The Conversation

Women are big fans of true crime stories… from books, to films, podcasts and TV programmes. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who've made their name reporting on true crime. Connie Walker is a Canadian journalist whose award-winning true crime podcast series, Missing and Murdered, examines violence and discrimination against women and girls from Indigenous communities. She is Cree and uses the mystery, and twists and turns of true crime to help educate people about Indigenous history.While Tanya Farber was covering the trial of a man who murdered his family she realised that this kind of crime got a lot of attention, as did trials involving women killers. She wrote Blood on Her Hands: South Africa’s Most Notorious Female Killers. They talk about what sparks this fascination when by far the majority of victims and perpetrators of crime are men. Produced by Jane Thurlow IMAGE DETAILS Left: Tanya Farber (courtesy Tanya Farber) Right: Connie Walker (courtesy Connie Walker)

Whether it’s a stroke of a cheek or a sex scene, filming intimate content for movies and TV is a delicate business. When badly handled, it can even cause the actors harm. Kim Chakanetsa talks to an Indian movie director and to a pioneering intimacy coordinator about ensuring actors feel safe on set while filming simulated sex scenes. Also: has the #MeToo movement fuelled a demand for better boundaries, and how is the industry responding? Ita O'Brien is a British movement director and intimacy coordinator for film, TV and theatre. She worked on the set of I May Destroy You, Normal People, Gentleman Jack and Sex Education. She has developed the 'Intimacy on Set' guidelines for those working with intimacy, scenes with sexual content and nudity. Alankrita Shrivastava is an Indian screenwriter and director. Her 2017 movie, Lipstick Under My Burkha, was initially banned in India for containing 'contagious sexual scenes'. She explains the challenges of shooting sex scenes in Bollywood, where nudity isn't allowed, and how to put women's desire at the centre of the narrative.Produced by Sarah Kendal and Alice Gioia for the BBC World Service.IMAGE DETAILS Left: Alankrita Shrivastava (credit Komal Gandhi) Right: Ita O'Brien (credit Nic Dawkes)

The business of selling multi-million dollar homes: Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women working in Dubai and LA's competitive real estate markets about what it takes to make it. Amanza Smith is a real estate agent and interior designer. She's part of the team featured in the reality TV show Selling Sunset - a real estate agency for eye-popping high-end residential properties in Los Angeles. She says that while growing up poor 'sucks at the time', it's helped make her determined not to fail and has given her an ability to work really hard at everything she does. Lebanese born Zeina Khoury lives in Dubai and is the CEO of High Mark Real Estate Brokers, a specialist luxury property sales and management company in the United Arab Emirates. The agency buys and sells exclusive properties, including opulent apartments in the Versace Palazzo Dubai, for clients based around the world. Producer: Jane Thurlow (Photo: (L) Zeina Khoury (courtesy Zeina Khoury. (R): Amanza Smith. Credit Michael Bezjian/Getty Images)

When a woman chooses not to have children, why is it still seen as a radical decision? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women about their stories and the stigma associated with their choice to be childfree. Doreen Akiyo Yomoah is a writer and blogs at Childfree African. Born in Accra, Ghana, she has lived in the US, Japan and Senegal and she is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. She chose not to have kids in her early 20s and she thinks being childfree is part of a wider discussion about reproductive rights and feminism. Nina Steele is the founder and editor of Nonparents.com. She is originally from the Ivory Coast and she is now based in the UK. When she discovered she couldn't have children, she decided to stay childfree. She says her website has become a resource for African childless and childfree women and men alike. Produced by Alice Gioia. IMAGEL: Doreen Akiyo Yomoah (Credit: Lamine Bouan) R: Nina Steele (Courtesy of Nina Steele)

Two of the most decorated female sprinters on the planet, from the US and Jamaica, talk to Kim Chakanetsa about smashing records, the impact of pregnancy, and calling out sex discrimination in their sport.Allyson Felix is an American sprinter who one year after giving birth to a premature baby, beat Usain Bolt’s record for winning the most world championship gold medals. After Allyson exposed her sponsor Nike for asking her to take a 70% pay cut on a new deal post-pregnancy, the brand changed its policy on pregnant athletes.Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has won more 100m world titles than any other athlete in history, male or female. After taking a break from athletics to have a child, she became the world's fastest woman for the fourth time in 2019, bagging two gold medals at Doha.Both athletes are aiming to add to their medal tally at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.Produced by Jane Thurlow IMAGE DETAILS Left: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (credit Will Twort) Right: Allyson Felix (credit Wes Felix)

Flushing the toilet: an act that most of us carelessly perform several times a day, but that for 4.2 billion people in the world is still a luxury. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two pioneering engineers about the crucial role wastewater management plays in society, including how sewers can help in the fight against Covid-19. Dina Gillespie is an area operations manager with Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and wastewater company. She is passionate about turning sludge into energy and about the history of London’s impressive sewerage system, which was built in the 19th century to cope with cholera outbreaks. She also discusses the risks fatbergs pose to our lives, and why we should all be more careful about what we flush down the toilet. Birguy Lamizana-Diallo is the UN Environment Programme Officer in charge of wastewater management in West Africa. She studied the impact septic tanks and open-air latrines have on the environment and on the life of the community in her home country, Burkina Faso. After more than 20 years working in the private and public sector, she now coordinates training programmes to raise awareness of the environmental costs and the health and safety aspect of managing wastewater.Produced by Alice GioiaIMAGE L: Birguy Lamizana-Diallo R: Dina Gillespie

With so much happening that’s out of our control, what can we do to be happier, calmer and more content? Kim Chakanetsa gets tips and advice from South Korea and Denmark. In her book The Power of Nunchi, Euny Hong writes about what she calls a South Korean ‘super power’. She says we could all live happier lives by developing this knowledge of how to 'read' a room or someone else's feelings and that we'd all get along better if we learned to listen more.Denmark is considered to be one of the happiest countries in the world. The author of Happy as a Dane, Malene Rydahl believes there are aspects of their culture that we can all use to improve our chances of happiness. She has advice and tips on how we can all learn to be a little more Danish in our outlook and be happier as a result.Produced by Jane ThurlowIMAGE L: Euny Hong (courtesy Euny Hong) R: Malene Rydahl (credit malenerydahl.com)

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