Somalia’s all-women media outfit, Bilan, is launching the country’s first TV current affairs show to cover topics pertaining to women that have historically been suppressed due to the country’s abhorrent gender inequality.
The show will be hosted by a woman and at least half of its guests will be women. The female-run, independent network will present the show once a month, addressing issues such as the shortage of female teachers, gender discrimination in politics, and the impacts of environmental issues on women.
According to the Guardian, the show will operate in a similar style to the UK’s BBC Question Time, where a team of reporters will visit venues across the country and invite the public to participate and contribute their opinions.
Fathi Mohamed Ahmed, the chief editor of Bilan, believes her media company provides a vital alternative to the current media content in Somalia, which “just focus[es] on politics and conflict.”
“There are so many stories to do on Somali society, especially about Somali people, and what is going on here,” she said. “We are going to have all those stories.”
In December, the host Naima Said Salah featured in the show’s pilot episode, discussing menstruation education and health with young women.
“Women, including me, never had the opportunity to learn about periods as girls; even our own mums don’t discuss it,” Salah said. “People think this is taboo, but it is a fact; it exists and we cannot ignore it.”
The episode was praised for its candid discussions with young women, many who lack access to basic and essential hygiene products, forcing them to use risky forms of protection including tree barks, old clothes, socks and newspapers.
“One young woman in the audience shared her own experience,” Salah, a senior reporter at Bilan, said. “She remembered the exact time and day when her period started because she had no idea what was happening. She thought she was dying. It was only after she told her older sister, that she understood.”
Somalia is the most dangerous country for journalists in Africa. More than 50 journalists have been killed in the past twelve years. In the Global Impunity Index by The Committee to Protect Journalists – a list that calculates the number of unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of a country’s population, Somalia ranks last.
The country was ranked by the UN as the fourth-lowest for gender equality globally. Women and girls in Somalia face harrowing challenges, with maternal and infant mortality rates among some of the highest in the world, and early marriage being one of the most pervasive.
Director of the Mogadishu schools network, Cabdulqaadir Maxamed Xasan, posted his reaction to the new show on Bilan, saying he was pleased that the show is offering “more knowledge and experience” on education issues to the public.
“Given the scarcity of female teachers in the education sector, young girls often struggle during their periods to adapt to changing circumstances. This discussion underscored the importance of community support during this critical time, particularly at the onset of adolescence.”
The show will officially launch on International Women’s Day, on 8 March this year.