The Conversation

Pom Poms, short skirts, and chanting: this is what we think is cheerleading. Despite the physical demands of competitive cheerleading it isn’t officially recognised by some sports bodies. Kim Chakanetsa brings together two women who are challenging perceptions.Gabi Butler is an American cheerleader who was the star of the Netflix documentary series, Cheer. Her athleticism, flexibility and considerable social media presence has made her a 'cheerlebrity'. Yet posting online since she was a teen has meant being a target for inappropriate comments. She has won the cheerleading world championships twice and says "if someone says, 'Winning isn't everything' they're lying." Lilian Obieze is the founder of Lagos Nigeria Cheer and is on a mission to popularise cheerleading all over the African continent. In Nigeria she has had to change perceptions that cheerleading "is just about twerking." She started cheerleading programmes in schools 10 years ago, and since then has grown the programme from an entertainment sport to a competitive one. Her dream is for her athletes to compete internationally. Produced by Jane Thurlow and Sarah KendallIMAGE DETAILS Left: Lilian Obieze (credit Mtphotoz) Right: Gabi Butler (courtesy Gabi Butler)

What does a reindeer smell like? And how do they manage to survive in one of the harshest climates in the world, with temperatures that can drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius? Kim Chakanetsa talks all things reindeer with two women who follow these extraordinary animals for a living. Anne Louise Næss Gaup is a reindeer herder from the indigenous Sámi community in Norway. She was brought up in a family of traditional herders and she spends most of her life on the road, looking after her migrating herd. She talks about her hard but rewarding work; why these animals are so important for her culture; and why it’s very inappropriate to ask her how many reindeer she owns. Dr. Jackie Hrabok-Leppäjärvi has a joint Professorship at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Northwest Campus and at the Sámi Education Institute in Kaamanen, Finland. She teaches reindeer husbandry and applied arts. She started studying reindeer and caribous when she was 18 and she never looked back. She now develops science-based and sustainable reindeer husbandry programmes, helping indigenous communities to protect the animals they base their livelihood on.Producer: Alice Gioia Reindeer audio: Courtesy of Bengt Roger Kaaven, NRK SAPMIImage: L: Dr. Jackie Hrabok-Leppäjärvi R: Anne Louise Næss Gaup

Knitting is sometimes dismissed as a gentle domestic activity, but this craft has a rich history of activism. It also helps keep your mind sharp and make you feel more relaxed. Kim Chakanetsa meets two knitting enthusiasts to unravel the social and cultural history of the craft.Loretta Napoleoni is an Italo-American economist who usually writes about the financing of terrorism. She is also an avid knitter and in her latest book, The Power of Knitting, she looks at how knitting became a tool for women to fight discrimination and promote social change - from the spinning bees of the American Revolution to the knitting spies of WWI and WWII. Hélène Magnússon is a knit designer based in Iceland. She grew up in France where she was a lawyer. In the 1990s she quit her high-flying career to move to Iceland, using knitting to explore the culture and history of Iceland and to make friends, until it eventually became her main profession. For her, the benefits of knitting go far beyond a finished scarf: when she was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, she realised that, throughout her life, she had been using the craft to cope with social situations she found stressful. You can find more about her work at icelandicknitter.com Producer: Alice Gioia Image: L: Loretta Napoleoni - credit Roberto Vettorato R: Hélène Magnússon – courtesy of Hélène Magnússon

Why are so many women drawn to yoga? And, as it's become commodified in the West, has it lost its soul? Kim Chakanetsa discusses the billion-dollar yoga business with two women who used the power of yoga to transform their own lives.Deepika Mehta turned to yoga after a climbing accident left her struggling to walk. She found hope in yoga teachings, and eventually used the practice to help overcome her injuries. Today she is one of the most successful and sought after Ashtanga yoga teachers in India. Based in Mumbai, Deepika has travelled all over the world to teach and further her own yoga studies.Rima Rabbath grew up in Lebanon during the civil war, learning to live in the moment to escape the shelling. Eventually she would find a home in the practices and teachings of yoga. She had embarked on a successful corporate career when she attended her first yoga class in New York City. She has since become one of the leading teachers of Jivamukti yoga in Manhattan. Produced by Jo Impey for the BBC World Service. This episode was first broadcast on April 22nd, 2019.Image: (L) Deepika Mehta Credit: Radesh Image: (R) Rima Rabbath Credit: Peter Stanglmayr

Celebrating the BBC 100 Women list 2020, Kim Chakanetsa and a panel of inspirational and influential women discuss whether some changes made because of Covid-19 restrictions could be seen as positive. They answer questions about bringing communities together, supporting lonely people and increasing flexibility for more inclusive employment. Shani Dhanda is an award-winning disability specialist and social entrepreneur from the UK. She founded the Asian Woman Festival and Asian Disability Network. The pandemic has proved that flexible and home working is viable, and she wants to make sure our new online solutions are here to stay so that the world remains accessible to us all.Karen Dolva has been seeking technological solutions to involuntary loneliness since 2015. A co-founder of No Isolation based in Norway, she’s helped develop a telepresence robot for children with long-term illness, and KOMP, a one-button screen for seniors. With reports from around the world of people feeling increasingly isolated because of Covid restrictions – should tech like this be used more widely?Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, became Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone in 2018 with an inclusive vision of the city's renewal and a three-year plan to "Transform Freetown" and tackle environmental degradation and facilitate the creation of jobs in the tourism sector. #FreetownTheTreeTown was launched this January and already over 450,000 seedlings have been planted to address flooding, soil erosion and water shortages faced by the city. She says we can turn frustration and dissatisfaction into positive change. What can we learn from such an approach post-Covid?Aditi Mittal is India’s best known female stand-up comedian, who is finding new ways to perform safely and online. She also hosts the Women in Labour podcast, and hopes that the increased time at home for many male workers in India has shone a light on the amount of time required to run a household, something that has always been a big barrier to the female workforce.Produced by Jane Thurlow and Caitlin SneddonImage from left: Aditi Mittal (credit Nanak Bhatia), Shani Dhanda (courtesy Shani Dhanda), Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (credit TJ Bade) Karen Dolva (credit No Isolation)

Who do you picture when you hear the word ‘widow’? The stereotype is probably an elderly woman. But what if your spouse dies unexpectedly young? Two women share their experiences of grief, stigma, and finding the strength to live their lives to the full. Roseline Orwa is a Kenyan campaigner lobbying for cultural change around widows and the stigma towards them in Kenya and other African countries. She was widowed aged 32, when her husband was killed in post-election violence. Like many women, she had to face 'sexual cleansing' in order to be able to return to day-to-day life. She started the Rona Foundation, supporting and championing the rights of widows across the country. Anjali Pinto is an American photographer and writer who lost her husband suddenly on New Year's Eve 2016. She was only 26 and they had been married just over a year. Using social media to chronicle her life without her husband and break down taboos around grief, she unintentionally created a community of young widows on Instagram. Presenter: Kim Chakanetsa Producers: Rosie Stopher, Alice Gioia Credit: L: Roseline Orwa – credit Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity R: Anjali Pinto – credit Julie Dietz

How do disabled women deal with well-intentioned but patronising interactions? Kim Chakanetsa looks at the way disabled women are portrayed on mainstream and social media, and how they are often described as being 'inspirational' solely, or in part, because of their disability. Leanora Volpe is a London-based athlete and a member of Great Britain's Paraclimbing Team. Five years ago she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or EDS. She explains how she learned to navigate the world as a disabled woman, and how it’s opened the door to competitive climbing. As a top athlete, she knows people look up to her as a role model, but she is uncomfortable with being called 'an inspiration' just because of her disability. Amy Zayed is a music journalist and broadcaster based in Cologne. She was born blind in a family of Egyptian migrants who had just relocated to the German countryside, so she grew up knowing she was perceived as ‘different’. She talks about building a career with - and not 'despite' - her disability, and why people’s discomfort with difference can be harmful. Producer: Alice GioiaImage: L: Leanora Volpe – credit Michelle Tofi R: Amy Zayed – credit Sonja Niemeier Audio: Stella Young – credit TEDxSydney 2014, Sydney Opera House, Australia Paraclimbing World Championships 2019 – credit International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC)

Two comedians using the highs and lows of their personal lives as material for stand-up tell Kim Chakanetsa about what motivated them to get up on stage to be laughed at and how their families react. New Zealand comedian Angella Dravid, is known for her awkward manner and uses everything from her brief teen marriage to a man in his 40s to her time in a UK prison as fuel for her show. Socially anxious herself, she embraces being uncomfortable in routines. Born in Russia and now based in London, Olga Koch was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2018 for her debut hour, Fight. It’s a show about her father and Russia’s roller-coaster years from the collapse of Communism to the rise of Vladimir Putin. Image L: Angella Dravid - credit Matt Klitscher R: Olga Koch - credit James Deacon

Can fashion change the world? The clothing industry is one of the most polluting on earth, and is known for some of the worst working conditions for women and girls. Is there another way? Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women from the UK and Australia who've done things differently.Safia Minney MBE is the British founder of the pioneering sustainable and ethical fashion brand People Tree and the website Real Sustainability. After almost 30 years in the industry, she now lobbies for regulation in fashion and a change in how we approach clothes.Hanna Guy is the Australian co-founder of Cambodian brand Dorsu, which creates sustainable and ethically made basics from deadstock fabrics. Working from Kampot alongside her business partner Kunthear Mov, she's developed safe and supportive employment for local women.Image L: Safia Minney (credit Odi Caspi) R: Hanna Guy (credit Hanna Guy)

What’s the best way to design ‘pandemic-resilient’ cities? Covid-19 has changed the way we move in public spaces, and social distancing has become the rule to live by. Kim Chakanetsa and her guests imagine what the world will look like in the future.Toshiko Mori is a New York-based Japanese architect, founder of Toshiko Mori Architect and Professor at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She is the first woman to be tenured there. Growing up in Japan, she witnessed the country’s recovery after World War Two. She firmly believes that architecture can transform communities, and that crises are an opportunity to build better places.Maliam Mdoko is the first female President of the Malawi Institute of Architects and she works with Press Trust, a charity building schools, hospitals and housing facilities. Maliam is already working on redesigning the way people move inside buildings, and she thinks women need to be the driving force behind this huge cultural and societal change.IMAGE DETAILS L: Maliam Mdoko (Courtesy of Maliam Mdoko) R: Toshiko Mori (Credit: Ralph Gibson)Producer: Alice Gioia