Afghan women break ground with TV launch
Female newsreaders appear regularly on many Afghan channels, but an entire station for women is a novelty.
Kabul: A new TV channel dedicated to women is set to begin broadcasting in Afghanistan, the first of its kind in a country whose media industry, like many areas of society, remains dominated by men.
Zan TV (“Women’s TV”) launches on Sunday with a staff of all female presenters and producers, following a high-profile marketing campaign on billboards in Kabul and on social media.
Female newsreaders appear regularly on many Afghan channels, but an entire station for women is a novelty.
Its arrival highlights the fact that behind the daily stories of violence, change is taking place in Afghanistan, even if it is often slow and patchy.
“I am so happy that this TV station has been created for women because there are women in our society who are not aware of their rights,” said 20-year-old Khatira Ahmadi, a producer at the station.
“So this station represents women and we work to raise the voice of women so they can defend their rights,” she said. Women’s rights and education are often cited by the government as among the biggest achievements in the country.