This radio feature invites you to discover the beauty of a country you most likely do not know. The female perspective is taken from the producer herself and her interview partners. Four female talents and changemakers from Oman lead us through with their stories, thoughts and ambitions.

Arab women, Muslim women have been categorized for our European understanding a long time ago. Mostly, we overlook their power as changemakers and talents for the future. Instead, we tend to perpetuate the same limited ideas about women from the Middle East, as oppressed, passive caretakers of their families.

This feature is an invitation to discover together the hidden gem. I will tell my story from the first touchdown in Oman’s Ruba AlKhali, the great sand desert in the south up until today. I went there more than ten times and spent a lot of time learning Arabic language and culture in Muscat, the capital of Oman. At the same time, I was travelling around this vast magical country discovering its beaches, the mountain regions with its traditions and old heritage sites, and of course hiking in the desert. In the same way, it was a journey discovering the female life, the women and girls in Oman. For a foreigner, women are rare in public, and it is even harder to get to know them. I will share some of my first experiences, entering the female scenes.

I met Abeer, Hajir, Maha and Reem in Muscat. These four talents, achievers and changemakers play the main role in this feature. All of them are very well educated and fluent in English, which was a prerequisite for these interviews. They share their stories, each with a different personal background and perspective: Abeer, a child psychologist and founder of a volunteering organization; Hajir, mother, conservation specialist, student of archeology and member of the Omani Women’s Association; Maha, banking professional, leader at Global Shapers and protagonist of body positivity; and Reem, fashion designer and founder of rym.clothing

I introduce some music from Oman: Emaan, a very young modern singer and musician; Asma, a singer and performer of traditional Arabic and Indian music; and Omani Beduin Music

Recommended books:

Jokha AlHarti: Celestial Bodies, 2019 Sandstone Press

Wilfred Thesiger: Arabian Sands, 2007 Penguin Classics

Language: English

Interviews:

Abeer AlMujaini, Psychology of Youth https://www.youth-psych-oman.com/

Hajir Ambuali Um Joud, Omani Women’s Association Muscat is on facebook

Maha Al Kharusi, Maha’s article in Zekka: Why you need to embrace your curly hair https://sekkamag.com/2019/07/13/why-you-need-to-embrace-your-curly-hair/

, rym.clothing https://staging.rym.clothing/

links:
Emaan Instagram: @emaanzadjali
Asma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_21AuNR_CxA&feature=youtu.be

Sound: souk.wav by Juskiddink License: Attribution (freesounds); all sounds are private recordings including the live recording of the Omani National Anthem at the German Embassy in Muscat

Fotocredit: Katja Teuchmann

This show is produced by Katja Teuchmann https://safatalents.org