Once they arrive at the studio, journalists hold their editorial meeting, prepare their programs and go on air live.
‘A ray of hope in the darkness’
The station, which receives support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), operates with a team of around 30 women and broadcasts throughout much of the country, except in about a dozen of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, where authorities have banned even the sound of women’s voices in the media.
“Right now, when you are in Afghanistan and you change the channel on the television or you change the radio station, you only hear voices of men or see images of men,” Ms. Aman said.
In this soundscape dominated by male voices, Radio Begum stands out.
“Hearing a woman’s voice in this entirely masculine universe is like a small light, a sparkle in an ocean of darkness.”
A radio station for women, made by women
Radio Begum launched in March 2021, just months before the Taliban returned to power.
Its founder, Ms. Aman, 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, he returned to his country to support the development of the Afghan media.
In its beginnings, the station broadcast music, entertainment programs and interviews with active women, highlighting the achievements of Afghan women over the past twenty years.
“Radio Begum is a radio station made for women, by women.”
But after the Taliban took power in August 2021, media outlets had to quickly adapt their content.
“Overnight we had to stop streaming music. Overnight we had to reduce our entertainment programs.”
Once they arrive at the studio, Radio Begum journalists hold their editorial meeting, prepare their programs and go on air.
Navigating new restrictions
As the months have passed, the restrictions imposed on women and the media have multiplied. Women have been gradually excluded from many public sector jobs, and female journalists must work under strict conditions: they can only interview women and cannot be alone in a studio with a man.
“There were constant warnings and threats,” Aman recalled.
To continue broadcasting, the station chose to avoid any political confrontation.
“We decided not to do politics. That’s one of the reasons we can continue working.”
In late 2024, a decree issued by Taliban authorities also declared it “improper” for women’s voices to be heard in public spaces, a decision that led several provinces to ban female voices on radio and television broadcasts.
“We are a radio station serving women,” Ms. Aman said. “We are no longer just any media outlet.”
In this context, Radio Begum gradually adapted its programming and turned early towards education.
“We pioneered the use of our radio waves for education.”
Already in autumn 2021, the station began broadcasting lessons long before the ban on girls attending school became widespread. When schools later closed for teenage girls, this mission became central.
“They closed the schools, yes. School is prohibited, but education is not. So we will bring school home as much as possible.”
Today, six hours of educational programming based on the Afghan school curriculum, three hours in Dari and three in Pashto, are broadcast every day.
The station also broadcasts programs on topics including health, psychological support, medical counseling, spirituality, women’s entrepreneurship, and social issues such as addiction. Most are broadcast live, allowing listeners to call in and ask questions.
Promoting women’s rights through Islam
To talk about women’s rights, Radio Begum has taken an unexpected path: religious texts.
“We inform women about their rights and we use Islam to do it because it is the only way,” explained Ms. Aman, adding that the station’s religious program is based on verses, surahs and hadiths from the Koran, explained on air by theologians.
“Islam is very precise about the place of women in society,” she said, citing rules regarding inheritance, divorce, the status of widows and education. “We quote the verses, the surahs… so they can’t say anything.”
Initially vetted by authorities who wanted to make sure the presenters really understood the religious texts, but their reaction surprised the editorial team.
“They told us it was their favorite show.”
Today, the program is among the station’s most listened to.
Radio Begum broadcasts programs on health, psychological support, spirituality, women’s entrepreneurship and social issues, many of them broadcast live and listeners can call in and ask questions.
‘My husband behaves much better’
Each program receives many calls from listeners all over the country.
“Listener calls are a very good barometer of the impact of our programs.”
Due to demand, some shows, especially those focused on psychological support, have even been expanded.
A listener from Bamiyan province said she learned about her inheritance rights through a program and was able to enforce them within her family.
In another case, a woman explained that listening to a program had changed her husband’s behavior.
“My husband listened to the program and since then he has been much better behaved and much kinder.”
These testimonies, Ms. Aman said, “encourage us and give us a little comfort.”
‘We have to intervene’
Despite these small advances, reality remains difficult.
“Being an Afghan woman means a lot of limitations and a lot of worries,” Ms. Aman said.
In this context, Radio Begum seeks to offer a rare space for expression and listening.
“We are responding to the needs that the government should address for women, but since this government has decided to ignore 50 percent of its population, we have to intervene.”
In a country where women are increasingly excluded from the public sphere, Radio Begum continues to broadcast, providing a rare space where women can still be heard.