>> this week, "global 3000"" focuses s on democracycy. democracy, it seems, is on the decline. just last year, 67 countries saw setbacks to their citizens' civil liberties and political rights. the biggest threats to a democratic system are autocrats and populists. populists insist they speak for

the people. only they, they say, know whatt is truly right and wrong. they meet tricky questions with simple a answers. when democraracy is under thth, citizens take to the streets. civil society becomes active, using preferably non-violence as a form of resistance. and that requires clear messages and strong symbols. in serbia, we meet professionals in the field who s their m most importt weapons humor. >> i in protest oror in life, s all ththe same -- the person yu

want to be around is the person who can make you laugh. and in our experience in serbia, the government didn't know what to do with being mocked. because this people in power, they just ththink too highly ad 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. that's where their careers began. it was the m mid-1990s. together w with other ststudenn the group otpor,r, they had a gl -- to o topp t then-presidenent slslobodan miloeoevic and sete ste e for free elelectio. their tactic -- nonviolent resin huhumoin action. >> people need to have something to -- they need to belong to something. so creating that impression like ususing humor, making it sexy d this kind of things --

and then people know who you are if you're doing something on the streets. it is important to have symbols and to create a brand because that's the way of life. >> otpor's symbol was a fist. today it's been adopteted as a logo by their new organizati caas. canvasas trains and d adviss activists alall over the w wo, and offers seminars online. >> we've probably worked with people from 40, 50 different countries. i've lost count completely. anand 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 wororld. our r 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 yoyohave a skilled movement, th y you canet t the sess. >> to increase a movement's chanance of success,s, canvs

prprovides protesters th booksd background v videos. >> h human rights,s, education,, general l welfare, cororruption versus transnspeacy & rurule of lalaw -- what yoyou thk is reay important. but it's not only that. it's's also about t what your pe thinink. why? because your vision should never be only yoyours. ititeeds to be a shared vision dodot forget that you ed ople to jo your movent and changehehe socty. the moreeople she a vion, thmore forful it becom. ok, we had a yoh 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 couldn't march with us on a harsh winter, we couldn't 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 t 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. they're doing something and feel like they really helping the movement. in fact, they're helping the movement -- they're helping the arrested person. >> popovic's t team is a small one, and the canvas offices are hidden away in a residential area. there are 11 trainers in all, and they're often on the move, heading wherever their skills are e needed. because the jojob can be a dangerous onone, they don'n't t toto be filmed.. popovic c provides thehe organization's public face. he has also o taught nonviviot reresistance at t 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 doesn't mobilize the masses. apparently, the more global a problem, the less likely people are to feel pepersonally threatened. > it's time for activists. it's timime for helping across e world. it's time for international solidarity of the people, who define democracy. but it's 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 t sparked the e so-cd 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 tunisisia, it was m mainly g people who demonstrated against the country's social inequality and corruption. the first free elections took place in october 2011. nonetheless, the fledgling democracy is still finding its feet. >> 28-year 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. that's 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 b 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 unstable. >> we're convinced that ngos can bring about as much change as a political partrty. 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 activiststs and other ngos are meeting with the minister of the environment. they're discussing preparations for the un climate change conference in november in bonn, germany. zied says this never happened under the dictator -- politicians actually discussing things with young pepeop. >> they have an important role to p play in galvanising o otr people, soso 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 people's relationship with politics is still far from what he thinks it should be. the country is still in transition.

>> at least we can discuss things directly with ministers these days. that's definitely a start. >> nonetheless, there's 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 won't 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 aren't 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. >> women's 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 sub-saharan-africa, it's around 23.6%, and that's 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 joal-fadiouth, 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 heleld them get funds from the un-backed 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. yoyou have helped us so far, bt you mustn't 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 months if the soil is recovering and will yield a crop.p. a tanker truck suddenly appears. ththe driver has evidently just dumped a load of human waste. yama ndiaye is really y any. >> 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 takes the driver's id and driverer's licence, and escors 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 won't get any more help here. in fact, the mayor says he has no more money to spend, and asks ousmane gning how he might get

some from the green climate fund.. nodespite all the difficulties,s the women have already achieved a lot. a year ago, the local authority gave yama ndiaye's women's cooperative the land they have been working on. it had been waste ground. the 40 women share the four-hectare 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 women's 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 mangrovev. it is hard work, but this reforestation project is bearing fruit. migratory birds stop by again, and shellfisish have come bac. 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, it's precisely this -- democracy -- which is celebrated for a week every year. >> it isisn't easy to o find somewhwhere to stay y during medalen week. the lucky on f find a ot i in a >> iclassroom.easy to o find sit's a bit le e a musiuring festival, but this is a policacal even this classroom is beinshshared by t the gen parartynd the berals. 23-year-old d law student t or rydermark isis a member ofof e yoututh wing of ththe center-rt liliral party. > we got the e moderates a r dodown. ey are a l little mo r rightt. >> yeah, quiteononservive. > we've got t the center papn ththe other sidede. >> the event takes place autut 10kilolomete off t theast ast of sweden on the island of r cici of visby. it's like a companyy teteam-building g exercise, we you gogo on a retreaeat to bondh yoyour colleagueues. the chge o of ce and s scenery fosters a feeleling of commomon

rpose. seminars and discuionsnstart earlrly in the mororning and cocontinue all d day. >> we get this closeness between each other. it's's very easy t to reach mea lilitician and a as mayor of gotland, a and it's veryry easo reach every y other polititic. sosot's a very good way of abecause i i think th i 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 seminars here in the 1980s, otheheparties followed, organizi e events re a as we. almedalen week started growi into t phehenomenon it i is tod.

about 40,000 people arare here o talk about p political issssu, socialize,e, and share i ideas. eveven the rain n hasn't dampd presenting t their draft p prom today, thinin the park.rats ar alall eight of the parties represteted in pliamament get their turn. before the next round of discussion, about the e global climatate catastrorophe, oar tas a quicick break. hehe says one gogoal of almedads to change ouour understandndinf polilitical debatete. >> i if you're goioing to do a metaphor of f debating, the metaphor is war.r. like your words e e ammunion,, and d you have a winner, you he a seser. and political l debate, or any discusussion, becaususe when u meet anotherer person and havea diussion, you u have one

opportununity to walk k away m that havining learned sosometg you didndn't know befofore. >> politicalal scientist stig-björnrn ljunggren a agreest is is the almedalen way. >> this s is a part ofof the swh mol. we're e a country thatasn't had a proper r revolutiosincnce th 1740-somethihing. you knknow, if thehere's a cont , , we rather didiscuss it ova p p of cofe. wewe believe in n let's discusut lalater, or let't's ha a cupuo coffee. soso the swedishsh model is me directeded to trying t to find sosolutions, praragmatic solut. >ut there are some whoo criticize alalmedalen. some complaiain that it's s bee elitist and much too comrcrcial. ey s s it's now w thmedia that dictate the agagenda, not ththe polititicians. bubuinternational interestst n this s swedish invenentions on e rise.

>> democracycy is a big woword. but it is momore a practicice. it is more a way o of living. and we don't need to t talk muh we neeto p practice demomocracyn our real life. > it's the enend of oskar's's second a almedalen expxperien. >> this is a concept of people t partrtof government, society, andususiness. >>and that is something thatss t woh spspreadg acroross the globe.e. >> festivals modeledn almedadalen have alrlready stad in norway, estonia, and denmark. >> this is the deutsches museum in munich, gerermany's mususeum 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 were introduced jujust 10 years agago. steve jobs presented apple's first iphone in 2007. since then, society has changed radically, and it has nott just changed in a way that we decided on in a democratic fashion. when you are sending emails on your smartrtphone, data a are g gather on n who u talklk t who your contacts are, the s stateo yourinanances. youall the data aren't justre g ggagatheredndnd storesomewhwher. 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 your entire life -- you as a person. so whatat does it ? it is rather like forensic profiling in the search for a

perpetrator. an o offender profile is generated. the ththings you click on, yor likes, even if you don't actually post or write anything yourself on the internet, you wiwill still be profiled on, fr exexple, facebooook or twitte. and inferences are made e abot whether you are a good citizen or a bad one, a good taxpayer, creditworthy or not, and so on and so forth. and if the information ends up in the hands of yoyour employerr health insurer or the state, it could mean massive problems for you down the road. the trenend is towards non-coopererative data collectc. that means, data about us are cocollected witht us evenn knowing -- our movements or pictures of us. 's data cocollection we hahave t cocoauauthorized. us evenn all this conflicts with our basic rights, with our idea of

what a person is -- namely, an individual who is free to decidede who or what her she e wants to be or d do, andw to shape a future. that is the basis of o our sociy and our form of governance -- democracy. digitalization, the way we see it nowadays, is unregulated. it is driven mainly by american companies. over there, they d don't have e same understanding of the concept t of a constitutioion oe rule of lalaw as we do in n eu. when it began 20 years ago, we thought the internet w was gre. it was going to promote democracy. but now we see that the opposite is the case. i can organise a flashmob via social media, or topple the government. but what then? in the afterermath, willll we e more democraracy? social mededia are fragmenting society into a mass of individual opinions.

and the creation of a mass is the precondition foror the emergence of autocratic rulers in elections. i am thinking quite specifically of the united states. consider the riots in charlottesville, the endorsement of violence. it is frfrightening, and it is e work o of social mededia. the momore chatter and outra,, thmorere mon can b be de. what's your opinion? >> do you agree? isisocial media a threat to democracy? tell us on facebook. follow us at "dw global society." and that was this week's democracy special. thanks for joining us. don't 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.

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