The Power of Engaging Women as Community Broadcasters

SOURCE: Radio ARA

All voices matter, but some are sometimes too loud and some others are told to be quiet. Podcasting and creating any other radio content as a woman on a community radio such as Radio ARA is about taking up a space where you can sound like yourself, and the more yourself you sound, the better it is. In the physical realm struggling to be heard can be a daily practice for many women, however, the immaterial element of the material body, the voice, creates a whole new dimension of self-positioning and expression in the context of podcasting.

Through resisting and redefining norms of sonic space, the female voices speak about themselves and the world they live in, creating a sincere, intimate and empathic environment between themselves and the listeners. We hear and we “feel” feminine voices on the frequencies of radio ARA, and these voices are sharing personal stories, experiences, these voices are vibrant, deviant, these voices talk about the society, politics, culture, sex, life and these voices are heard.

A personal experience

My journey through the world of radio and podcasting, which remains a territory yet to be discovered on even deeper levels, has enriched my personality to a large extent. Through my experience at Radio ARA over the past 5 years, I have had the greatest pleasure to explore and play with sound and silence, with my own voice, my thinking, as well as to connect to the audience and create a shared and dynamic presence independent of space and time. I was given all the tools and the freedom to experiment, to learn how to make shows, podcasts, jingles and to navigate through radio as a digital storytelling tool.

My journey thus expanded into incorporating radio production and podcasting into my university research as well as getting involved in podcast initiatives on a professional basis. Additionally, my studies gave me a new vision of radio production and podcasting as forms of experiential and artistic learning. Importantly, I have been part of the campus radio over the last three years through which I have been able to connect to a wider student community, to welcome some students in our studios and co-create podcasts together.

On a final note, even though there still are entities disparaging the sound of feminine/feminist voices, podcast-space on a community radio gives the potentiality for all these voices to travel through waves and frequencies and reach not only ears but also hearts.