile land. This dike was built five years ago, and provides some relief. Ousmane gning works for an environmental ngo. He advises the women and helped them get funds from the unbacked Green Climate fund. He also helps farmers here. The Vegetable Growers also want to benefit from the fund. What can it do for them . They need to acquire new skills. You have helped us so far, but you mustnt leave us alone now. There is more to do. The money for this project did not come from senegal, but from an international fund. The soil the women are working on is still salty, but they want to find out whether they can already resume farming here. They have planted a small patch of rice as an experiment. They will know in about two momonths if the soil is recoverg and will yield a crop. A tanker truck suddenly appepea. The driv hasas evidentntly jut dumped a loaoad of human wast. Yama ndiaye is really angry. It is destructive. It disrupts the ecological balance. It is toxic. The truck does not have a number plate, and the driver wants to hide his face. The forester, mamadou sagna, is also a lieutenant in the army. He takeses the drivers id and drivers licence, and escorts the truck to the Police Station. Yama ndiaye goes to see the mayor. Monsieur le maire. Mamadou sagna also shows up. Then yama ndiaye pitches her ideas. We were able to build the dike with money from the fund. Now we want the local authorities to help us make use of the dike now that it is there, and get young people involved. Many youngsters have already helped women plant trees. I applied to have water pipes laid to the plots of the young Vegetable Farmers and as far as the dike, so we would have enough water there. That would help desalinate the soil even more. But they rejected my application. So yama ndiaye wont get any more help here. In fact, the mayoror says he hs no more money to spend, and asks Ousmane Gning how he might get some from the green clclimate fund. Despite all the difficulties, the women have already achieved a lot. A year a ago, the local authory gave yama ndiayes womens cooperative the land they have been working on. It had been waste ground. The 40 women share the fourhectare plot. After the rainy season, the donors are going to drill a well and teach the women how to grow vegetables. Then they will really get to work. Women in senegal are at a great disadvantage, because only men inherit land. It is an exceptional opportunity for this womens collective to earn their own money here. In the evening, they drive to the coast, where they planted mangroves two years ago. This, too, is a project for which yama ndiaye got support from the climate fund. The women cut and plant shoots from their burgeoning mangroves. It is hard work, but this reforestation project is bearing fruit. Migratory birds stop by again, and shellfish have come back. Yama ndiaye is thinking about farming oysters among the mangroves. That would combine Environmental Protection with female empowerment and what could prove to be a profitable business. Participation and voting are key characteristics of modern democracy. Democracy gives people a voice, including minorities. It involves political opposition, freedom of opinion and the press. All citizens are bound by the constitution which protects basic rights. There is a division of powers , and everyone is equal before the law. In sweden, its precisely this democracy which is celebrated for a week every year. It isnt easy to find somewhere to stay during almedalen week. The lucky ones find a spot in a classroom. Its a bit like a music festival, but this is a political event. This classroom is being shared by the green party and the liberals. 23yearold law student oskar rydermark is a member of the youth wing of the centerright liberal party. We got the moderates a stair down. They are a little more right thanan we are. Yeah, quite conservative. Weve got the center party on the other side. The event takes place a abot 100 kilometers offff the east coast of sweden on the island of gotland, in the medieval harbor city of visby. Its like a company teambuilding exercise, where you go on a retreat to bond with your colleagues. The change of pace and scenery fosters a feeling of common purpose. Seminars and discussions start early in the morning and continue all day. We get ththis closeness betwn each othther. Its very easy to rereach me aa politician and as mayor of gotland, and its very easy to reach every other politician. So its a very good way of actualally get politicians near the people. Because i think that is what democracy and solidarity grows from. It all started in 1968, when future Prime Minister olof palme got up on the back of a jeep and spoke to a couple of hundred people in almedalen park. When his social democrats started organizing political seminarsrs here in thehe 1980s, other parties followed, organizing events here as well. Almedalen n week startrted grog into the phenomenon it is s tod. About 40,000 people are here to talk about political issues, socialize, and share ideas. Even the rain hasnt dampened the mood. Today, the social democrats are presenting their Draft Program in the park. All eight of the parties represented in Parliament Get their turn. Before the next round of discussion, about the Global Climate catastrophe, oskar takes a quick break. He says one goal of almedalen is to change our understanding off political debate. If youre going to do a metaphor of debating, the metaphor is war. Like your words are ammunition, and you have a winner, you have a loser. And i think thats in some degree unhealthy for the political debate, or any discussion, because when you meetet another person and havea discussion, you have one opportunitity to walk awaway m that having g learned somethig you didntt know beforere. Political s scientist stigbjorn l ljunggren a agreest this is the almedalen waway. This s is a part of the swedh model. Wewere a countrtry that hasnd a prproper revevolution sincne 171740something. You knknow, if thereres a cont , we rather discuss it over a cup of coffee. We believe in lets discuss s tt later,r, or lets s have a cuf coffee. So t the swedish mododel is me directed to o ying to fifind solutitions, pragmaticic solut. But there are s some who crititize almedalen. Some complain that its become elitist and much too commercial. They say its now the media that dictate the agagenda, not thee politicicians. But international ininterest n this swewedish inventition is oe rise. D democracy is a big word, d everyone says this w word easi. But it is more a practice. It is morere a way of liliving. And d dont neeeed to talk mu. We need to practice democracy in our r real life. Its the end of oskars second almedalen experience. This is a concept of people coming together from different parts of government, society, and business. And that is something that is worth spreading across the glglobe. Festivals modeled on almedalen have already started in norway, estonia, and denmark. This is the deutstsches mm in munich, germanys museum devoted to masterpieces of science and technology. We are here to meet somebody who has written about the dangers posed by ai and big data. Yvonne hofstetter is a lawyer and ceo of an it company. She says new technologies and social media are a threat to democracy. Smartphones w were introducd just 10 years ago. Steve jobs presented apppples first iphone in 2007. Sincnce then, societety has chd radically, and it has not just changed in a way that we decided on in a democratic fashion. N. When you are sending emails on your smartphone, data are being gathered on who you talk to, who your contacts are, the state of your fininances. All the data arent just gathered and stotored somewher. The information is integrated to create a profile of you. And that profile is sold and traded. People make money out of you. This kind of profile does not capture yourur entire life u as a p person. So what does it . It is rarather likike forensic profiling in the search for a perpetrator. An offender profile is generated. The things you click on, your likes, even if you dont actually post or write anything yourselflf on the internetet,u willll still be profiled on, fr example,e, facebook or t twit. Anand inferences a are made at whether you are a good citizen oror a bad one, a good taxpaye, creditworthy or not, and so on anand so forth. And if thehe information ends p in the hands of your employer or Health Insurer or the state, it could mean massive problems for you down the road. The trend is towards noncooperative Data Collection. That means, data about us are collected without us even knowing our movements or pictures of us. Its Data Collection we have not authorized. All this conflicts with our basic rights, with our idea of at a persoson is namely, an individual who is free to decide who or what he or she wantnts to be or do, and hw to shape a future. That is the basis of our society and our form of governance democracy. Digitalization, the way we see it nowadays, is unregulated. It is driven mainly y by amerin companies. Over there, they donont have same understananding of f te concept of a conststitution or e rule of lalaw as we do in n eu. Whwhen it began 2020 years agoe thought the internet was great. It was going to o promote democracy. But now we see that the opposite is the case. I can organise a flashmob viaa social media, or t topple the government. But t what then . In the aftfterma, wiwill we hae more democracy . Social media are fragmenting society into a mass of individual opinions. And the creation of a mass is the precondition for the emergence of autocratic rulers in elections. I am thinking quite specifically of the united states. Consider the riotsts in charlottesville, the endorsement of violence. It is frightening, and it is the work of social media. The more chatter and outrage, the more money can be made. Whats your opinion . Do you agree . Is social media a threat to democracy . Tell usus on facebo. Follow us at dw global society. And that was this weeks democracy special. Thanks for joining us. Dont forget, we enjoy hearing from you. Write to us at global3000 dw. Com or on facebook, dw global society. See you next time. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] 10 20 17 10 20 17 [captioning made possible by democracy now ] amy from marin county to my california, this is democracy now courts were still impacted by five years of doubt. The certificate rain of last year are gone. We are looking at explosive vegetation. These fires are burning actively during the day and at night when one would expect a fire to subside. Make no mistake, this is a serious, critical, catastrophic