Inspirational tales from women who excel in their fields

More than 200 delegates visited Ductac to listen to a wide array of topics ranging from the near-death experiences of a female Arab war reporter to the best way to live a happy and fulfilling life.

Journalist Jenan Mousa talks about Times of War during BOLDtalks Woman 2014 at Ductac in Dubai. Satish Kumar / The National

DUBAI // War reporters, documentary makers and psychologists were among the speakers sharing their experiences in a day of talks aimed at inspiring women.

More than 200 people, mainly women, attended the BOLDtalks Woman 2014 event, which filled the Ductac theatre in Mall of the Emirates yesterday.

They listened to a wide array of topics ranging from the near-death experiences of a female Arab war reporter to the best way to live a happy and fulfilling life.

Jenan Moussa, a Lebanese television journalist, spoke about her experiences reporting from war zones in Syria, Libya and the Arab Spring uprising in Egypt.

“People often ask, as a woman, why I chose to be a journalist in war zones when it’s so much more dangerous than it is for male reporters, but that isn’t the case,” she said.

Women in these war zones were also more willing to talk to female journalists, she said.

“It’s very easy now to just be on the internet and copy-paste things to do a story, but journalism should be about being outside and reporting from the front line.”

The Al Aan journalist told the audience of her first experience as a war reporter in Egypt during the Arab Spring.

“We were in a taxi and got surrounded by first 10 and then 50 angry protesters with knives and sticks,” she said.

“I was crying and thinking that I would die. They were shouting that they wanted to attack the journalist because they thought I was a spy. At that point an Egyptian soldier came and got in and pointed his gun at the protesters warning them to get away.

“They got scared and we ended up going to an army base.”

Documentary filmmakers Kunal Sharma and Robert Carr talked about their new film, Mango Girls, which discusses the role of the payment of the wedding dowry and how it leads to female infanticide.

It focuses on a village in India that for the past 200 years has been planting 10 mango trees every time a girl is born.

“Over the years the money from the fruit sold is put into an account for the girl so when she gets married she can have as much as US$10,000 (Dh36,731), which takes the pressure off her family to pay for the dowry,” Sharma said.

He told the audience of the violence his sister suffered at the hands of her in-laws and their demands for more money.

“I hope people watch this film and realise that there is a way that the dowry issue can be solved,” he said.

“These villagers have found a way and if more places in India adopted it then we could stop this practice.”

Carr, who is from the United States, said as India’s growing middle class became wealthier, so too was the price of the dowry.

“It’s much higher than in rural areas and as a result the bride’s family is under more pressure to pay higher dowries,” he said.

“What these villagers have done is amazing and not only does the money that is raised from the sale of mangoes help pay for the dowry it also pays for the girl’s education, and is a continuous source of income.”

Dr Tara Wyne, a clinical psychologist and the clinical director of The Lighthouse Arabia, told the audience that people should seek to live a fulfilled and happy life.

“Although many countries have become more prosperous, that hasn’t been reflected in the happiness of their citizens,” she said.

Dr Wyne urged people to focus more on helping others and building relationships.

Other speakers in the morning session included Hannah Wettig, project coordinator for Stop Female Genital Mutilation in the Middle East.

In the afternoon Lebanese singer-songwriter Rouba took to the stage along with American comedian Mina Liccione, and Sofana Dahlan, the founder of Tashkeil, a Saudi Arabian social enterprise, Muna Harib, the founder of Breathing Numbers, which documents the lives of Syrian refugees, Jehan Abdulkarim, the first female editor-in-chief of a magazine in Saudi Arabia and the singer Gayathri.