Hamida Aman

Hamida Aman (born 1973) is an Afghan entrepreneur, writer and journalist. She started a radio station in Kabul that specialises in educating the girls excluded by gender apartheid from public education. In 2024 she was recognised as one of the BBC's 100 inspirational women.

Aman was born in Kabul in 1973. Her grandmother was a noblewoman who held the title of "Begum". When she was six, she and her family emigrated to Switzerland to escape conflict. She completed her education, and in 2001, after the Taliban fell from power in her country, she returned for a visit. While living with her own family in Paris, she used her expertise in communication and journalism to launch several projects in Afghanistan.^[1]

In 2020, she founded the Begum Organisation for Women.^[2]

When American forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, Aman had already launched a radio station, Radio Begum, in the preceding March.^[2][3] The Taliban's approach to governance led to what was later termed gender apartheid, as women were excluded from public life, and secondary schools and universities were reserved for boys and men.^[4]

Radio Begum was run by a team of women and, from 2022, received support from the International Programme for the Development of Communication. This funding allowed forty additional women to be trained. The station's approach was to comply with regulations to ensure it could continue broadcasting to the women of Afghanistan.^[2][3] It is estimated that the radio station reaches around half a million people through twelve transmitters.^[2]

In 2024, Aman's inspirational work was recognised by the BBC when she was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women.^[5]