We're on NPR (again!)
Meet Rihanna - A trans woman fighting for queer rights in Uganda, with her mom by her side
On Sunday, our Radio Workshop episode A Mother’s Letter was featured on National Public Radio’s daily news podcast Up First. Since its launch in 2017, Up First has become one of the top news podcasts globally.
Read NPR’s story on A Mother’s Letter here.
In the episode, we meet Rihanna, who was arrested in Kampala for being trans in 2014. Rihanna spent nine difficult months in prison and years wading her way through her country's criminal justice system. Her arrest was all over the news in Uganda, and it caused a rift between Rihanna and her religious mother.
Despite all of these difficulties and the introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2023, Rihanna chose to stay in Uganda - with her mom as an unlikely ally. As many people in LGBTQ+ communities in Africa and across the world are forced into the shadows, Rihanna and her mother are coming out into the light.
Last year NPR featured our episode This Coal Life, which won Best Audio Documentary from the International Documentary Association last December and the Podcast and Radio Award at this year’s One World Media Awards in London. We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to work with NPR again to amplify LGBTQ+ voices in Africa.
Sincerely,
Yumna Martin, Board Chair
Linda Barnett, Chair, Radio Workshop US
Emmanuelle Parr, Chair, Radio Workshop UK
Well done!!
https://open.substack.com/pub/mslyravega/p/a-tad-bit-of-new-music?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1mv6o4