The Conversation

Two women talk to Kim Chakanetsa about their anti-racism campaigns in Lebanon and Netherlands and the emotional toll of speaking out. Jessica de Abreu is an activist and co-founder of The Black Archives in Amsterdam. As part of the Kick Out Zwarte Piet group she protests against the annual tradition in the Netherlands where children and adults alike dress up with black face to celebrate Santa’s helper ‘Black Pete’. In the past protesters have been attacked and ignored by a country that has long seen this as harmless fun. Massive turnouts at recent BLM inspired protests could suggest a turning of the tide. Ubah Ali is from Somaliland and currently studying at the American University of Beirut. She talks about Lebanon's ‘kafala’ system, which excludes the predominantly Black migrant workforce from labour laws. She says she’s regularly mistaken for a domestic worker and fights to challenge preconceptions about Black women.IMAGE DETAILS L: Ubah Ali (credit - Ubah Ali) R: Jessica de Abreu (credit - Marcel Wogram)

How does feminism influence our love lives? Is it possible to hold true to feminist principles of equality when dating apps reduce us to swipe-able products on a page? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who write about sex and dating. Priya Malik is a columnist and spoken word poet, who writes about feminism, love, sex and dating. She moved to Australia with her husband but returned home to Mumbai after her divorce and is now in a relationship which has equality at its heart. Annie Lord is a journalist who writes about sex and relationships for British Vogue. A committed feminist she admits it can be hard to hold on to those principles of equality in the world of dating.Image L: Priya Malik (credit - Priya Malik) R: Annie Lord (credit - Annie Lord)

As the coronavirus pandemic spread across the globe, victims of domestic violence found themselves facing a double threat - that of a deadly virus outside and abuse at home. Distress calls to domestic violence hotlines have soared - leaving charities overwhelmed and struggling to meet demand. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women supporting domestic abuse survivors. Hospitalised by a former partner twice before being able to leave, Marica Phipps set up Battered Not Broken, a US charity providing education, support and resources for victims of domestic abuse. Tamara White is an Area Manager for Hestia, a charity that supports adults and children in times of crisis. It is one of the largest providers of domestic abuse refuges in London and South East England.IMAGE DETAILS L: Tamara White R: Marica Phipps

Two women who’ve used music to empower women talk to Kim Chakanetsa about writing a song that becomes a rallying cry around the world. Madame Gandhi is a percussionist, producer and activist who has drummed for M.I.A and toured with Oprah. Her musical catalogue doubles as a manifesto for gender equality. Sibila Sotomayor is part of LasTesis - a collective of four female artists in Chile who wrote the song, A Rapist in Your Path. Within a few weeks of its first performance it was replicated hundreds of times around the world, and videos of flashmob performances from Turkey to Venezuela have gone viral.IMAGE DETAILS L: Sibila Sotomayor (credit: Sibila Sotomayor) R: Madame Gandhi (credit: Djeneba Aduayom)

Two women with albinism talk to Kim Chakanetsa about countering superstition and prejudice around the condition.   As a ‘white African’ growing up in Nigeria Ikponwosa Ero was well aware of the danger some people with the condition face. In June 2015 she was appointed the first UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism and campaigns against stigmatisation, myths and violence.   Connie Chiu is known as the first international fashion model with albinism. Born in Hong Kong she and her family moved to Sweden when she was a child to avoid harsh sunlight and in an effort to help her 'fit in.' She talks about challenging conventional ideas of beauty and wants to dispel the myth that albinism is limiting. IMAGE Left: Ikponwosa Ero (credit: A F Rouen) Right: Connie Chiu (credit: Ellis Parrinder)

Nurses risking their lives to treat coronavirus patients. Hospitals around the world - and in particular Intensive Care Units - have been described as the frontline of the pandemic. It's there that the sickest Covid19 patients are looked after round-the-clock by highly specialised nurses. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two of them at the height of the current outbreak.Hannah Gray is a 23-year-old nurse working in an Intensive Care Unit at a major London hospital. Her unit has rapidly expanded to accommodate extra patients, and all the staff are getting used to working in full PPE or Personal Protective Equipment. Hannah has been documenting her experiences on her blog, The Corona Lisa. Bianca Dintino is a 26-year-old critical care nurse based at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. She was among the first to volunteer to work with coronavirus patients when they started arriving at her hospital in mid-March. She describes the camaraderie that has developed among her co-workers.Image: (l) Bianca Dintino (credit: Anne Marie) (r) Hannah Gray (credit: Simi Sebastian)

The vagina: separating myth from fact. Kim Chakanetsa and her two expert guests examine a part of the body that's often shrouded in mystery and shame.Dr Jen Gunter has been described as the world's most famous gynaecologist, and is also known as a fierce critic of the multi-million dollar wellness industry. The Canadian-American author of The Vagina Bible says 'Weaponizing women’s bodies is profitable' and believes companies are making money out of women's fears about their genitals. She wants to empower instead by debunking the myths and health misconceptions.Dr Susan Adongo Meme is an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Kenyatta National Hospital in Kenya. She says most women don't know that the place they urinate from is not the same place they menstruate from. Cultural taboos mean they are not encouraged to even look 'down there' and there's a general belief that the vagina is unclean. Potentially harmful douching is therefore widespread - as it is in other parts of the world, including the US.IMAGE L: Dr Susan Adongo Meme (credit Dr Susan Adongo Meme) R: Dr Jen Gunter (credit Jason LeCras)

Riding across continents in some of the world's toughest cycle races.  Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who've used their reserves of physical and mental strength.   Fiona Kolbinger was the winner of the Transcontinental Race in 2019. She crossed Europe, from Bulgaria to France - a distance of 4000km - in ten days two hours and 48 minutes. She beat the second closest rider, a man, by almost six hours. She says when a part of her was in pain she focused on the bits of her body that had hurt yesterday but had got better, knowing that something different would hurt tomorrow!Emily Chappell worked as a cycle courier in London before developing a taste for long distance adventures, cycling from Wales across Asia to Japan. In her first Transcontinental Race in 2015 she made it only halfway, waking up suddenly on her back in a field, floored by the physical and mental exertion. The following year she was the first woman to cross the line - two days ahead of the other female competitors. She says these cycling challenges make her feel powerful and confident in all aspects of life and more women should give it a go.Image (L) Emily Chappell (credit: Kristian Pletten) (R) Fiona Kolbinger (credit: James Robertson)

Two women from South Africa and Australia discuss ‘toxic masculinity’ with Kim Chakanetsa. How can we raise boys to be in touch with their emotions and to become men who respect women?Clementine Ford is an Australian feminist whose books Fight Like A Girl and Boys Will Be Boys challenge traditional gender stereotyping. She regularly receives death and rape threats from people who accuse her of being a man-hater. She actually believes that a patriarchal society can be as damaging for men as for women. With a young son herself, she wants to see boyhood redefined to include sensitivity, kindness, respect and nurture.Sisonke Msimang is a South African writer whose work focuses on race, gender and democracy. Having lived in many different countries, she says that all societies allow and even expect men to be violent and predatory. She wants to dismantle this, but believes the term toxic masculinity is not helpful if you want to take the majority of people with you. Sisonke's memoir is called Always Another Country.IMAGE Clementine Ford (credit Clementine Ford) Sisonke Msimang (credit Nick White)

Female jazz musicians speaking out about sexism and harassment in the improvised music world. While jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday are iconic figures, female instrumentalists and composers have struggled to get the recognition they deserve. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women addressing this inequality and promoting female performers.A recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award, Regina Carter is a highly regarded jazz violinist who blends musical genres from jazz, R&B and Latin to classical, pop and African. She’s Artistic Director of the New Jersey Performing Arts All Female Jazz Residency, which supports aspiring women jazz professionals. Issie Barratt is an award-winning British jazz composer, conductor, baritone sax player and producer. She’s recently formed an all-female ensemble called Interchange, championing the creativity of women improvisers and composers. She founded the Jazz faculty at Trinity Laban College of Music and is a trustee for the Women’s Jazz Archive.IMAGE CREDITS: Issie Barratt [Rob Shiret/BBC] Regina Carter [Christopher Drukker]