Once they arrive in the studio, the journalists hold their editorial meeting, prepare their shows and go live on air.
‘Glimmer of hope in the darkness’
The station, which receives support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), operates with a team of about 30 women and broadcasts across much of the country, except about a dozen of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, where authorities have banned even the sound of women’s voices in the media.
“Right now, if you are in Afghanistan and you change channels on the television or switch between radio stations, all you hear are male voices or see images of men,” Ms. Anan said.
In this soundscape dominated by male voices, Radio Begum stands out.
“Hearing a woman’s voice in this all-male universe is like a small light, a ray of light in an ocean of darkness.”
A radio station for women, by women
Radio Begum was launched in March 2021, just a few months before the Taliban returned to power.
The founder, Ms. Anan, was born in Kabul, but fled the war with her family at the age of eight and grew up in Switzerland, where she studied journalism. After the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, she returned to her country to support the development of the Afghan media.
In its early days, the channel broadcast music, entertainment programs and interviews with active women, highlighting the achievements of Afghan women over the past two decades.
“Radio Begum is a radio station made for women, by women.”
But after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the media had to quickly adapt their content.
“Overnight we had to stop broadcasting music. Overnight we had to scale back our entertainment programs.”
Navigate new restrictions
Over the months, the restrictions placed on women and the media have multiplied. Women have been gradually excluded from many public sector jobs, and female journalists have to work under strict conditions: they can only interview women and cannot be alone in a studio with a man.
“There were constant warnings and threats,” Ms. Anan recalls.
In order to continue broadcasting, the channel chose to avoid any political confrontation.
“We have decided not to do politics. That is one of the reasons why we can continue to work.”
In late 2024, a decree by Taliban authorities also declared it “inappropriate” for women’s voices to be heard in public spaces, a decision that led several provinces to ban women’s voices from radio and television broadcasts.
“We are a radio station that serves women,” Ms. Anan said. “We are no longer just a media outlet.”
In this context, Radio Begum gradually adapted its programming and focused early on on education.
“We were pioneers using our airwaves for education.”
The channel started broadcasting classes back in the fall of 2021, long before the school ban for girls became widespread. When schools later closed to teenage girls, this mission became central.
“They closed the schools, yes. School is prohibited, but education is not. That is why we bring school home as much as possible.”
Today, six hours of educational programming are broadcast every day, based on the Afghan school curriculum, three hours in Dari and three hours in Pashto.
The channel also broadcasts programs on topics such as health, psychological support, medical advice, spirituality, female entrepreneurship and social issues such as addiction. Most are broadcast live, so listeners can call in and ask questions.
Promoting women’s rights through Islam
To talk about women’s rights, Radio Begum has taken an unexpected path: religious texts.
“We inform women about their rights, and we use Islam to do that because that is the only way,” Ms. Anan explained, adding that the channel’s religious program is based on verses, surahs and hadiths from the Quran, which are explained on air by female theologians.
“Islam is very precise about the place of women in society,” she said, citing rules on inheritance, divorce, the situation of widows and education. “We quote the verses, the surahs… so they can’t say anything.”
Initially scrutinized by authorities who wanted to make sure the presenters actually understood the religious texts, their response surprised the editors.
“They told us it was their favorite show.”
Today the show is one of the channel’s most listened to programs.
‘My husband behaves much better’
Each program receives many calls from listeners across the country.
“Listener calls are a very good barometer of the impact of our programs.”
Due to demand, some shows, especially those focused on psychological support, have even been extended.
A listener from Bamiyan Province said she learned about her inheritance rights through a program and was able to assert them within her family.
In another case, a woman explained that listening to a program had changed her husband’s behavior.
“My husband listened to the program and since then he has behaved much better and is much friendlier.”
These testimonies, Ms. Anan says, “encourage us and give us a little comfort.”
‘We must intervene’
Despite this small progress, the reality remains difficult.
“Being an Afghan woman means a lot of limitations and a lot of worries,” says Ms. Anan.
In this context, Radio Begum wants to offer a rare space for expression and listening.
“We are responding to the needs that the government should be meeting for women, but since this government has decided to ignore 50 percent of the population, we must intervene.”
In a country where women are increasingly banished from the public sphere, Radio Begum continues to broadcast, providing a rare space where women can still be heard.
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