Friederike Mühlhans

 

May 26 th 2008

Complaint to BBC Newsnight

I was very shocked to see the BBC Two program on Auroville aired on May, 25 2008. Shocked because this piece of unprofessional and irresponsible journalism is doing great damage to the worldwide high reputation BBC documentaries have by granting a platform to a single person obviously holding grudges against the community of Auroville. Proper and unbiased research would have produced a different picture.

 

As a board member of Auroville International Germany, an association supporting a lively exchange between German residents and the Auroville community since 1981, I am particularly engaged with youth exchange programs, which are officially checked, recognized and supported by German Federal Ministries. Under these programs young German volunteers work for a year in Auroville, instead of going to the army, getting engaged in village related activities undertaken by the Auroville community. Very often they work in village schools, evening schools or other educational facilities, getting into close contact with local children, youth and teachers – a living example for the striving towards an actual human unity for which Auroville stands.

 

Being refreshingly critical in their attitude, these young volunteers have never reported of any acts of violence, let alone of sexual nature, towards children or youth in and around Auroville, even if we actively invite them to speak out about their experience and criticism. On the contrary, we have been immediately alarmed by some of our ex-volunteers who came across this BBC program through the Internet. They are worried that support for the village school programs could decrease which would be a great drama for these projects and also that our volunteer exchange programs, which help young people widen their own horizon by getting exposed to a completely different culture, get endangered by the spreading of this program.

 

I personally have supported several German journalists in preparing press articles or TV and radio programs on Auroville and in all cases the journalists and I have been impressed about the frankness and openness of the Auroville community in speaking about their shortcomings and failures. I sincerely hope that this attitude will not alter by slanderous pieces like this.

 

I herewith request you not to broadcast the program any more and take the article and link off your website.

 

Wouldn´t it be fair, under these circumstances, to send another BBC journalist to Auroville to do a well-researched and unbiased documentary in the near future?

 

Friederike Mühlhans, Secretary

Auroville International Germany