BBC News Pashto explores female issues
March 4, 2020
The digital and TV series, Determined Women (Hoodmany Khezy), profiles the accomplishments of outstanding Pashto-speaking women.
Conceived by BBC World Service’s Women’s Affairs reporter Faranak Amidi, Let’s Talk is a women engagement series which has ran as part of BBC World Service’s output in Persian, Uzbek and Dari, evolving from an Instagram-focused project to its current, fully fledged version on the BBC News Pashto digital and TV platforms.
Shorter versions of the weekly episodes will be broadcast as part of the BBC News Pashto flagship daily TV programme, World Right Now (Naray Da Wakht).
In the Wednesday 4 March edition, focusing on domestic violence against women, Sana Safi is joined in a BBC studio in London by CEO of the Afghan Association Paiwand, Fahima Zahin; singer-songwriter Laila Khan in Peshawar; and Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commissioner Shabnam Salehi, in Kabul.
The Wednesday 11 March edition is about the importance of recognising women’s independent identity in patriarchal societies, including the Afghan culture, where women are identified merely as extensions of their male family member – husband, father or brother – rather than themselves. Sana Safi connects with singer-songwriter Ghezaal Enayat in Istanbul; Afghan diaspora activist Spojmai Ibrahimzai in London; and journalist, activist and founder of the Waak Movement of women’s empowerment, Sana Ejaz, in Peshawar.
On Wednesday 18 March, to look at how women’s awareness of their rights can bring about positive change, she is joined by singer Goodar Zazai; the former Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commissioner Mariam Zurmati, in Kabul; and Saima Khan of the Shahid Afridi Foundation, in London.
Throughout March, on BBC News Pashto TV and BBC Pashto website and Facebook, the daily series Determined Women features outstanding Afghan and Pakistani women, be it politicians, musicians, artists, businesswomen or sportswomen.
The BBC News Pashto TV programme, BBC Naray Da Wakht, is broadcast live from London on Shamshad TV in Afghanistan and Mashriq TV in Pakistan. The programme is also available on demand globally, via the BBC News Pashto YouTube channel and Facebook page. BBC News Pashto also connects with its audiences on Twitter and Instagram.
The BBC reaches more than 12m people in Afghanistan weekly. BBC News Afghan service in Dari and Pashto is part of the BBC World Service which delivers news content around the world in English and 41 other language services, on radio, TV and digital.
BBC World Service reaches a weekly audience of 319m. As part of BBC World Service, BBC Learning English teaches English to global audiences. BBC News attracts a weekly global audience of 394m people to its international services including BBC World Service, BBC World News television channel and bbc.com/news.