Fast fashion still has its hold on the industry, but that grip may be loosening. With the help of independent designers, social media and public urgency, sustainable fashion has come a long way. Designers are reckoning with the effects of wasteful fashion norms and trends. Egyptian designer Hana Amer creates high-end designs through zero-waste practices….
Farida Benlyazid was once widely considered to be Morocco’s only female filmmaker. Her career began in the late 70s and her legacy is seminal in Morocco’s film history. Like many directors of her time, her stories were centred on the untold experiences of marginalised women. She also helped pave the way for other pioneers across…
The AWiM 2022 conference provided ample opportunity to address African women’s road to equality so far. Many of the conversations sought to examine the media landscape both from larger and smaller scales. Key topics such as online harassment, newsroom funding, and editorial relationships are factors that can make or break a story. South Africa South…
The AWiM2022 conference has commenced and it has gathered together an array of innovative experts to dissect the media’s role in issues affecting African women today. This year it’s all taking place in Morocco and many of the conversations revolve around the shifting opinions in the country. Though many positive changes have occurred in Moroccan…
Sara El Laithy always loved the sea. But it wasn’t until 2016 that she became a mermaid. In fact, she is considered to be Egypt’s first mermaid. As a child, she was not just drawn to the water, but to the world teeming with marine life meters below. El Laithy wanted to play a real…
Sarah Magdy starts off one video with the announcement that she’s a millionaire. But it’s not what you think. She then holds up some cash and explains that it’s actually 3 million Lebanese Lira- that’s just shy of $2000. What comes next is a crash course on currency power and some insight into Lebanon’s dire…
Gender-based violence is first and foremost a human rights issue but it also presents social, community, and economic challenges to survivors, their families and society at large. Media outlets working to increase awareness of the epidemic should factor in fees accumulated by survivors such as healthcare, legal, and even transportation costs in reporting cases of…
Video games have taken on a new life with social media and live streaming services. But in North Africa the world of tournaments and gaming content is just beginning to really heat up. MENA girl-gamers are also attracting more notice. Three of them sat down with AWiM News to give insight into the community along…
Both disability and gender have historically been factors in stigma and prejudice. In the MENA region, women with disabilities remain particularly marginalised. Poverty, healthcare bias, and cultural attitudes often mean that women with disabilities face more hurdles in getting their voices heard. Access to education and the formal workforce is also less prioritised for women…
Earlier this year, Bassant Khaled’s death made headlines across Egypt and even internationally. Pieces of her story were widely shared across social media before the whole picture came to light. A young man had blackmailed her with faked photos of her after she rejected his advances. She died by suicide not long after, and left…
Gulnar Esmat remembers when the symptoms started. One after the other like dominoes. Nothing felt right. Doctors said it was anxiety, but she was never an anxious person. They claimed the insomnia was just another symptom, but she was always a fast sleeper. Some even concluded it was a nervous breakdown. The medications helped, but…
Podcasting has brought audio conversations to the digital age. The podcast boom in the MENA region is especially exciting for Egyptian women right at the centre of it. When Egyptian audiophiles and creatives started looking at podcasting as a powerful tool, they had to think of just how to stand out. The Egyptian Streets Podcast…
