Radio, Women, and Inheritance

Abstract

The chapter examines how the issue of inheritance and the extent to which the allocation of that inheritance affects women, families, and communities, both rural and urban. It discusses how this is represented by a radio studio in Mali on one hand, and by its audiences on the other, and the extent to which, and how, the broadcasts raise awareness and promote women’s human rights and empowerment, not only among the women who are only too aware of the difficulties they face but also among men and extended family members who hold the power over the women. It further questions whether the broadcasts are in alignment with ‘imposed’ international development discourse while remaining culturally relevant and whether the radio broadcasts present women as individuals or within their societal web of relations.