Journalism

I mainly research human rights abroad, especially those of women and children. In doing so, I delve deep into a topic and look at it from a wide variety of perspectives.

In Armenia, I researched selective abortion, because more female foetuses are aborted there than in almost any other country. In Pakistan, I accompanied Khadija Siddiqui, a young woman who survived a knife attack and is now fighting for justice. In Cambodia, I researched voluntary work in children's homes: Three quarters of the children in orphanages still have parents - they have been taken away from them and are part of a business. It is important to me to inform people about global abuses. I work closely with local people in order to understand as well as possible and report as truthfully as possible.

I also write about travel topics. In 2022, I accompanied the opera singer Etleva Shemai through her country for Polyglott Verlag and wrote about her story and our experiences in our book ‘Nice to meet you, Albania’ (2023). I also wrote about my solo journeys from Cape Town to Kilimanjaro by public transport.

I speak English, Spanish and French. My geographical focus is on Africa and Asia.

My texts appear in Stern, taz, ZEIT Online, ZEIT Campus Magazin, Bonner Generalanzeiger, Globetrotter Magazin and Spiegel Online.

Work Sampels

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References

‘Luisa Willmann is an extremely committed, informed and interested journalist with a fresh view of the world. She researches accurately, intensively and quickly. Her topic ideas and stories have always been an enrichment for us.’
- Cornelia Fuchs, Head of the Stern Foreign Department

‘Over the past three years, I have found Luisa Willmann to be extremely open, critical, independent and absolutely reliable. Luisa Willmann is enthusiastically active in all areas of the Reporter Academy Berlin, she supports me in my journalistic work, creates topic-specific research dossiers and edits my texts to a high standard. Her reports testify to her journalistic talent, her excellent feel for language, a passionate closeness to interesting people and a burning curiosity about the world. She is extremely team-orientated and is highly appreciated by our participants and partners for her friendly manner.’
- Michael Obert, foreign reporter and founder of the Reporter Academy Berlin and the communication agency Storywerk

‘Luisa was a wonderful participant at Travel Sam. Her courageous trip to Africa was informative and VERY entertaining. We are already looking forward to her next appearance!’
- Frank Lustig, organiser of the Travel Slam

‘Luisa Willmann is not only a great journalist, researcher and storyteller, she also has a good eye for editing other authors' texts. As a sparring partner for our texts, I was able to benefit greatly from her judgement. When you consult Luisa, texts get better.’
- Christoph Wöhrle, Journalist

‘I got to know Luisa Willmann at the Reporter Academy as a very committed and determined organiser. She was always on track, but always maintained just the right balance between closeness and distance to the participants. Luisa Willmann shines from within - her positive nature always inspires others.’
- Sabrina Mazzola, Journalist

„Luisa did an amazing Storytelling Workshop for digital nomads in Selina Manuel Antonio (Costa Rica). I invited her to do it and she accepted inmediately with joy! Full of compromise, passion, generosity and dedication, Luisa invited us to participate actively and shared with us lots of key elements to write a great story. The workshop was extremely helpful and inspiring for all of us! Thank you, Luisa!"
- Mel Ghertner, human rights lawyer and former Community Manager of Selina

‘Curiosity is perhaps the most important quality in the journalism profession. And if anyone is curious, it's Luisa Willmann. She chooses her topics in places where research hurts and always wants to get as close as possible to her protagonists. By reading her texts, we enter distant worlds: the experiences of women in Armenia who are pressurised into abortion, orphans in Cambodia or young people at risk of suicide in Tübingen. I don't know where Luisa Willmann gets the energy for her research projects. But we can look forward to seeing where she takes us next!’
- Tilman Wörtz, reporter for Zeitenspiegel Reportagen and former head of the Reutlingen School of Reporting

‘Working with Luisa Willmann was a great time that I miss very much. Luisa Willmann is highly professional, creative, intelligent and always to the point when it matters, and also a wonderful person in her private life.’
- Sabrina Bergler, langjährige Mitarbeiterin bei Gaugerfilm

‘We are delighted that Luisa Willmann took part in our intercultural trainer training programme and successfully completed it with the DVWO certificate. She combines her work as a journalist with that of a trainer in a fascinating way. This expresses the passion with which she conveys the multifaceted nature of the world's cultures to her readers and participants alike.’
- Wolfgang Jockusch, Managing Director of BAMIK GmbH, Berlin