>> this week, "global 3000" heads to argentina, where the heavily polluted rio de la plata river is making people sick, especially children. we meet an egyptian artist who is retelling the european tales of the crusades from an arab perspective. but first, we go to israel. is leaving an ultra-orthodoxles community is always tough,arab especially when your own sexuality is a taboo. in 72 countries worldwide, homosexuality is still a punishable offence.

in eight of them, including nigeria, somalia, iran, saudi arabia, and jamaica, those found guilty even face the death penalty. meanwhile, in other countries, june to august is christopher street day season. the parades celebrate the rights of lgbt people and express pride in what they've achieved in terms of equality in recent years. >> for most here, last year's gay pride parade in tel aviv was a big celebration, extending from the center of town all the way to the beach. in the middle of the crowd, 20-year-old batya. she can still hardly believe that she's here. for her, the parade is the culmination of a long journey. she's coming out twice, as a lesbian, and from the confines of her ultra-orthodox family and the religious community that she'd thought she'd never be able to leave.

>> my sign actually says, "mom, dad, please wake up. one out of each five child who is gay will actually try to commit suicide. and i can tell that it's hard back there when you don't have family or someone to support you. and, well, i'd love my parents to accept me. but now they don't. maybe it might change. >> batya is from a town between tel aviv and jerusalem. her family are members of an ultra-orthodox jewish community that shuns all contact with the outside world. computers are banned, and sexualty is never talked about. it's already a provocation that batya is wearing a sleeveless summer dress. but she wants to make a statement -- she's made the difficult leap into a new life. >> as you can see, people here around, they seem like living here, but actually they're in a different bubble, and to walk

out of this bubble is, like, to start over everything -- from your language -- they don't use the same words -- dress codes, the way you live, what you do in the morning, what you eat, the way you eat it. >> batya has found support for her new life from the hillel association in jerusalem. they help young adults who want to leave the ultra-orthodox community. about 100 people a year take the leap. the organization offers advice and psychological counseling, and helps their clients find housing, jobs, internships, and university placements. most of their young clients are starting over from zero. they have no contact to their family, and often feel lonely. that's also why social workers like bat chen, who also counsels batya, try to serve as a surrogate family.

>> this is the kitchen. it's open for everyone. it's not just for us who work here. room with clothes. they can come here after they leave their world. sometimes they don't have anything to wear. so here they can come and take pants or shirts or shoes. >> they also helped miriam. >> i called my mother and told her, "i've got a boyfriend and i'm no longer keeping the sabbath, and i'm not coming home again." it took me a while to get used to my new clothes. the first time i wore pants instead of a long skirt, i felt almost naked. >> 25-year-old avi also decided to leave the ultra-orthodox community. he didn't want to be limited to studying religious texts. he also wanted to study math, chemistry, and philosophy. that's what he's doing now. >> i left behind all the values of my old world, without having

new ones. i'm starting my new life completely open. i don't know if i want a family or a completely different kind of life. >> i don't know how many are gay, but i can say that a lot of them, when they're doing the process, they want to check everything. some of them say, "maybe i like boys, maybe i like girls. i'm not sure. i will i check," because in the place they live, they can't. >> batya now lives in tel aviv and has a girlfriend. she says she knew at a young age that she was attracted to women. it's been a difficult journey these past years. but now batya finally feels free and at home. >> freedom of expression is essential for artists, too.

but it can also be risky. for his provocative and politically critical work, chinese artist ai weiwei was thrown into prison in his home country. meanwhile, british artist banksy famously conceals his identity although his quirky, yet strongly political street art is highly visible. we now meet a political artist from egypt whos challenging the european portrayal of history. >> egyptian artist wael shawky is a frequent traveller between cairo, venice, sharjah, and new york. he's just arrived in hamburg, and the first thing he needs is a coffee. then he's off to the theater of the world festival to premiere his latest work. >> the acoustic is fantastic here. >> "the song of roland" is his reworking of the bloodthirsty

epic poem, one of the oldest surviving major works of french literature. >> a collection between fact, myth, and also a celebration of being a european white man. >> with his earlier work "cabaret crusades," wael shawky gained an international reputation. it's an account of the medieval crusades from the islamic perspective. the slaughter and pillage of the crusad lasted nearly 200 years, a history many in the west would prefer to forget. shawky traces the history using marionets, startg with pope urban ii, who in the year 1095 initiated the first of seven crusades. in the course of these religious wars, jerusalem, damascus, and aleppo went up in flames, as did constantinoplewhere the crusaders became synonymous with warscruelty d brutality.s, and

in the arab world, the history of the crusades casta long shadow. >> the first wave came from this area of cologne, düsseldorf. they didn't have horses, they didn't have enough food. half of these people died in this trip because they were extremely poor, t they really believed what pope urban ii said. >> back then, the crusaders were instrumentalized in the name of ith. today, it's almost impossible not to think of islamic fundamentalist leaders. >> using the puppets came fr the id of manipulation, for sure. by reading the history, it was always triggering the concept of manipulation, how can you walk from one city to another city in another continent actually to free the land of jesus christ.

>> manipulation of people and also of the way history is told. the artist challenges the standard narrative of the civilization clash with scenes that refute common notions of the era. >> a lot of cheating, a lot of conspiracy happening. the muslim leaders started to save themselves by making allies with the crusaders against their brothers. >> the history of the crusades is one of betrayal, corruption, and downfall. >> but it is simply telling the story of the world a thousand years ago, reminding us of what is happening today. wael shawky takes a similar approach with "the song of roland." translated into classical arabic, it will be brought to life by singers from bahrain.

there won't be any puppets this time, but it's thematically similar to his previous work, debunking the myth of the knight in shining armor. >> arab people singing in arabic tradition and music, some words that is really, really violence. but if you know that all this text is originally coming from the european christian history, i think this will make some way or ability for us to make some new analysis. >> before the singers arrive, the final touches are put to the set design. it recreates medieval aleppo, baghdad, and constantinople, with the meticulous detail that is wael shawky's trademark. his work frames contemporary culture through the lens of historical tradition and vice versa. >> are we able to change or to

fix because of the history? i don't know. can we see the connections and the relationship between what happened a thousand years ago and what happens today? yes, of course, and using art, it is the myth for sure. >> wael shawky, an artist whose works travel between the past and the present. don't forget to check out our facebookage, "dw global society." there you'll find topical stories from around the world. follow us on dw global society. without water, we can't live. and yet, 663 million people have no access to clean water. by 2025, 1.8 billion people could beffected drastic fitted to a 5itre buct,allur pd

baly a teaoonfulf it would be f. coaminatedater mak people sic. aroundhe world60 childn e as a rult of dirhoea-lated ilesses ery hour a ck of clean water is a problem in argentina, too. >> the families who live here are among the poorest in rio de la plata. there's not even running water in the wooden huts they built themselves. this woman is explaining to nicolas wertheimer that she gets water from a pump and a hose that extends through the reeds. the water comes from the rio de la plata, but it's polluted, and poses a health risk. nicolas wertheimer wants to

improve the situation, and founded the project "agua segura" to ensure the local water supply is clean and safe. local children are often sick from drinking contaminated water. their mothers have no one to turn to for help. >> is diarrhea also a problem? >> yes, it is. my little one was throwing up, and was taken to hospital. >> did he get antibiotics? >> no, they didn't give him anything. >> to tackle the problem, nikolas wertheimer is installing a water filter that doesn't need electricity. >> this is a filter. families who drink water from the river can position it on a wall, fill it up, and the clean water comes out here. it needs to collect in a

container that's clean and not contaminated. my whole life long, i've dreamt of changing the world. i worked in a hospital as a surgeon and internist, but i didn't feel i was doing what i'd always dreamt of. one day i googled "what do you need to change the world," and i came across this clean water technology. i thought of all the people made sick by contaminated water, so i made some calls with a view to introducing it here. >> wertheimer also managed to persuade the well-known argentinian tv presenter julian weich to support the project. >> there's a major problem with clean drinking water in argentina, and indeed, across the world. nicolas is addressing this issue not just because he's a doctor but because he wants to solve a problem.

i trust him. i believe in him. we're supporting each other in a bid to find a solution. >> a few hundred families live along this part of the river. it can only be reached by water. wertheimer spends a lot of time on the phone sorting things out. today he's accompanying some local children to school. julian and nicolas founded the proyecto agua segura initiative in late 2015. they see themselves as social entrepeneuers. children's health is one of their first priorities. their digestive systems are more vulnerable than adults'. they have lower immunity to parasites in contaminated water. at school, the children get breakfast and lunch. and now, clean water, too. >> i'm very pleased. the principal is very commted and always gives us a warm welcome. the device works by itself. it doesn't need an electricity

supply, and you don't don't need to add chemicals. the operating principle is the weight of the water. it flows through pores that are 20 nanometers in diameter, so bacteria, viruses, and parasites are filtered out. this is clean, safe drinking water. >> the filter costs several hundred dollars and lasts 5 years. it's financed by donations, and increasingly, with public money too. these kids are also taught about water in the classroom. they take the lessons they've learned home with them. slowly but surely, the health issues related to contiminated drinking water are begnning to subside in rio de la plata. >> food from around the world? we love it. today's "global snack" comes from central asia.

>> kyrgyzstan -- more than 90 of the country is mountainous, with peaks up to 7,500 meters high. most kyrgyz people live from farming or animal husbandry. the climate is harsh and the cuisine is rustic. baking is often done in a clay oven. for example, to produce the traditional flatbread of the region called lepyoshka. it's a simple snack, but an attractive one. flour, sugar, butter, salt, and yeast make up the dough, and off it goes into the oven. after baking for 15 minutes, the lepyoshka are done. they sell for around 35 cents apiece. 13-year-old rosahun delivers them to the market every morning. marmur has been making them for 10 years in this family-owned bakery.

he bakes 500 lepyoshkas a day. it's a good business. >> people always ask for this bread for occasions like funerals or weddings. and it's a popular bread, and it's a staple for us. >> although the bakery is a bit out of the way, the customers always stop by to pick up their lepyoshka fresh from the oven. thflatbread is served at nearly every meal in kyrgyzstan. the regulars come in the morning to stock up for the day. >> it tastes good. it's warm and it's pleasant to eat. i always buy the bread here because it's always fresh. >> the bakers intend to pass on the bread recipe to the next

generation. they're certain that lepyoshka will retain its popularity in kyrgyzstan for years to come. >> and now from social to ecological engagement in our "global ideas" series. perishable goods are frequently transported around the world in refrigerated lorries. using cooling methods that are damaging to our environment and climate. our reporter cornelia borrmann traveled to south africa. people there are looking for new ways to make refrigerated transport more environmentally sound. >> every day the perishable goods are packed up for transport. harvest fresh supplies large supermarket chains with vegetables grown on the company's own fields and nearby farms. driver lucky thantheni is preparing his cargo.

today he's taking it to a big warehouse in johannesburg. the truck interior has to reach the required temperature before the delicate freight can be loaded. final instructions from the logistics manager. the vegetables have to be kept cool at a constant temperature 2.7 degrees celsius during the transport. that will be checked on delivery. >> we need to make sure that everything is packed correctly, is sealed correctly. because any -- let's say, any heat and stuff that comes into the vegetables that are not sealed correctly, not cooled properly, goes to waste. >> refrigerated transport is important in a hot country like south africa.

this is one of the 13,000 or so refrigerated trucks in the country. the fleet emits enormous amounts of greenhouse gases. the cargo area of most trucks is poorly insulated, resulting in greater diesel fuel consumption and spoiled produce. south africa's agency for standards, the sabs, wants to make refrigerated transports more climate-friendly. a testing hall for refrigerated trucks was recently opened here , the first on the african continent. germany's agency for international development cooperation, the giz, supported the construction of the hall by making contacts to companies that operate similar testing facilities in europe. the technology had to be adapted for use in south africa. transport vehicles here are bigger and more powerful than they are in europe. at the moment, only one out of five manufacturers meets the minimum standards for insulation. for the first time ever, the new

facility allows testers here to precisely determine just how well the trucks are insulated. there was no exact data available up to now. >> that gives a tool to all the manufacturers to improve their insulation properties. they can actually see their results in the practical performance of the improvements that they have made, so that they can implement that in their production. with a lot of new trucks out there with better insulation, we know we will use less diesel to run the cooling systems. less diesel means less carbon emissions into the atmosphere. >> every vehicle tested here gets an environmental seal. before long, the seal will be required on all vehicles that transport fresh produce abroad. it tells how much fuel the vehicle needs for refrigeration, and gives the values measured by the temperature sensors in the testing chamber.

entering johannesburg. lucky thantheni has been on the road with his vegetable truck for about an hour and a half. a special coolant helps maintain the low temperature in the cargo area. most refrigerated trucks use this coolant, which contains a chemical that is harmful to the environment. its impact on the atmosphere is 4,000 times greater than co2. the transfrig company plans on switching to another refrigerant. the company has developed this prototype that will soon hit the market. it says it's the world's only cooling system that uses propane, while minimizing the risk of using the flammable substance. >> we use propane, because it is totally environmentally friendly. it does nothing to the ozone layer. its carbon footprint is very

small. and that is why we chose propane. and it's also very easily obtainable. >> using propane can sink coolant emissions by a factor of a thousand. transfrig tested its prototype in this truck. in the summer, it transports ice cream, cooled to -25 degrees celsius. the company plans to produce five to 10 further propane-based cooling units here in the coming months, and to test them on the road and put the final touches on the new technology. the cooling unit can be powered by a small motor, which saves on fuel costs. if everything works out as planned, the conventional, environmentally harmful coolant will no longer be used here. the company wants to install the propane technology in all

refrigeration units for large, medium, and small vehicles. >> then we will look at exporting to local african markets -- zambia, zimbabwe, namibia, botswana, mosambique. we have a very good presence in all these markets. and once it's proven here, we will introduce it into those markets. >> experts estimate that by 2030, south africa can reduce its co2 emissions by 2 million tons alone through better insulation and propane-based cooling units. it's a first step toward making south africa's refrigerated transport climate-friendly. and that is urgently needed to sustain the sector's rapid growth. >> that's all for today. but do get in touch. write to us at global3000@dw.com, or via

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]

man: this is a production of china central television america. may: from clean water to a stable climate, the planet's ecosystems are under attack. but environmental pioneers around the globe are trying unique and innovative ways to save the earth. this week on "full frame," conversations with world- renowned experts who are finding sustaible ways t change the future of the planet. i'm may lee in los angeles. let's take it "full frame."