>> welcome to "global 3000." even in the best of times, racicism is a problem, but the current pandemic has made things even worse for ma.. swen's's metd of d deang withh the coronavirus is rather relaxed, but rising infection rates are casting doubt on its effectiveness. but first, overfilled hospitals, overwhelmed nursing staff. in mexico, some fear the pandemic is spiraling out of control. according to the world health organization, over 8 million cases of coronavirus have been confirmed so far.

nearly 450,000 people have died of the disease. latin america has been particularly acutely affected. alongside brazil, peru, and chile, mexico has been struck with an alarming number of infections. and yet, many there seem lax about lockdown measures, despite the fact that over 18,000 mexicans have died so far. >> code white. a suspected covid case. diego arcoa and his red cross unit here in mexico are on their way. diego: the patient has respiratory problems and all the other symptoms. >> it's another tough day for the team. the pandemic has likely been at its peak here for weeks. nobody knows for sure. there's very little testing. diego: it's distressing not knowing how many are really infected, so we won't know when this is going to end. oscar:

we don't get enough sleep. we're stressed out. some of our colleagues have been infected. some have died. >> they never know what awaits them. when the medics go in, what they hear doesn't sound good. the man is 81 years old and a diabetic. his blooood oxygen level is to low. he can hardly breathe. he has 3 38 degree fever. he hasn't been able to stand for three days. >> it's probably covid. let's take him to hospital. >> but just as the crew is getting ready, the transport is suddenly cancelled. jose: if they take him away, he may never come back. >> diego arcoa leaves the patient, whose chances don't

look good, with a heavy heart. diego: family ties are strong in mexico. they prefer to die with their loved ones, even if they could be saved in a hospital. >> the unit has to move on. in addition to the stress of their assignments, the ambulances have to fight for space in the streets. in mexico, not everyone gets out of their way. >> i'm going into the house. give me the equipment. -- going in. give me the equipment. >> their next call takes them to a large family cramped into a small space. >> are you afraid of catching it? >> yes.. >> when he asks if a covovid tt has been done, they say no, but he is having trouble breathing. a woman says he is having trouble breathing. >> it often starts that way. >> since hospitals are overcrowded, the medics can

only take critical patients. >> he doesn't have to go to hospital yet. he's stable. >> a candle has been lit to ward off death. but thousands of mexicans have already lost the battle. the country's covid-19 mortality rate is well above average. the crematoria are working flat-out and there's a waiting list. charly cruz's life has also been turned upside down. charly: we try to do the maximum per day. i've never had t to deal with o mamany dead people before. >> six bodies a day, that's all this crematorium can manage. relatives are given just five minutes to say goodbye. [sobbing]] >> then charly cruz has to ask them to leave. charly:.

we've had to harden our hearts. everything has to be done quickly. the body can't stay here long. >> it's been weeks since he's had a break. chaharly: it's risky. i'm scared because i have a family, and i'm afraid i might infect them. >> a relative must always confirm the deceased to avoid mistaken identity. what enrages charly cruz is that many mexicans deny the coronavirus exists, believing that it's all an elaborate government ruse. charly: why don't people swiwitch on their brains? if things continue l like thisi don't t know when it will end. >> mexico is startining to adjt toto the new normal, although e number of infections is still rising significantly. that worries diego arcoa. he's been sleeping at a hotel for weeks. he hasn't seen his daughter for

a month. diego: i believe in soulmates. we're very connected. she's proud of me and i'm proud of her. we're together, even when we don't see each other. >> diego arcoa and the rest of the unit do their best to fight fatigue. they want to continue for as long as it takes, or at least as long as their strength holds. [siren] ♪ >> inin europe, manany counts reacted d to the coronona pandc by shutting down much of pubcc li. borders were closed, fe e masks bebecame mandatoryry, air tral basically ceased. falling infection rates appeared to confirm the legitimacy of these measures. sweden, however, chose a fferent t strategy. and many t there hope ththat e cocontroversial l approach w wy off in t long-term. >> summer has arrived in saltsjöbaden, not far from stockholm, banishing thoughts of the coronavirus pandemic for a moment at least. but j jessia and her family are convinced

thatat the crisis is far from over. jessica: there will be a second wave. this is not over yet.. not in sweden, or anywhere else. >> the family contracted coronavirus early. they have recovered now and could be immune, but the coronavirus is still affecting their lives. jessica provides training for managers, but there's little demand for that right now. the few appointments she does still have, she conducts via videoconferencing from home. suddenly, she has got a lot more time for her children and for walks by the sea. her husband frederic was the first to get the virus in mid-march. frederic: it hit me on a thursday afternoon. within just a few hours, i came down with a really high temperature.

anand i spent eight or nine das in bed with a 40-degree fever. it was exhausting. i hardly coughed at all, but i had a headache and bad pains everywhere. my wife had to look after me and the children. >> in sweden, children from families with coronavirus infections are permitted to continue going to school as longng as they are showing n no symptoms themselves. but other parents demanded that jessica keep her three kids out of school. jessica: becoming a possible source of infection for others and suddenly becoming a social pariah was really ghastly. it was awful that people were afraid of us. >> swededen's approach to the

pandemic has relied for the most part on voluntary compliance. most people are following the recommendations. 20 minutes away in stockholm, the streets are empty. many people are working from home voluntarily. state epidemioiologist anders tegnell wanted to avoid the kind of lockdown seen in other scandinavian countries. instead, his aim was to achieve a broad base of immunity. anders: the virus will spread more slowly if more people in the population become immune. no one disputes that. and many people have already become immune. immunity will develop, but the illness itself won't disappear completely. >> tegnell believes that sweden's population will be safe once 40% of people have acquired immunity against the virus. the country might reach that point by late summer. ola: but with us building up herd immunity, our death toll -- our sacrifice may not be higher. may be lower.

sometimes arouound christmas r after, we will have a vaccine ready. i do think that the second wave will hit us much earlier than that. >> at present sweden is paying a high price for this controversial approach. almost 5000 people have died after contracting coronavirus. in per capita terms, that's four times as many as in germany. care homes and densely-populated immigrant districts have been hard hit. tegnell now admits that mistakes have been made. mierrey gourie has lost her father. despite typical symptoms, the 62-year-old was not tested for coronavirus. instead, the doctor sent him home with cough syrup and antibiotics. when he ended up in hospital days later, it was too late. mierrey: other governments have closed their countries and not conducted an experiment with their citizens. my father was a guinea pig. because here they say that some people's immune systems can deal with the virus and other people's can't. my father's immune system clearlrly lost the battle.

>> in her neighborhood, many people appear to have got infected while attending church. in this cemetery, there is one fresh grave after another. mierrey: this grave contains a couple who got infected with covid-19. they went to the same church as my father. and here, there are others who died from the virus. here is my father's cousin and here is the grave of our pastor's son. >> mierrey gourie is convinced that her father would not have died if they'd been in germany. but most swedes s back the risy concept of herd immunity. there are some rules, but a lot of things haven't changed much. jakob: i understand that the rest of the world must find it strange that we aren't wearing anyny masks and we're outside,

laughing and enjoying ourselves. but i think this is also important for our well-being. >> frederic and jessica are happy that they appear to have got coronavirus behind them and that life has remained fairly nonormal in sweden. but they realize that others have paid a high price for the herd immunity strategy. frederic: as far as our r old folks are concerned, there have been deaths and that is tragic. but it is good that we younger folk have been able to live e r lives relatively normally. >> in aututumn, it is likekelo become clear whether sweden's singular approach will mean fewer deaths in the long run in comparison to the rest of europe. ♪ >> the concept of race perpetuated to this day originated in the time of european colonialism. over centuries, europepeans tok control over much of africa a d

other regions, enslaved around 12 million africans, and shipped them across the atlantic to work in brutal conditions. this gross misuse of power created the illusion for many white people that they belonged to a superior race, one which ruled the world. even today, such misconceptions remain anchored in the heads of many people, along with a tendenency to feel s suspicious towards the unknown. add to that an outside threat like the coronavirus and prejudice can really rise to the fore. >> it started in march. victoria kure-wu noticed something had changed when she took public transport. victoria: at f first i thought i was imagining inings. i noticed people would look at my face and sisit elsewhere.e. i getting off the bwayay.jbutw m make su thehey wen't jujust the train d wewereitting in thbicycle rriaiage >> victoria re-w-wu german. she'used to perienenng discrimination. but once thehe first caseses of

although berlin is widelseseenh i a t tolert, diviver city,tnt. she e encountered d hatred. onone man even t told her se should sprpray herself w wih disisinfectant. vivictoria: feel like i've been keeping ald of encountering hostility. i have to admit, when i see a bunch of people outside a bar, i cross to the o other side of the e reet to avoid being hassled. i'm gl to be working from home these days, because i sense e that even ththough i e in berlilin, peoe dodon't e me as german. >> sociaiascieo:ist nanao ha iniscrimination reararch, htha. are l too o miliar with thatque from? i n be a aerman citizen. i cacan ld a german passrtrt

anand still findnd myself beinig asked d this questioion becaui don't "look k german." whatat does not lookoking gern meanan? clearlrly, it is basased on fd ideas about what germans or eueuropeanshouould lk likeke. and it's's a sign thatat germy still does n not see itselelf a plalal socty. on fafabook, victoria kurere-wcontacted other opople o'veve had similar experieeses. since e e pandemic begantherere have beemany repts of on fafabook, victoria hostilittowards opople wopople mit be thoht to lo chines >> hi. >> po o fan from m ina andal. >> hi. ne toto s you. 's's fild inincints of riall abuse he e expernced on the bwayay. po: a frie hasas td me "you should tally rept it," even thoh i don'have that much hope onhe p pole. but becausi want tat l lea show people th i have is evence and'm'm notoing t t

being silenced. >> hyuneneum kim and sédjineee evenal hadad a vy naststyt experience at night in t bberlin subway. a group of people shouting "corona, coronaparty" insulted thehem. hyuneum m was also sexexualy harassed.. on the p platform, onene of tm lalashed outut. the koreanan couple e called e policece to report t the offe. hyunm: explain them toolice ficers. wexpxplainhem, but they don'te. el t thais racism. and that wasind of ahock. the sou korean bassy isalso ue police d dealt with ththe case.e spoke e to the pololice offics o werere called out and we gave

legal advice to the young couple. wewe also wrote onon behalf ofe consulate general toto the pole authorities. wewe asked them toto investige the case both urgentntly andith the necessary care. >> victotoria kure-wu alalso s it wasn't eaeasy to get her voe heard. that prompteted her to crereaa websbsite that helpsps bring pe togegether a offffers pport.t. victoria:: i think k it's importatant for pto shahare their expererienceo iothers know what's going on.n, >> she found others who wanted to getnvnvolved with h her project. ththey spent s six weeks worog users can write about theiivirur expeenceces anfind o offs of lp. asas well as posititive respon, the site has also atattracted hate mail. thi:

when you get involved in activism or the kind of work we're doing now, it's best to think about the next generation and our children andnd our felw citizens.. hohopefully, thehey won'havevt experience such things. we havave invested s so much ey in wororking to coununter cis, we can't stop now. >> kure-wu is glad she took action. victoria: the e project has s definitelye feel ststnger. we have gotten a lotf f suppt from people we didn't kn,, fr peoeoplwe got t to know and from peoeople we workeked with. it has givenen us a good f fee. >> racism is nothingew in gegerman and v victorikurere-wu frfefears it will l be around lg after r the pandemicic is overt she's determined to helpeoeople who alone and helpless.el lele >> strtrong women chchanging e world as we know it.

ononur facebook chanl, y you'll findnd stories about those takg a stand and inspiriring other. dw women gives a voi t to women everywhehere. head to panama, to the -- >> this w week in global ideas, e head to panama, to the rainforest where the indigenous ngöbe people live. many n ngöbe women cultivate cocoa trees using tradititiona, organic methods. this protects the trees and ensures the resulting chocolate tastes amazing. >> in the heart of the panamanian jungle lies a chocolate factory. it's owned by meivis ortiz and is very special. because the chocolate it creates is made from o oanic, sustainable e cocoa faeded undr fair conditions. meivis: i want to get the word out that chocolate isn't candy. cocoa is a plant that confers health and well-being. >> ortiz gets the raw cocoa for her chocolate from a nearby

village. inin soledad dririsco in panans bobocas del totoro province, e inhahabitanthave p preserved n ancient tradition. in accordance with the practice of their indigenous forebears, the ngöbe, they cultivate cocoa in a particularly green and sustainable manner. jungle clearing and plantations are nowhere to be seen, nor do they use pesticides. instead, they grow cocoa in the middle of the jungle. diana: we harvest some trees and use them to build our timber houses. we grow various crops for food and, of course, the cocoa that we sell commercially. we use an agro-forestry system. we don't create monocultural cocoa plantations. that's just not in keeping with

our tradition. >> cocoa specialist meivis ortiz was also convinced by the merits of their natural cultivation method. she decided to set up her artisanal chocolate factory right next door five years ago. she wanted to use the best possible organic cocoa, so she decided to work with cocoa farmers from soledad de risco. only their traditionally cultivated cocoa grown in the heart of the jungle meets her requirements. meivis: the soil is protected by leaves. it's healthier for people because no chemicals are used. cocoa plants have a good yield and their cultivation is environmentally-friendly when they get the right amount of shade, neither too much nor too little. >> besides cocoa, rare flora also grow amongst the trees, as well as plants used for medicinal and ritual purposes

by the ngöbe, the country's largest indigenous people. but industrial cocoa cultivation is increasingly squeezing out the old methods. agro-forestry graduate meivis ortiz would like to help stop that. that's why she regularly holds training sessions for the cocoa farmers, so they can furthther refine their cultivation methods and improve the quality of the beans. meivis: chelina would like to know how to choose the best branch for grafting. >> meivis ortiz is particularly keen to support the female cocoa farmers. she e wants to provide them wih an income of their own, so they're nonot solely dependentn their menfolk. that's why she pays 60% above the going rate. meivis: the women are often unseen. you don't t hear them. they don't complain about

working hard. i would like their work in cocoa farming and chocolate production to be more highly regarded. >> that goes down well with the women. diana: it's important for us women to get organized. if we join together, we will reap the benefits. we look after our children, we feed t them and educucate themd this wouldld allow us toto earn momore money to o give us morere opportrtunities. >> ortiziz processes t the raw cococoa on her nearby finca. first, it's left to ferment for several days and then it has to dry. meivis: the beans are already becomimig flavorful. this is when they start to taste lilike chocolate, during this process. normally, i taste the cocoa

beans after they have dried. then you can tell if the harvest and the fermentation process were good. >> and that's what matters. her artisanal chocolate business, mayamei cacao, is trying to make a name for high-quality, local chocolate. ortiz sells it online, at trade fairs and other events, and in stores across panama. she wants to change the image of chocolate as just a sweet treat. instead, she sees it as a food packed with healthy ingredients. meivis: those substances are found in the cocoa pod. and if we want to retain the special qualities of cocoa, then we have to eat it with as little sugar as possible. that's the message i want to spread, and i have the feeling that it is becoming more and more widely accepted. >> mayamei cacao is not the only chocolate company that ememploys naturaral cultivationn methods and is s sparing with s

use of sugar. in the last five years, several small panamanian businesses have set themselves the goal of making healthy, high-quality chocolate. ortiz, hererself, enjoys chococolate mostst when it's li. meivis: when i drink this cup of hot chocolate, i have the feeling, wow, you can taste where the cocoa comes from, the farm that it comes from, the characteristics of each individual cultivation site. i really savor it. i appreciate it. i recognize the potential of the cocoa produced by every family. ♪ >> that's all from "global 3000" this week. thanks f for watching!g! do you havave any edbaback?

please write to us at global3000@dw.com. and don't forget to check us out on facebook: dw women. see you soon! take care! [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

07/17/20 07/17/20 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, ththis is democracy now! >> kinda framed narrative around these outbreaks is something foreign, like encroachment from outside that invades as an kind of posits as as these passive victims. and i think that obscures the larger story, which is therere s a lot t of human agency involved in how we are turning microbes into pathogenic and pandemic-causing pathogens. amy: