today certainly looks like it's race like me tried to see. if the story. could be very personal to absorb you into a very very. good. greenwich conn w. . this is news africa coming up in the next 15 minutes these children stone and parents families and give their children to a holiday camp but they never returned now when he manages they were trafficked to belgium we'll talk to the journalist who uncovered the story. and tributes continue to pull in for d.j. am i meant to. be ivorian seem to end d.j. died in a motorbike accident at the weekend his managers say he was an icon. hello

i'm christine. i'm glad you're. all forty's invalid are investigating an orphanage for abducting and trafficking children from the democratic republic of congo the children are said to have been taken to belgium and adopted by families who were told that they will often now it is that the parents of those children one of them you see behind me are alive and never gave up their children to belgian journalists and covered the scandal in the village often given 800 kilometers north of the capital kinshasa they followed the biological parents of some of the children. my city is one of the 2 journalists that uncovered the scandal could face joins me now from a studio in the belgian

a brussels welcome to. how would these children taken from their parents in the democratic republic of congo's and how did they even lead up in belgium. well we've discovered that they were at least 2 ways of off taking just kids 1st some kind of. holiday some on a holiday that the holiday that they kind of fixed for gets going from game another north of kabul to kinshasa there was one way parents for eager to send their kids on this holiday because it was one time in one chance in life time that was one thing and 2nd way of getting these kids in the orphanage for spring kidnapping going on the road with a bicycle or with a with a motorbike i'm sorry. the kids that orphanage needed right at could and some of the families that you you visited in the democratic of

a republic of congo excuse me these people have for the last 3 years if i'm not mistaken been under the impression that their children have died and so you pitched up and told them that their children were alive i mean just tell us about that moment when you broke this news today and what they've been going through over the last few he is. well they at the moment we we found these people they were absolutely unaware of what happened to their kids if they were dead or alive where they were they had no idea the kids were taken and they had no idea where they were so this was. our 1st contact we tried to talk to the parents the biological parents who gave us lots of details about the kits about. how they lived and so on and we could provide them with pictures of their kids pictures taken. years off there

or at least one year off the kidnapping so we could prove that they were still alive we could tell them that they wore in good shape that they wore in belgium that they were seen in saudi and that at the end all of the parents they gave us a video message to provide to the kids and about the families. and what. its needs no explanation that of course in all of the village everybody was very happy to know to have news about the kids and that of course that they were not dead and that they that they were still alive yes write it just tell us about how you. came to and covering this story. well i go into all the details but i had some contacts. pointed out this story to me and i've worked for a few months of the radar and try to locate at least the organization that

provided the transportation for the for the summer holiday that the kids were going through and it took me some while some time a few months to get in touch with them and to gain confidence and. finally meet them and that's the way i i got. i got to get shot suddenly thrown to given up to the north of congo and it was through this through this way that i finally met the parents. ok so there are legal proceedings in in brussels now as you have said in a belgian courts who is on trial and what exactly is going to happen now what are we going to see coming out of these legal proceedings. well as far as i know right now the federal prosecutor is trying to close down. the affair the file and they have found so far at evidence for at least 5 of these

kidnappings they have d.n.a. matches with the parents that we found in congo and it gets that are in belgium. they are as i know now they are trying to close down the the investigation and go to trial with at least one of the responsibles a woman that's that lives in belgium. woman that has the belgian and congolese nationality and that was traveling around from belgium to congo and dock with. a while to prove to arrange all these adoptions at least she will be on trial or that . that is the expectation and probably they will also. find some other people or. what will close by might have given her help that's the legion legal thing the other thing is of course. the what will happen to the children they know for for

a few years so that's another. procedure that's ongoing all right so it's just to say if the if the children will be returned to the democratic republic of congo to their parents. yes it's too soon to say. at this moment it's very difficult of course you have the biological parents in congo that really want their children back and you have on the other side the parents in belgium that have raised the skits not being aware of the fact that they were abducted sole. tricky situation and they're indian there will be no winner of course this will be hard for everybody else. thank you we're staying on the theme of honorable children and our next story is in south africa where child activists say as many as 10000 babies are abandoned each year

social taboos surrounding adoption often leave women who aren't able to keep their babies with little choice other than to simply dump them near a hospital or even on the side of the range that prompted one orphanage to come up with an interesting last resort to help move this off and wanted babies. there are 17 little mouths to feed at the tour of hope in johannesburg the orphanage provides a temporary home for abandoned babies and today they have a new arrival last night out on help us aid. off and in the loop to the commuters clean air only to find that it's their baby and then they just wind up in front of the house and get. some of the baby books the charity build this baby books in 1909 as a safe place for mothers to leave unwanted children since then it's received more

than $200.00 babies whenever there's the baby. in the house the flour we know that there's the baby in the quotes. thousands of babies are abandoned in south africa every year some a found on the side of the road outside hospitals or even in public toilets. many more died before being rescued in one of the most unequal societies in the world charities say the issue partly stems from the problems some mothers themselves face . it's important remember that they've been abandoned themselves they've been abandoned by the partner of the father of their child they've been abandoned often by their family and they've been abandoned by their communities and society as a whole this woman moments seeing her granddaughter grow up her daughter fell pregnant young but neither of them could raise the baby so to gether they decided

to give the little girl up for adoption a choice that remains taboo in south africa he can see that she is a story you know we. use. to for those who. choose. angels and i'm hipp you know. one day if she wants the little girl will be able to track down her biological family a choice the babies abandoned at the door of hope will never have. in the ivory coast fans of d.j. at a fast have been mourning their late icon the singer who had a huge following in francophonie africa died in a motorcycle accident in abidjan earlier this week news of his untimely death evoked a wave of tributes to the award winning star of the. dance genre. celebrating

the life of a hero dancing to one of his many popular songs since news of the death of d.j. arafat broke on monday fans have held vigil near the accident site. i came here to honor my artist and pay tribute here where he died i was hurting so much where i was i had to come here so that my anger would subside they knew if you really should go on as well as on the future we will miss his music his songs everything he's done for ivory coast for us what for his fans will miss all of this no one else can do it. i know that. despite his young age arafat was nothing short of prolific at just 33 he'd already released 11 albums mainly of ku paid to can make a style of dance music combining choppy rhythms with hip hop phone calls.

he soon became a symbol of the flashy well dressed lifestyle associated with the music his talent for it earned him an artist of the year for the genre for 2 years running but those that knew him say his charisma transcended the news a. whole hour for arafat was and here's an icon for the youth less than the whole population. he was a fighter and he gave courage through his music. for artists want to believe in their passion and give their all. but this is. an. if a d.j. out of fats many fans that legacy will continue. and that is that when al from d. to any is africa you can catch all our stories on our website and facebook page. by pain tribute to d.j. edified 2 young teacher and he will leave you with more music from beneath till

next time i. guess i'll go so that. what secrets lie behind these moves. find. most of experience and explore past and even bloomed cultural heritage songs. d.w. world heritage 360.

hello and welcome to the latest edition of arts and culture a legendary opera singer placido domingo faces allegations of sexual harassed. and we'll get more on that story and also coming up on today's program. in our series the british capital london has many famous landmarks but the tower bridge still trumps them all. and the.

director general hind voice i do you feel joined me in the studio to talk about his legacy their hands his future plans. well his one of the most celebrated personalities in opera today and now spanish tenor placidyl domingo has seen his name added to a growing list of powerful men accused of sexual misconduct 9 women say they were sexually harassed by domingo as far back as the 1980 s. and they say his behavior was an open secret in the industry for many years. he's considered one of the most powerful and celebrated singers in the world of opera but. voice is now said to have long been accompanied by a story surrounding his true.