The Conversation

History is told by the victor, and he's usually male. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two historians who've made it their mission to track down 'ordinary' women of the past, and carve out a proper place in the history books for them.Hallie Rubenhold is a social historian whose book The Five focuses on Jack the Ripper's victims. These were real women with varied lives, before being killed and - mostly incorrectly - labelled as prostitutes. While their murderer remains unidentified over 130 years later, Hallie has pored over census records, ships' manifests, workhouse ledgers and newspaper cuttings to painstakingly reconstruct these women's stories.The Indian feminist historian Uma Chakravarti focuses on rehabilitating controversial women from the past and uncovering previously unknown women's stories. Uma's film A Quiet Little Entry is about an ordinary woman called Subbalakshmi, who contributed 'small acts of resistance' to India's struggle for Independence and left behind an extraordinary archive of papers.IMAGE L: Uma Chakravarti (credit: Uma Chakravarti) R: Hallie Rubenhold (credit: Johnny Ring)

The relationship between women and democracy in Brazil and Bhutan - Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women with a passionate interest in their country's political system.Petra Costa's parents were dissidents under the military dictatorship in Brazil, and she was two when democracy returned. Petra filmed with the first female President Dilma Rousseff, as she was impeached in 2016, and followed the rise of the populist right-wing President Bolsonaro. In her Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary The Edge of Democracy, Petra asks if Brazilian democracy will survive, and how women will fare.Namgay Zam is a respected journalist in the small Himalayan country of Bhutan, which only transitioned from absolute monarchy to democracy a decade ago. The number of women MPs has increased in that time but Namgay says there is still a long way to go before women are respected and recognised fully in the political system.Image L: Namgay Zam (credit: Bhutan Street Fashion) R: Petra Costa (credit: Netflix)

Is veganism more than just a food fad or diet trend? Research suggests the majority of vegans are female - why? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who promote a vegan diet about the challenges they face getting their message across - and the anger they encounter from those who see it as a criticism of their own choices. Selene Nelson is a British American freelance journalist, activist and author of Yes Ve-gan! In 2018 she offered an article to a supermarket chain magazine on vegan cookery and the editor responded including a joke suggestion for a series on “killing vegans one by one”. When his email was included in an article about hostile attitudes to vegans it caused such a furore he resigned. Itua Iyoha set up Eat Right Naija after transitioning to a vegan diet herself. She wants to share what she's learned with others in Nigeria and support them to make the change. She says she faces questions about whether she can't afford meat, is seriously ill or whether she'll ever find a man to marry her.IMAGE CREDITS: L: Itua Iyoha (Credit, Itua Iyoha) R: Selene Nelson (Credit, Selene Nelson)

On Love Island and Date My Family - what's it like to date in front of millions? With TV dating shows the idea is for romance to blossom between contestants, but can fame and fortune also follow? Kim Chakanetsa brings together two women who know.Montana Brown is one of the breakout stars of the British TV show Love Island. She took part in 2017 and became popular for her no-nonsense attitude and quick-witted banter. Despite coming fifth in the dating competition, since leaving the villa she has amassed an impressive social media following and started her own swimwear company. Rey Letsooa became a household name in South Africa after appearing on the popular show Date My Family. Although she didn't ultimately get together with her chosen bachelor, her show trended on social media for three days and viewers seemed to connect with her confidence and authenticity. Rey says 'I knew I would get judged on my weight but I didn’t let it stop me. I may be a size whatever but I knew that what I am is more than that.'(Image: Montana Brown (L) Credit: BBC. Rey Letsooa (R) Credit: Rey Letsooa)

Around 90% of all startup investment currently goes to male-led companies. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women who specialise in funding and supporting female startups, about why they believe investing in women is the smart choice.Marta Krupinksa is the Head of Google for Startups UK, and aims to encourage more women and under-represented founders to take the plunge into business. Marta herself co-founded the global financial technology company Azimo which raised over $70 million in venture capital. Having been the only woman in many meetings, she relishes her role now in connecting female entrepreneurs with potential investors, as well as providing mentoring and training. Anu Duggal was also an entrepreneur before deciding to create a capital fund that only invests in women-led startups - the Female Founders Fund. There is evidence that female entrepreneurs experience greater successes - and fewer failures - than their male counterparts, but traditional venture capital does not reflect this. Anu says that's why she chooses to put her money into talented businesswomen with disruptive and innovative ideas.(Image: Marta Krupinska (L) Credit Google for Startups UK. Anu Duggal (R) Credit Female Founders Fund)

Why does maintaining tribal traditions matter to these women? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two indigenous activists from Ecuador and the US about the lengths they are going to to protect their way of life from external threats.Nina Gualinga is a leader of the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Her people's lands cover more than 333,000 acres, mostly made up of pristine forest. Because her mother is from Sarayaku and her father is from Sweden, Nina considers herself as the bridge between two worlds, and is actively involved in defending Amazonian indigenous rights and territories. One of Nina Berglund's Native American names is Northern Lights Woman. She is a 20-year-old Northern Cheyenne and Oglala Lakota woman from Minnesota. Nina has gone to court to try and stop a replacement oil pipeline running through more than 40 wild rice beds, a means of survival for local indigenous tribes dating back thousands of years. She says 'We’ll be the ones birthing the next generation. We have to step up.'Image L: Nina Gualinga (credit Santiago Cornejo) R: Nina Berglund (credit Nolan Berglund)

Two women making comic books more diverse speak to Kim Chakanetsa about working in a male-dominated industry and why they're so keen to represent women and minorities in comic books.G. Willow Wilson is a novelist and comic writer from the USA. She's best known for relaunching MS Marvel, starring Kamala Khan, a 16 year old Muslim female superhero, who takes over the mantle after Carol Danvers becomes Captain Marvel. Willow has fought back against claims that diverse characters damage comic book sales and continues to represent Muslim and female characters in her work.Nicola Scott is an Australian comic book artist who has illustrated several well known female superheroes, including Wonder Woman and Birds of Prey featuring Harley Quinn, which will be adapted for film in 2020. She also co-created the Black Magick series, about young witches. She says women working on comics add layers of humanity and quality to female characters that men might miss.IMAGE: (L) G Willow Wilson, credit Getty/MichaelTullberg (R) Nicola Scott, credit Nicola Scott

Two women who set up book festivals that have gone on to become hugely successful in their own countries and beyond tell Kim Chakanetsa about the importance of women having space to talk about their writing with an audience that understands. Namita Gokhale directs the Jaipur Literature Festival with the British author William Dalrymple. The Festival has hosted nearly 2000 speakers and welcomed over a million book lovers from across India and the globe since its inception. Bringing together authors of books in India's 22 languages, it's a magnet for writers and readers alike. Namita Gokhale explains how it's developed over the years. Lola Shoneyin is a Nigerian literary powerhouse. She founded the Ake Festival in 2013. It's now a leading cultural event and attracts writers from around the world, as well as Africa's finest literary stars like Temi Oh and Ayobami Adebayo. A former teacher and prize-winning author, Lola says that African writers need to be able to talk about their books on African soil.Image: (L) Lola Shoneyin [credit Niyi Okeowo] (R) Namita Gokhale [credit Teamwork Arts]

Rhianna Pratchett and Ieva Beneckė talk to Kim Chakanetsa about their love of gaming and the impact they can have in an industry that's still dominated by men. What difference does women working in the industry have on the games themselves?It was while she was a journalist in London and reviewing computer games that Rhianna Pratchett was asked to story edit a game herself. Her award winning scripts include the Tomb Raider reboot series, The Mirror's Edge and Overlord. She now also writes film scripts. Ieva Beneckė grew up in Lithuania playing computer games with her dad. She never dreamed that she could work in the industry but taught herself the coding skills needed to create games anyway as it was her passion. She's now a Senior Games Designer and determined to create games that are truly inclusive.PHOTO: L: Rhianna Pratchett (c) The Estate of Sir Terry Pratchett R: Ieva Beneckė (credit: Ieva Beneckė)

Two women who've made it their mission to smash period taboos, and make it easier for girls to manage their menstrual health. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to campaigners from India and Tanzania.When Aditi Gupta got her first period she was banned from sitting on the family sofa or touching certain foods. From the women in her family she also learned to feel shame and to hide her damp menstrual rags in dark places, exposing her to infection. As an adult she decided to help break the taboo, and create the Menstrupedia comic book, a global resource for parents and teachers to talk about periods comfortably with their girls. Lucy Odiwa's first period arrived just as she was called on to answer a question in class. As she stood up her classmates began to snigger at the stain on her skirt. She says as well as being embarrassed and confused, she then often had to skip school when menstruating because she couldn't afford hygiene products. Now a successful businesswoman, she has developed a low-cost reusable sanitary towel.(Image: Lucy Odiwa (L) Credit: UN Women/Amanda Voisard. (R) Aditi Gupta. Credit: Menstrupedia)