\u201cRight now, when you are in Afghanistan and you change the channel on television or switch between radio stations, you only hear men\u2019s voices or see images of men,\u201d Ms. Anan says.<\/p>\n
In this soundscape dominated by male voices, Radio Begum stands out.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing a woman\u2019s voice in this entirely male universe is like a small light, a glimmer in an ocean of darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n
A radio station for women, by women<\/p>\n
Radio Begum was launched in March 2021, just a few months before the Taliban returned to power.<\/p>\n
Its founder, Ms. Anan, was born in Kabul but fled the war with her family at the age of eight and grew up in Switzerland, where she studied journalism. After the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, she returned to her country to support the development of Afghan media.<\/p>\n
In its early days, the station broadcast music, entertainment programmes and interviews with active women, highlighting the achievements of Afghan women over the past twenty years.<\/p>\n
\u201cRadio Begum is a radio station made for women, by women.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, media outlets had to quickly adapt their content.<\/p>\n
\u201cOvernight, we had to stop broadcasting music. Overnight, we had to scale back our entertainment programmes.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772970609_218_image1170x530cropped.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Once they arrive at the studio, Radio Begum journalists hold their editorial meeting, prepare their shows and go live on air.<\/p>\n
Navigating new restrictions<\/p>\n
Over the months, restrictions imposed on women and the media have multiplied. Women have gradually been excluded from many public-sector jobs, and female journalists must work under strict conditions: they can interview only women and cannot be alone in a studio with a man.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were constant warnings and threats,\u201d Ms. Anan recalled.<\/p>\n
To continue broadcasting, the station chose to avoid any political confrontation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe decided not to do politics. That is one of the reasons why we can continue to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the end of 2024, a decree issued by the Taliban authorities also declared it \u201cimproper\u201d for women\u2019s voices to be heard in public spaces, a decision that led several provinces to ban female voices from radio and television broadcasts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a radio station serving women,\u201d Ms. Anan said. \u201cWe are no longer an ordinary media outlet.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this context, Radio Begum gradually adapted its programming and turned early toward education.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were pioneers using our airwaves for education.\u201d<\/p>\n
As early as autumn 2021, the station began broadcasting lessons well before the ban on girls attending school became widespread. When schools later closed to teenage girls, this mission became central.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey closed the schools, yes. School is forbidden, but education is not. So, we will bring school into the home as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, six hours of educational programming based on the Afghan school curriculum are broadcast every day, three hours in Dari and three in Pashto..<\/p>\n
The station also airs programmes on topics including health, psychological support, medical advice, spirituality, women\u2019s entrepreneurship and social issues such as addiction. Most are broadcast live, allowing listeners to call in and ask questions.<\/p>\n
Promoting women\u2019s rights through Islam<\/p>\n
To talk about women\u2019s rights, Radio Begum has taken an unexpected path: religious texts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe inform women about their rights, and we use Islam to do that because it\u2019s the only way,\u201d Ms. Anan explained, adding that the station\u2019s religious programme draws on verses, surahs and hadiths from the Qur\u2019an, explained on air by female theologians.<\/p>\n
\u201cIslam is very precise about the place of women in society,\u201d she said, citing rules concerning inheritance, divorce, the situation of widows and education. \u201cWe quote the verses, the surahs\u2026 so they can\u2019t say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Initially scrutinised by authorities who wanted to ensure the hosts truly understood the religious texts, but their reaction surprised the editorial team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey told us it was their favourite programme.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, the show ranks among the station\u2019s most listened-to programmes.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772970609_852_image1170x530cropped.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Radio Begum broadcasts programmes on health, psychological support, spirituality, women\u2019s entrepreneurship and social issues, many aired live with listeners able to call in and ask questions.<\/p>\n
\u2018My husband behaves much better\u2019<\/p>\n
Each programme receives many calls from listeners across the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe calls from listeners are a very good barometer of the impact of our programmes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because of demand, some shows, particularly those focused on psychological support, have even been extended.<\/p>\n
One listener from Bamiyan province said she learned about her inheritance rights through a programme and was able to assert them within her family.<\/p>\n
In another case, a woman explained that listening to a show had changed her husband\u2019s behaviour.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband listened to the programme and since then, he behaves much better and he is much kinder.\u201d<\/p>\n
These testimonies, Ms. Anan says, \u201cencourage us and give us a bit of comfort\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u2018We have to step in\u2019<\/p>\n
Despite these small advances, reality remains difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing an Afghan woman means a lot of constraints and a lot of worries,\u201d Ms. Anan says.<\/p>\n
In this context, Radio Begum seeks to offer a rare space for expression and listening.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are responding to needs that the government should provide for women, but since this government has decided to ignore 50 per cent of its population, we have to step in.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a country where women are increasingly banned from the public sphere, Radio Begum continues to broadcast, providing a rare space where women can still be heard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThey don\u2019t come on their own by bus or taxi because it\u2019s very complicated for a woman to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":335302,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[93,61,60,278],"class_list":{"0":"post-335301","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}