Radio in Palestine gives women a voice
Media in Palestine remains primarily a man’s world. But Radio NISAA, the first commercial women’s radio station in the Middle East run by women, works to break the mold and alter the stereotypical representation of women in Palestinian media
By Suzanne Moll, IMS
A small Palestinian radio is working tirelessly to give women in Palestine a voice in anenvironment where women are not viewed as equal partners in the economic and social development of society. In the midst of these challenges, IMS is working with Radio NISAA FM, a radio for women in the Middle East and a “power house” in its own right located on the West Bank. On World Radio Day, IMS shines the spotlight on Radio NISAA.
Connecting women across walls and checkpoints
NISAA FM is a commercial, non-political radio station in Ramallah, Palestine, whose mission is to entertain, inform, inspire and empower Palestinian women. NISAA FM is a pioneering station, dedicated to women and focusing on all aspects of living in Palestine. Traditionally, few women in Palestine work in media and the image of women in media is still one largely created and presented by men. Radio NISAA therefore aims to address issues that affect women in their daily lives in Palestine and promote a connectivity and exchange of information between women who are separated by walls and checkpoints. The idea is to engage men too in the discussion about women’s rights in a sensitive manner.
But there would be no Radio NISAA without Ms. Maysoun Gangat, the Radio’s director and co-founder along with Yann Borgstedt, chairman of the Womanity Foundation. At first glance you can sense that the heart of this 48 year-old Palestinian woman from Jerusalem beats for media and for the cause of women. Her motivation is to help give a future to a region where it is hard to see one.
NISAA offers informative and entertaining radio with emphasis on talk shows morning, noon and early evening. The newest live show is the Saturday morning show launched on 18 January. All of these programmes are hosted by powerful women and a few men, dedicated to giving the Palestinian people updated information on what is going on in the territories and the Arab world in general.
“We want to give women the best information we can on their rights and give them good advice on career, kids, and education. But we also need to entertain them with the best music,” says Maysoun Gangat.
Slow growth
The response from the listeners and potential sponsors has been positive, and the radio is slowly expanding. But despite the success, Maysoun Gangat’s approach is cautious.
“We want to grow at a slow pace and want to ensure that our plans are economically viable,” she says.
As a result, some of the 11 staff members have dual roles, one related to programme production, the other related to administration. Together with IMS, Maysoun Gangat is now working to consolidate the business model of the radio and fine-tuning the strategic plan for growing. With regard to programme content, the good thing about radio will always be the extreme flexibility and changes that can be implemented very fast. And for Maysoun Gangat, ambitions are high on behalf of Palestinian women.
