Dictatorship is a thing of the past in most Latin American countries, but people in the region are still crying out for independent information covering domestic and international affairs.

Many people in Latin America are keenly interested in the Netherlands, which is seen as a trendsetter on issues ranging from water management to moral questions such as abortion, euthanasia and drugs. Radio Netherlands Worldwide occupies an important position in explaining the Dutch position on these issues.

Who are we?
There are 25 members of staff in our Spanish department. They come from various Latin American and Caribbean countries and also from the Netherlands. They are all well acquainted with Latin America, the Netherlands and with Europe, and that special perspective informs the way they view the news.

What do we do?
News bulletins are broadcast hourly. We also produce current affairs, background and magazine programmes on a wide range of Latin American, Dutch and European topics. Our programmes are broadcast whole or in part by radio stations throughout Latin America. Our internet site keeps the continent informed through texts, photos, videos and audio recordings. We also produce music programmes and special series, which are sent in the form of CDs to our 650 partner stations in Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States.

What makes us different?
Much of the media in Latin America is owned by big business or subject to government influence and often provides a one-sided picture of events. Our Spanish-language programmes cover current affairs from a European and Dutch angle and we give a voice to sources ignored by Latin America’s domestic media.

We also cover socially relevant issues, such as the abuse of women, not only playing an important role in the debate itself, but widening it as well. We organise seminars on issues covered in our programmes which add to our unique position.

Our programmes and website
The Spanish department produces news, current affairs, background and music programmes and special series which include radio plays.

La Matinal is a current affairs programme broadcast in the region first thing in the morning. It deals with Latin American issues from a European-Dutch angle.

Al Día is a magazine programme broadcast on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and deals in its own unique way with current events using interviews and reports. Attention is paid to events not covered by other media.

To find out about other programmes from the Spanish department, please take a look at the programming guide.

Other projects
We have organised joint projects with various Dutch development organisations. A radio play about violence against women in general and domestic violence in particular was produced in collaboration with OxfamNovib. Following the play’s broadcast, discussions were organised in countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru and Paraguay. Representatives from governments and from women’s and victims’ organisations took part.

There are searching interviews with Latin American presidents including Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Colombia’s Alvaro Uribe, Paraguay’s Fernando Lugo and Ecuador’s Rafael Correa. Interviews are also conducted with prominent writers and scholars. These interviews are available on our website as videos and audio recordings.

For whom?
Our target audience is made up primarily of graduates and policy makers.

Why?
Our aim is to improve the quality of the information available to Latin America and promote dialogue between different countries. We achieve this by providing an objective take on regional events and presenting programmes grounded in the tradition of Dutch and European dialogue and discussion. These not only cover politics but also social issues. We also hope to give Latin America a realistic picture of the Netherlands and Europe.

Our ambitions
We want to provide Latin America with a reliable, independent and pluralistic view of what is happening in the world. We also hope to enable our listeners and visitors to our website to evaluate their countries’ democratic processes, making these stronger in the process. In other words, we are working to strengthen universal freedoms and rights, such as the freedom of expression.

Our news coverage is multi-media and our radio, internet and video presentations are all related to each other.
 

As well as setting up debates in the region itself, we also host discussions on controversial issues on our website. These are based on the opinions of experts, for example on the subject of Dutch policy on drugs and on asylum seekers.

What have we achieved?
A seminar on media and power given in Asunción in Paraguay at the end of last year is an example of the events we organise. This year, the book and DVD of the seminar was officially presented at the general meeting of Mexico’s university radio and television stations. The books and DVDs are being distributed to our partner radio stations in Latin America, the Caribbean and the US, and to a network of 80 communication studies departments at universities in Latin America.

The Spanish department also took part in the programme for Andean and Central American countries about the relationship between media and democracy. The debates were recorded in the countries concerned and the resulting audio and video recordings were broadcast and published on our website.