Voice of America Our Voices

Our Voices

Welcome to “Our Voices”. This is where African women bring the continent’s most pressing issues to the table. We’ll ask questions, share ideas, discuss solutions, and most importantly, bring your voices - Our Voices - to the conversation.

We’re bringing women’s voices to the conversation and, more than that, we’re building a community of inclusion and empowerment. We know you want to talk about the important issues of our time. And this is the place to do it. Your voice matters – every voice matters so join us in this conversation. Together, we can start transformational conversations online, in our living rooms, our communities, in our lives.
Weekly English United States Society & Culture
106 Episodes
1 – 20

VOA Our Voices 335: Widows' Tears and Their Rightful Inheritance

In Africa, many widows lose their inheritance along with their spouse. It's part of traditional practices that lead to economic insecurity, stigma, and discrimination. Although Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe have passed laws in recent years to give widows what is rightfully theirs, unfortunately many countries are still lagging behind…
2 Sep 2021 27 min

VOA Our Voices 334: Fact vs Fiction: Combatting the COVID-19 "Infodemic"

Countries around the world, including the U.S., are falling short of their vaccinations targets due to low uptake of vaccines. In July 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden said Facebook and other social media platforms are “killing people” by enabling the spread of misinformation about vaccine dangers and blaming twelve people…
26 Aug 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 333: Women Behind Bars

According to Penal Reform International, the number of women prisoners is soaring globally, rising 50% in Asia, 24% in Africa and 19% in Central and South America. Low-level non-violent crimes amid the COVID-19 pandemic that is often linked to poverty, adultery and harsh drug policies is fueling the recent spike…
19 Aug 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 332: COVID-19's Toll on Women's Well-Being

A new study shows women experienced almost three times more mental illness during the pandemic than men. Financial insecurity, hunger along with mental health were their greatest concern. On this edition of "Our Voices", we’ll take a look at how the pandemic has impacted women's psyche and how it has…
12 Aug 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 331: African Economies and COVID-19: Recession or Recovery?

Although most African nations have been spared the levels of death and infection caused by the coronavirus in other parts of the globe; lockdowns, travel restrictions, and trade slowdown have thrown sub-Saharan Africa into a recession. On this week’s Our Voices, we take a look at the economic impact of…
5 Aug 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 330: Olympics 2020: African Athletes Going for the Gold

The 2020 Olympics are finally underway in Tokyo after potentially being sidelined due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite a one year delay, the International Olympic Committee pushed forward by implementing safety measure such as mask mandates and social distancing rules to mandatory COVID testing and with no spectators in the…
30 Jul 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 329: Africa COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: To Vax or Not to Vax?

The World Health Organization says nine in ten African nations are set to miss the urgent COVID-19 vaccination goals by September 2021. Also, the United Nations noted that Africa only accounts for less than 1% of the more than 2.1 billion doses that have been administered globally. On the next…
15 Jul 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 327: A Day in the Life of Refugees

On World Refugee Day in 2019, more than 75 teams of VOA visual journalists in more than 30 countries set out to capture the complexities and nuances of forced displacement around the world. Two years later, Voice of America released a 96-minute film to document the impact on displaced individuals…
1 Jul 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 326: World Refugee Day: "Together We Heal, Learn and Shine"

“Together we heal, learn and shine” is not only this year’s theme of World Refugee Day, it also carries so much hope for hundreds of thousands of people who fled their own countries for hardly habitable living conditions in foreign lands. The theme also indicates challenges on the shoulders of…
24 Jun 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 325: Rape as a Weapon of War

When most people think of war and its casualties, many think of men on the battlefield. But, unfortunately, women and girls are often victims caught in the midst of these deadly conflicts on the continent, who are often sexually assaulted and raped as a weapon of war. On this week’s…
17 Jun 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 324: More Questions Answered One Year After the Pandemic - Part Two

Questions persist surrounding COVID-19 from how the pandemic started to how it will end. To help provide crucial information to the audience, Voice of America has held many virtual town halls by various services including Somali, Portuguese, French, and English. In Part Two of this special edition of Our Voices…
10 Jun 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 322: The Journey of Infertility

The World Health Organization says that many infertile women in developing countries believe that their lives are without hope without children. On this week’s Our Voices, we hear from brave women who have not allowed this condition to define who they are as individuals and are productive contributors to their…
27 May 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 321: Equitable Access and Hesitancy to COVID-19 Vaccines

As deliveries begin to slow down or come to a complete halt, Africa urgently needs more COVID-19 vaccines with many countries on the continent already exhausting their initial supplies. On this week’s Our Voices, we examine how these nations can protect their most vulnerable populations when there is limited access…
20 May 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 320: Africa and 100 Days of the Biden Administration

In the first 100 days in office for U.S. President Joe Biden, he spent most of his energy tackling the coronavirus pandemic on home soil. But in this short period of time, he has made a few important gestures that have been welcomed in Africa. On this week’s Our Voices,…
14 May 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 319: Three Decade Quest for Press Freedom

Covid-19 has exposed the challenges many journalists worldwide face in the line of duty, as government’s attempt to suppress information about the pandemic. A sad reality, 30-years after the Windhoek Declaration that led to World Press Freedom Day, which calls on governments to respect free, independent, and diverse media. There’ve…
30 Apr 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 318: Saving Mother Earth

Researchers say climate change is disproportionately impacting women around the world, especially in rural Africa. In commemoration of Earth Day during this month of April, this week’s edition of Our Voices, co-host Auriane Itangishaka highlights efforts being made by women in protecting, preserving, and restoring our ecosystem.
23 Apr 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 317: "The Show Must Go On" Amid a Pandemic

The COVID 19 shutdown of studios, music venues, and major film and art festivals forced the entertainment industry globally to think out of the box creatively - often relying more on digital platforms. On this week's Our Voices, we look at the entertainment industry - from Nollywood to Hollywood - and…
16 Apr 2021 28 min

VOA Our Voices 316: State of Women in the Workforce

Around the world, we see women on the front lines, fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and holding families and communities together. Yet, globally, women have been the hardest hit by COVID-19’s economic fallout. This week, on Our Voices, we look at the state of women in the workforce. We’ll also bring…
2 Apr 2021 28 min
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