"In my 12 years of being involved in community radio, I had never had the opportunity to produce my own radio spots. This was a task always performed by men, so I came to think that it was something complicated. Now after participating in this workshop I learned not only radio production but I also realize that there is nothing a woman cannot do,” said Petronila “Nila” Ch'umilkaj Tax of Radio La Niña in Totonicapán, Guatemala.
On September 5- 9, 2017, in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala thanks to the support of the Channel Foundation, Cultural Survival held a radio training workshop for ten Indigenous women, partnering with Fundación Entre Mundos, Casa Noj and gender studies and feminism expert Lorena Cabanal (Xinca). The training consisted of workshops in radio production with an intercultural approach to gender, addressing the obstacles women face in the field of community radio.
Nila produced and edited a radio profile about her own story and journey. Radio has been a fundamental piece in her life, filling it with courage and enthusiasm. She resumed her studies at the age of 28, and today Nila is proudly in her second year of her career as a social worker. With her role at the Radio La Niña, she will continue serving her community. Nila is one of the few women radio journalists who carry the the task of informing, educating and entertaining their community through community radio.
"Each technical process was accompanied by a gender approach and playful exercises with a message of revaluation of our bodies and capacities as women and human beings, which is fundamental to raise self-esteem and contribute to strengthening leadership of each one of the participants," said Teresita Orozco, Program Associate of Cultural Survival.
Read about our training of Indigenous women in Nepal here.
