“Learning by Ear” episodes being produced at Aegis Studio in Kawe Dar es Salaam

Deutsche Welle’s Kiswahili service is currently producing new episodes for the popular  “Learning by Ear” program in Dar es Salaam.

With radio dramas and infotainment programs the multilingual and interactive series  “Learning by Ear” is an entertaining way for adolescent listeners to supplement their  knowledge base and expand their horizons. The distance education program has been  extremely successful with younger listeners between 12 and 20 years and is entirely  produced in cooperation with partners throughout Africa and written by African authors.

“The fact that episodes of this program is produced here in Dar es Salaam shows, that  this German-Tanzanian co-production is close to the needs and interests of its audience”,  Hans Koeppel, Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy, points out.

The program covers a great range of different topics, for example education and career  paths, Internet and computers, commitment to the community, opportunities to participate in politics and society, globalization, opportunities for girls and young women, health and  HIV/ AIDS.

For nearly 50 years, the Kiswahili Program of DW is a reliable source of information and  knowledge. According to Hans Koeppel, the program of Germany’s international  broadcaster will continue to provide Tanzanians with the news they need: “Tanzania is the  origin of Kiswahili and Dar es Salaam is a dynamic metropolis that offers many interesting  and important issues to be covered by the media -therefore it is just logical that new  episodes of the Kiswahili Program of DW are produced where the heart of modern  Tanzania beats, namely here in Dar es Salaam.”

“Learning by Ear” was started as Deutsche Welle initiative for Africa in 2008 with the  support of the German Federal Foreign Office. More than 270 African radio stations have  broadcasted Learning by Ear since the series started and it has received national and  international awards, including “most creative radio format” from the Association for  International Broadcasting (AIB) in 2009.

Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international broadcaster, is among the most popular radio  programs in Tanzania: It is aired by 25 partner stations in Tanzania and 70 percent of  Tanzanians are familiar with Deutsche Welle while every third is a frequent listener of the  Kiswahili program.