captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> hello and welcome to "global 3000," your globalization magazine on dw-tv. here's what we have coming up for you today. rapping for freedom -- the artists creating the soundtrack of tunisia's revolution. new life -- how a midwife in vietnam is enlightening her community. and the green mat -- coping with algae blooms in the baltic sea. today we begin with our new series "africa on the move",

where we teamed up with local journalists to report on the dramatic changes that are occurring on this diverse continent. they span the revolutions in the maghreb region, as well as other political, economic and social shifts that are being driven by globalization. we set out in the epicentre of the arab spring. in december of 2010, one man set himself on fire, and soon the whole region was ablaze. it's a revolution of the young. never before has political resistance been driven by social networks like facebook. tunisia's youth culture has been instrumental in the drive for change. and the country's rappers are shouting out the frustration and anger of an entire generation. ♪ >> the souk in the centre of tunis. this is where tunisian rapper

wajdi mascott grew up. he developed his enthusiasm for rap here in the hustle and bustle of the city -- long before the arab spring. the 30-year-old rapper loves this music. he even gave up his studies for it. >> rap chose me. i didn't choose it, because back then i didn't know i'd decide to be a rapper, that i'd drop everything for the world of rap. there are lots of cafés here, like this one, where we'd sit and talk. we'd write lyrics and we didn't have money. we'd tap the tables with our fingers to produce the beat we wrote to. ♪ >> nowadays wajdi mascott, whose real name is wajdi trabelzi, records his music in his own production studio. ♪ to be able to do so he went into debt, rented a house,

turned it into a studio and hired employees for his productions. they're fellow musicians, and he goes on rap tours to the interior of the country with them. like this -- a concert in southern tunisia, one of seven this year. >> that was in douz. look at that sincerity. that was an unforgettable moment. the people there spontaneously sang along with me. it was the best reward possible. >> the theatre on "avenue habib bourguiba" was one of the centers of the uprising against former president ben ali. wajdi and his friends often meet in front of the old theatre. they reminisce about the protests and the time when their rap songs became popular >> when there was no real political opposition, when there were no organized trade unions, rap was the means of expression. and rappers tried to reveal what

was going on in secret. they brought to light what the government was trying to cover up -- injustices against the tunisian people. >> wajdi says rap is now reaping the rewards for its decades of clandestine work. that is due in part to lilia laabidi. she's a professor of psychology and anthropology who's also the country's minister of women's affairs. she's organized lots of performances for the country's artists, including rappers. >> these people have helped tunisia because, i believe, they're among the main movers and shakers of the tunisian revolution. i find that if you have channeled modes of expression, it's good. if you have violence that's not channeled, that's what's dangerous. so it's wonderful that young

people can express their anger in their songs and music. >> rap has been booming in northern africa since the arab spring began. one rapper is even among those responsible for it. el general is one of the young tunisians who helped spark the revolution. his lyrics rage against the injustice in tunisia under the old regime. >> now i bear more responsibility. i no longer talk about personal problems, but about collective problems. to do what i do, i have to know what people really want, because they're the ones who'll judge me in the end. >> despite the hearty welcome, wajdi mascott is a little envious of the popularity of the el general. he's the one who will be representing tunisian rappers this evening at the liberation concert at the ancient roman

amphitheatre in carthage. >> i've sung rap since 1997, but i've never performed on the carthage stage, even with all the success i've had. >> wajdi has just recorded his latest cd. now he wants to be allowed to take part in this evening's performance. back to everyday life in post- revolutionary tunis, where people are still waiting for a system of law and order. they complain about police brutality, cronyism and too little state support. most of them are familiar with arab rap. >> some talk about their country, others about suffering and fleeing abroad, or the revolution. it depends on how much the rapper has suffered. >> i've never really listened to it. it doesn't interest me. >> they talk about reality. in general, they criticize it. they talk about life.

>> in wajdi's new studio, young rappers between the ages of 17 and 25 from all corners of the country are pushing to get their message across. about a dozen have made a name for themselves, most of them since the revolution. one of them is 17-year-old arabiano. he's right at the beginning of his career. but he, too, wants to produce a professional cd in the studio. >> even if you have quantity, you don't necessarily have quality. the success of tunisian rap is due to the fact that it's produced some really good stuff and some pretty mediocre stuff and people listen to it anyway. it doesn't bother them. >> right up until evening wajdi has tried to get on the bill of the "hymn to liberty" concert at

the carthage amphitheatre. but he's had no success. now he's sitting among the ten thousand audience members -- as what he calls a sign of solidarity. so is the minister of women's affairs, who has no intention of missing el general's performance. she thinks corruption, unemployment, and the role of women will give rappers in tunisia plenty to sing about after the revolution as well. >> sometime in the next few days, the planet's seven billionth inhabitant will be born. the u.n. says it will happen around the 31st of october 2011. but it isn't going to end there. the world's population is growing quickly. if demographics don't change, there will be over 9 billion people within 40 years. the turn of the next century could see over ten billion.

this growth is taking place almost exclusively in developing countries. while europeans are becoming older and birth rates here are falling, populations in other parts of the world are still on the rise. that's true for countries with rapid economic development like brazil and vietnam, but also in poverty-stricken regions where children represent a kind of social security. let's get an overview with our global count. ♪ brazil's economy is growing strongly. its birth rate has declined in recent years, but this year it has risen again -- to 2.2 children per woman. social services have improved, more homes have been built, and incomes are rising. these are some of the reasons why brazilians are living longer. child mortality has declined. so the population is growing. italy has one of the world's

lowest birth rates. many women there, as in other european countries, feel they have to choose between family and career. older people dominate the scene in many places. about 1.4 children per woman is the current birth rate. playgrounds can seem awfully quiet. population growth is fastest in parts of africa. the democratic republic of the congo ranks 19th in terms of population size, but is expected to move up to tenth place by 2050. there, people still rely on their offspring to care for them when they are old. the birth rate is now 5.2 children per woman. in neighboring angola, the birth rate is 6 children per woman. demographers say birth rates are likely to fall in african countries where prosperity is rising. the population in vietnam has

grown significantly over the past decade. and most of the children born there today are much better off than they were just 20 years ago. child mortality is down, and access to primary education has improved dramatically. but often, basic health care is still more the exception than the rule. minority communities in remote parts of the hä jang province, for example, still don't benefit much. a deep-rooted suspicion of state interference sometimes keeps pregnant women there from seeking assistance from doctors and midwives. but birth is often risky for both the mother and the unborn child. that's why one young woman has set out to help her community. ♪ ." - is on her way to work. this time, it is a three-hour trek. she's a midwife -- and her job is saving lives. here in the mountains of northern vietnam, nearly half

of all women still give birth at home -- far from any hospital. as a midwife, she often has to negotiate hundreds of years of tradition, including traditional gender roles. lu is 17 years old. she got married a year ago, and she's now seven-months pregnant. lu has never gone to school and cannot read or write. her life has been set out for her. she will be at home or in the rice fields. it's sum's third visit. she wants the family to allow lu to give birth in a hospital. but her mother-in-law bore all of her children in this hut. instead of an ultrasound, the midwife uses a simple measuring tape to check on how the baby is doing. sum tells them what to do if something goes wrong. >> she's fine now -- the baby, too. but if there is a problem, she has to go to the clinic. she's still so young. that's really important.

ha giang province is near the chinese border. the mountain villages here are home to members of the nung and hmong peoples - poor communities cut off from the wider world. this isolation takes a toll on the women here. the maternal mortality rate is 10 times higher than in the rest of the country. sum is trying to bring some medical know-how to the villagers here. she is a member of the nung people herself, and a mother of two. she gets up at 4:30 each morning to care for her family -- then works in the rice fields with her husband. she had to ask his permission to train to become a midwife. >> i was against it at first. who would take care of the kids and the household? now i'm ok with it. she's doing something good. >> pregnant women even seek sum's advice out in the rice fields. min married when she was 18 and

she's expecting her first child. sum tells her to go to the clinic if the baby is due soon. min says she's still not that far along, she's only in the seventh month. >> that's another problem. most women just don't know their exact due date. and suddenly, the baby comes -- and by then, it's often too late. they have to stay at home. >> it's not until the afternoon that sum has finished her work in the fields and can devote herself to being a midwife. she dedicates every spare minute to helping young mothers- to-be -- for the equivalent of about 7 euros a month. sum is breaking new ground for women here -- as the first woman in her community with a job outside keeping house and

working the fields. that job requires that she build trust with the women she's trying to help. today, she's working with sam, who's expecting her second child. >> i've just palpated her stomach. everything's in order, but i can't feel the baby's head. i've asked her to come with me to the clinic for a blood test. >> sum is caught between a deep respect for her people's culture and the need to question its traditions. >> we always had our babies at home. then we'd cut the umbilical cord, wrap the placenta in dried grass and bury it under a tree in front of the house. >> sam's in-laws and husband have given her permission to go to the clinic for an examination. they have a two-hour walk ahead

of them -- and sam could go into labor at any time. >> of course i'm scared that it will happen on the way. you never know exactly when or where. but i'll be here, and i know what to do. >> when they finally arrive in the village of coc se, there's an emergency. sum asks for her white coat. min has been brought in -- she had gone into labor while working in the field. nth h anananananancy, it was actually her ninth. sum has to translate for min and the nurses. language isn't the only barrier -- the villagers have a general mistrust of the vietnamese authorities.

after four-and-a-half hours, min's husband arrives at the clinic. and then, the baby is born. >> the baby's doing well. he's crying and is very strong. it's a boy -- three kilos and healthy! less than 24 hours after min gave birth, her husband is back at the clinic. he's brought bamboo rods and a cloth to make a stretcher to carry his wife back home.

>> i'm home alone. and it's stressful enough taking care of the rice field. and then i have to come here to see my wife and child. it's just too much. >> but min isn't doing well. she lost a lot of blood, and she needed stitches after the birth. she can hardly stand. min turns to sin thi rum. the midwife is able to convince min's husband that it's too soon for the new mother to go home. she's allowed to stay and rest for two more days. her job here is finished -- but sum will continue to struggle against old ways of thinking here, to help young mothers and their newborn children. a difficult job under very tough conditions. things look to be changing in vietnam, but the health professionals there still have their work cut out for them. don't forget that if you'd like to find out more about that story -- or any of the other

reports on today's show -- then you can just head for our facebook pages. and now we are interested in what tickles your taste-buds when hunger strikes you on the go. our global snack series continues. and you can win a global kitchen outfit -- here's how it works. sweet or salty, hearty or light -- what do you like to eat when you're on the go? send us a photo of your favorite snack and win one of our global snack aprons. you can send us your picture by regular mail or e-mail us at global3000@dw-world.de. bon appétit and good luck! >> when the bosnian war ended in 1995, the infrastructure there was badly damaged. many of the new country's old power plants had been destroyed. the authorities were then faced with a dilemma - should they simply re-build them, or start moving away from fossil fuels?

they chose to go green, and now hydroelectric power has become one of bosnia's most important energy sources. depending on climate conditions, it can supply up to 50% of the nation's electricity needs. that makes bosnia the only country in the region that at times manages to produce more power than it consumes. ♪ >> this bridge was destroyed during the war. now it's been rebuilt, and i am very happy to be able to fish beneath it again. >> the mostar bridge is now a symbol of post-war reconciliation. ivan baketaric comes here to fish for trout.

>> when i stand here on the bank and fish, i don't really think about anything. i enjoy nature and can just relax. i was born by the water, i work by the water, and i'll probably die by the water. >> ivan works a couple of kilometers upstream -- in a hydropower plant built 500 meters inside a mountain. >> i've been working here for the past 27 years. i started in 1984. i'm an electrician by training. i'm shift supervisor and power generation manager at the rama power plant. >> it's one of the biggest hydropower stations in bosnia- herzogovina - and it's been on- line for more than four decades. now, some parts need replacing - like the turbines. the german development bank kfw

is prepared to invest 17 million euros in renovations. >> hydropower is the country's biggest source of power. 50% of the country's power plant capacity comes from hydropower. few countries in europe have as much hydropower potential as bosnia-herzogovina. >> only a third of this potential is being harnessed -- despite the large number of hydropower stations in bosnia- herzogovina. plans are in the works for new plants. the company that operates the rama power plant is also planning to open the first wind farm in the region- - in the highlands. only one mast has been built so far -- to measure wind speeds. but construction is set to begin in a few months.

>> we want to build 22 units with a capacity of two megawatts each here. the wind farm will have a total capacity of 44 megawatts. it will be the first one in bosnia-herzogovina. it's a pilot project. we're planning to build more wind farms when this one's up and running. >> the winds are strong here -- and they blow all year round. the foundation stone for the wind farm was laid last year. in the future, the farm could meet the power needs of some 30,000 households. the kfw bank is also financing this project, with a low- interest loan of 72 million euros. >> the wind power potential here is 800 megawatts -- that's only 5% of the total.

there's enough for other ventures, and private investors. it's important for the country -- the national economy is small, it's open, and there's a constant import surplus -- but they can export power. >> but can the country's power grid distribute the wind power? that's something the national grid operator in the capital sarajevo has to consider. this screen shows all the power lines in the country -- the lights start flashing if a transformer station goes down. but large parts of the grid are in need of a complete overhaul -- a world bank study says it will require investments totaling more than 1 billion euros. and feeding in wind-power will require large-scale grid expansion. >> there is some part of bosnia, can you see here, there is no network around, but there is a lot of wind here.

and for these wind farms you need to build lines to connect with other part of networks, it means a level of investment will be the same, building of wind park and connection lines, almost the same in some cases, which is a lot of money. >> and most of the money must come from abroad -- but the country needs that investment. expanding the renewable energy sector in bosnia-herzogovina could give a big boost to this fragile economy. >> and you can find more on this and other climate initiatives along with plenty of background information at our special website: ideasforacoolerworld.org. there you can also post your ideas on how you think we should be tackling climate change. that's all we have time for on this edition of "global 3000." but we do hope you'll tune in

again same time next week. until then, from me and the entire global team here in berlin, thanks for watching and bye bye.