C.crime by journalist and entrepreneur Hamida Aman, Radio Begum 90.1 fm was born in Kabul on March 8, 2021 and was immediately a symbol of resistance. Just five months later, on August 15, the Taliban marched on Kabul, wiping out the US-backed government and establishing a regime across the country that limits the ability for women to work and girls over 11 to attend school. . Begum stopped broadcasting for just one month, and then resumed broadcasting in mid-September after having assured the authorities that Islamic dictates were respected. Continuing to broadcast was more important than promising silence on certain issues.
Radio Begum, to restore nobility to Afghan women
Radio Begum therefore remains, even and above all today, a precious space of freedom, even if limited, for Afghan women. A space where we talk about the role of women in society and in the family, the importance of economic emancipation and psychological well-being. Themes that are far from obvious in the country in the hands of the Taliban: just three weeks ago the government decided not to keep the promise made under international pressure to reopen schools for girls. Institutions will remain closed until girls’ dress code is consistent with Sharia law and Afghan culture. The women took to the streets to protest but their requests went unheeded.
«Begum is a title of nobility that was given to the women of the maharajas under the Mughal dynasty. I chose it to restore their nobility to Afghan women, and to pay homage to my grandmother, who was called like that “, the founder told The figaro.
Hamida Aman, the founder, between Paris and Kabul
Born in Kabul in 1973, Aman was 6 when her family took refuge in Switzerland to escape the war. After her studies in communication and journalism, she returns to her country after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. She has a husband and children in Paris but her country still calls her when, in early 2021, she chooses to found the radio.
The editorial line: inform, educate, empower
Today, twelve female journalists and three male technicians work at Radio Begum: naturally, in separate spaces. Based in Kabul, the broadcaster operates 24 hours a day and covers more than eight provinces. “Inform, educate, empower” are the three very eloquent guiding words on the basis of which the editorial line is structured.
Three Afghan schoolgirls, in 2004, in Kabul, Afghanistan (Photo by Paula Bronstein / Getty Images)
The broadcasts are in the two national languages, Dari and Pashto. And there is a huge variety of content. A gynecologist he intervenes three times a week to talk about medical issues and to give practical advice. We talk about everything, or almost everything: from breast cancer to binge eating, to hair loss during pregnancy. Listeners can also speak anonymously. There are regular interventions by a psychologist and a theology expert, there is an Islamic talk show that deals with social and religious topics from a female point of view.
And there are educational spaces for secondary school and high school girls, there is the possibility to express frustration and to talk about one’s difficulties but also to learn and smile. There are also readings dedicated to adults: the director of the radio, Saba Chaman, 24, told a The express to be a huge fan of Michelle Obama to the point of having read her book on the air for the benefit of her listeners Becoming, in dari. (It is worth mentioning that, according to the education ministry in 2016, fewer than one in 5 Afghans (18%) could read, compared to 62% of men)
There is, however, no music. A terrible absence for a radio. We are satisfied with religious music and poems that so many young people in Afghanistan compose rap as elsewhere. There are so many difficulties, even of an economic nature, that Radio Begum has to face on a daily basis. Difficult to have the publicity necessary to survive, so one was opened fundraising campaign on Hello Assoto support journalists and technicians.
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