One Vision Different Worlds

One Vision Different Worlds
In 1982 I found myself in a job as a newscaster at the national radio in my country. Soon after, I realized that while the institution needed my skills in reading news in one of the local languages, my heart was with the Rural Broadcasting Unit where the Women’s Magazine programme has been allocated. I demonstrated my interest eventually I became presenter and producer of the most popular women’s programme - Musol Taa (literally means ‘women’s own’). It became a forum to amplify the voices of women. At the beginning it was challenging to have women ‘speak out on radio’ but it later became a popular programme and many more women gained confidence to speak out.
As I became an activist journalist, I used the women’s programme as a sanctuary for women to share their concerns and how they think they can be address - this became empowering for more women and the demand for airtime increased. I took a new outlook in the promotion of new images of women as professionals, partners in development addressing the private concerns that have implication in the public images of women and their participation in development. Musol Taa became a recognized forum to listen to the voices of women. It contributed to stirring the national debates on women and gender issues – women and men all joined the debate in the media. In 1997, a media directive was given to ban the FGM debate on the national radio. I cannot be silenced about women’s rights.
I was in the middle of editing a draft proposal for a project to create an alternative media for women’s empowerment, when my director at GAMCOTRAP called my attention to an email from one of our networkers about the Voice of the Future Application for 2011. Reading through the email, I said to myself ‘could this be a dream come true, a forum I can speak out and be in control of what I want to say without fear of censorship or discrimination?’
Going through the VOF Application process, began making friends on Pulse Wire, I stayed late, sitting for at times two hours checking the different information on World Pulse. My daughter would laugh at me and said “Ma I can’t belief that you’re sitting on the internet until this late – wow Pulse wire!” Yes, Pulse wire for me is not like Facebook to her, I feel that I have space to comment and share my views on important issues affecting women and girls . It is not a forum just to appreciate a nice picture or the latest profile of a friend or a family member. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate beautiful things, but Pulse Wire provides a type of beauty that accommodates diversity, the courage to speak out and positively contribute to the changing world of women. I realized that World Pulse as a media network mirrors my vision of women and the media in a different setting.