For International Women’s Day 2016, Meena tells us how she hosted a debate show with an audience of 100 women and an all-female production crew.
I present a radio programme called Niambie which means Talk to Me. It mixes politics with the latest entertainment to engage young Tanzanians both on air and online.
“Can women do what men do?” was the talking point for one episode. We invited female mechanics onto the show to inspire female listeners to believe in themselves and encourage discussion around gender stereotypes. It got some pretty heated debates on the go!
In the past year I hosted our first special recording without Noel my male co-host. It was a debate programme for the .To add to the challenge we had an all-female crew – a first for Tanzania.
I was pretty nervous to go it alone, but you know what, I did it. And I did it standing side by side with some pretty inspirational women - from our production manager, to the second woman in Tanzanian history to run for the presidency, to a regular 22-year-old in the audience like myself.
It was good to watch them speak up without fear, to ask their questions and to make their voices heard. There was so much power going on in that room. For the women who were listening at home I hope they learnt that, you know what, there were 100 women out there, representing me.
The media plays a big role in opening women’s eyes about political processes. It’s exciting for Niambie to play a part; our research shows young women listeners have an increased understanding of how to play a role in wider society and the importance of choosing a leader.
Women in my country need to be active in the media to be more informed and to inspire others. Young women have said I inspire them, and that they would like to be like me. To have anyone look at your work and see you as an inspiration is humbling and it spurs me on to portray more strength to my listeners.
Girl, my message to you is this - we’ll take this world on, side by side.
Read more inspiring stories of how women are using media to make waves.