Taking inspiration from the spiritual concept of Shakti, the Great Mother or supreme female deity of the Hindu religion, this program celebrates the power of women to drive social and economic change in India. Female-centric activism propels an organization that combats the practice of child marriage, and another which has created a banking system for the poor. The video also examines a renowned scientist who promotes eco-feminism and a married couple...

Taking a grassroots approach to dealing with the physical and societal ills plaguing their countries, individuals and small groups in sub-Saharan Africa are creating success amidst widespread civil and economic instability. This program illustrates five empowering instances of solidarity and self-help: the Yeredeme project, run by single mothers in Mali; the Janjigui So association, for Malian women with improperly healed fistulas; the Fasil Circus,...

The Ashanti are the best-known tribe of Ghana, comprising around 2 million of the country's 12 million inhabitants. All of the Ashanti kings belong to the Oyoko Dako clan, the clan of chieftains; they are the ones who have created and strengthened the Ashanti nation. This program shows the Ashanti kingdom: it explains the strict hierarchical organization of the village, the importance of the characteristic kente garment, the naming of children, the...

Oulata is a city on the far edge of the Sahara Desert where woman are forced to wait for months while their husbands travel long distances looking for work. This is the story of how three women living there find ways to cope with the absence of their men. As they wait, they paint beautiful patterns on the city walls, play games, and speak refreshingly about their situation. These women create a magical world that breaks many of the stereotypes associated...

Filmed in Istanbul and Oslo, this artistic documentary by Turkish/Norwegian filmmaker Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen openly explores what it is like to be both gay and Muslim. Through the interrelated stories of a gay rights activist, a gay imam, drag artists, and others, Gender Me gently denounces homophobia in general, encourages discourse and engagement within Islam as a positive societal approach to coming to terms with sexual otherness, and seeks to...

This program follows the progress of women's rights and equal employment from the Contra war through the term of former president Violeta Chamorro. A former Sandinista fighter who lost a foot laying mines for the Contras wants the government to give her a job; a woman displaced from her job by men returning from the war objects; another whose daughter was murdered by the Somozist Guard wants justice. Dozens of others tell their stories, as Chamorro...

This is the story of Mexican women who have fought, and continue to fight, for equality and women's rights. They are women looking for children kidnapped during political pogroms, journalists, writers, and political activists. Machismo and the resulting sexism, as well as Catholicism and its perpetuation of the myth of the Virgin Mary as the standard for feminine behavior, are discussed as social factors contributing to the continued subjugation of...

In Tunisia, a home for the elderly is quite unusual since most older people are automatically cared for by their families. This program explores how Tunisia, both as a state and a culture, negotiates the task of providing for its growing senior population, a task many Tunisians see as illustrative of key differences between European and Arab values. Along with a tour of a home for the elderly in Tunis, the program canvasses the views of younger people...

The Human Rights Commission estimates that in the 1990s, 11 million children were working in Pakistan; half of them were under the age of 10 and that 25% of Pakistan's work force is made up of child laborers. This episode excerpts the film by Magnus Bergmar, "The Carpet," which looks at Pakistan's system of child labor and the movement to abolish it. The life and death of Igbal Masih is examined. Sold into bondage at the age of 4 over a $12 debt,...

Discusses some of the familial arrangements of various tribes, including the reasons for such arrangements as well as the roles individuals played in their respective societies.