Feminism and Power

11/29/21 • 52 min

What would you do if a genie granted you absolute power? In episode two, host Martha Chaves poses that juicy question to her guests, activists Dildar Kaya in Iraq and Norwu Kolu in Liberia. Dildar works with ISIS survivors and Norwu in empowering women and girls. They examine the theme of feminism and power, identifying the qualities of good feminist leadership and workplace structure. Martha, herself a professional comic, describes the evolution in the comedy world away from misogynistic and other mean humour. She poses the ‘absolute power’ question more than halfway through, promising massages and ice cream for all when she’s in charge. Find out what Dildar and Norwu would do and enjoy answering the question yourself.

Previous Episode

Power Over

Are we experiencing the last gasp of the patriarchy? If so, what comes next? Host Martha Chaves sparks ideas from Fahima Hashim and Nancy Ingram about transforming hierarchal patriarchal power structures embedded in some of our lives since childhood. “My mother was the boss of me, my father was the boss of her, and society was the boss of him,” Martha confesses. Sound familiar? The guests are experienced, accomplished feminist activists brimming with ideas on what needs to be done. Fahima emphasizes collective structures and decisions by consensus. It’s not really a question of hierarchical structure, Nancy counters. “It’s how we relate to each other and what are the rules of engagement.” Listen and decide what you think.

Next Episode

Power Within

Ounaysa Abbas Arabi was among the women on the front lines of the 2019 revolution in Sudan. But the post-conflict promise of gender justice was merely a slogan used by men in power to attract international funds, she says. "They just want the money and they just put it into their pockets." No matter how difficult, Musu Kamara of Liberia urges other young women to "rise up in spite of the challenges, in spite of the abuses, the social sanctions, the harmful traditional gender norms." Both women counsel that change takes time. Witnessing, in your own life, the change that you are working for would be awesome, says Ounaysa, but it's okay if you won't. Martha found her guests so strong and determined that "I wouldn't like to be your enemy."