News - Early 2024

Radio Begum has officially become Afghanistan's leading private radio station in terms of audience and radio coverage.

Quite an achievement under the Taliban regime for a women's radio station, but how can it be explained? Since the launch of the radio station, we have focused solely on women's concerns, keeping away from political issues. We meet the conditions imposed by the regime by not broadcasting music or news programmes, which in return allows us to broadcast our various radio programmes and courses. We are now fulfilling a public service role with health, social and educational content that is vital to the lives of Afghan girls and women.

This success is all the more significant given that Radio Begum's situation remains very precarious and dependent on the government's will. As long as women are allowed to work in the media, we are still spared, but we operate with a sword of Damocles constantly hanging over our heads. It's a daily challenge for our team in Kabul who are doing an exceptional job in such a difficult context to continue to make the voices of Afghan women heard.

Our latest advances

Launch of the Begum Academy

On 21 November we launched our free digital educational platform, Begum Academy.

It features the entire Afghan school curriculum in video lessons in all subjects taught at secondary school level, following the Afghan school textbooks, chapter by chapter, in Dari and Pashto. In total, more than 8,000 videos have been recorded in just a few months to respond to the emotional urgency of the thousands of Afghan girls deprived of an education since August 2021.

We have designed Begum Academy to be easy to navigate for an audience that often has a fairly basic web culture. It has an ergonomic design so that students can access it on a smartphone, tablet or computer.

To support students on our platform and, in particular, to deal with any technical difficulties, we have set up a chatroom where our operators are on hand to assist students with their registration and where our teaching team answers students' questions about the programme. In total, our team responds to more than 150 messages a day from over 3,000 registered students.

The Kabul studio gets prettier

Thanks to donations, we have been able to install 25 solar panels on the roofs of the Kabul studio. These will enable us to make up for the lack of electricity and the random power supply provided by the city. Until now, to broadcast our programmes, which require a constant and continuous power supply, we had to use a large generator that consumes a lot of petrol. The installation of solar panels will now mean that we are no longer dependent on this generator, that we can save on fuel consumption and redistribute it to develop our programmes, and that we can be a greener radio station !

Our radio team has painted a mural in the studio office where they work. The mural, designed by Khadijah, one of the members of the team, is a collective work that symbolises the very essence of Radio Begum: a space of freedom and sisterhood, with each butterfly symbolising each of the women who bring Radio Begum to life. It's a wonderful piece of art therapy that we recommend in our mental health programmes and use internally.

Next steps

The launch of Begum Academy is a very important step in the pursuit of our educational mission, but it doesn't stop there. Our digital platform is a marvellous educational tool, but unfortunately it doesn't allow us to reach all the young girls in the country, as it can be difficult and expensive to connect to the internet in Afghanistan.

We therefore anticipated this limitation by preparing to broadcast the Begum Academy video courses on a satellite TV channel: Begum TV. This will enable us to reach almost all Afghan households, the vast majority of which have a satellite connection and a television. We are preparing a broadcast schedule equivalent to a school timetable so that all the girls can go back to school on 21 March, when the channel is officially launched. Several other programmes are also being prepared in our Paris office, from where the channel will be broadcast. Stay tuned!

Portrait of a Begum

Khadijah Ghurzang - teacher at the Begum Academy and designer of the mural

My name is Khadijah, and I go by the lastname "Ghurzang," which means movement, motion, and raising one's voice. I am not sure if this name had an impact on me or if it was inherited, instilling in me a desire always to speak up and be more dynamic than others. Motivated by this inner calling, I sought to find a path or learn something that would allow me to express the inner voice within me.

Guided by my father's advice, I chose the path of art and enrolled in the Faculty of Fine Arts. The word "art" holds different meanings for different people – beauty, depth of thought, or imagination. Like others, I had my own definition: a means to portray the truths of my society and articulate the societal shortcomings that language fails to express.

Driven by this purpose, I chose the field of sculpture in the Faculty of Fine Arts to better and more vividly convey my goals and intentions to viewers. Eventually, after completing the four-year university program with distinction, I was ready to move on to the next stage of art education, unaware that the course of my aspirations would not proceed as planned.
A regime change occurred in the country (Islamic Emirate). This change affected not only the affairs of the nation but also toppled the aspirations that we, as daughters, had strived for a lifetime. Like many others, I entered a dark and uncertain phase of my life, becoming confined to my home.

Nevertheless, amidst this turmoil, I did not abandon the tools of sculpture, modeling, color, and canvas. Instead, I immersed myself even deeper in art, recognizing it as the universal language understood by people worldwide.

One year into this period of sorrow and darkness, a friend told me about Radio Begum. I was intrigued, not because it was the first time I had heard the term, but because in this era where Begums (women) were forced into silence, tears, and mourning, an organization officially operated, and I decided to join this family.It has been almost a year since I have been working in this organization full of affection and camaraderie, just like its name (Begum) suggests: compassionate, steadfast, and, most importantly, a resonant voice. During this time, I have not only been engaged in my specific role but also had opportunities to explore my talents and gain various experiences.

Throughout this period, I have sweet memories with Begum and the staff of Radio Begum, each of which brings a smile to my face when recalled. It became evident to me that Afghan women, even in the worst conditions, do not shy away from effort and struggle. They spare no effort to create favorable conditions for their fellow women.

Begum, like a loving mother, has opened her arms not only for me but for all the girls working here, who are contributing to their families. This kindness has been transferred to its staff, who, like family members, stand together in good and bad times.

This is the story of me and Begum.

News - Early 2024

Our latest advances

Launch of the Begum Academy

Begum at UNESCO

The Kabul studio gets prettier

Next steps

Portrait of a Begum

Khadijah Ghurzang - teacher at the Begum Academy and designer of the mural

Our donors

Our operational partners

News - Early 2024

Our latest advances

Launch of the Begum Academy

Begum at UNESCO

The Kabul studio gets prettier

Next steps

Portrait of a Begum

Khadijah Ghurzang - teacher at the Begum Academy and designer of the mural

Our donors

Our operational partners

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