ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani shepherdess from the remote mountainous Shimshal valley and a midwife who provided life-saving care during record breaking floods last year have been featured on the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2023.
Among the 100 women on the list are attorney and former US First Lady Michelle Obama, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, Ballon d’Or-winning footballer Aitana Bonmatí, AI expert Timnit Gebru, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, Hollywood star America Ferrera and beauty mogul Huda Kattan.
In a year where extreme heat, wildfires, floods and other natural disasters have been dominating headlines, the list also highlights women who have been working to help their communities tackle climate change and take action to adjust to its impacts.
“One of the last Wakhi shepherdesses, Afroze-Numa has taken care of goats, yaks and sheep for almost three decades,” the BBC said, introducing the Pakistani shepherdess on its list, who was the first woman in Shimshal Valley to own a pair of shoes.
“Having learnt the trade from her mother and grandmothers, she is part of a centuries-old tradition that is now dying out in Pakistan’s Shimshal valley.”
Every year, shepherdesses like Afroze-Numa take their flocks to pastures 4,800m (16,000ft) above sea level, where they prepare dairy products to barter, while their animals feed.
The second Pakistani woman featured on the BBC list is Neha Mankani who through her charity, Mama Baby Fund, provided life-saving birthing kits and midwifery care to more than 15,000 flood-affected families.
“Her typical practice focuses on low-resourced settings, emergency response and climate-affected communities,” the BBC said. “Mama Baby Fund has now raised enough money to launch a boat ambulance that will transport pregnant women living in coastal communities to nearby hospitals and clinics for urgent treatment.”
“The work of midwives in communities facing climate-related disasters is vital,” Mankani was quoted by the BBC as saying.
“We are both first responders and climate activists, who make sure women can continue to receive the reproductive, pregnancy, and postpartum care they need, even when the situation around them is deteriorating.”
Pakistani shepherdess, midwife make it on BBC 100 Women 2023 list
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Pakistani shepherdess, midwife make it on BBC 100 Women 2023 list
- One of the last Wakhi shepherdesses, Afroze-Numa has taken care of goats, yaks and sheep for almost three decades
- Neha Mankani through her charity provided life-saving birthing kits, midwifery care to more than 15,000 flood-hit families
Saudi opera star Sawsan Albahiti: ‘I’m a playful person, I love to have fun’
- The Kingdom’s first professional opera singer talks teaching, travel, and time off
RIYADH: Sawsan Albahiti is one of the most recognizable voices in Saudi Arabia’s cultural renaissance. Recognized as the Kingdom’s first professional opera singer, Albahiti has performed in London and Berlin, as well as Riyadh and AlUla, among other cities, carving a path once unimaginable for Saudi artists, especially women.
Albahiti began her operatic journey in 2008 and has since mastered singing in Italian, French, German, and English, giving her access to a rich repertoire of classical works. Her mix of perseverance and talent continues to inspire young Saudi women, and Albahiti is eager to ensure that she uses her standing to help the next generation of Saudi singers realize their potential.
“I love to train singers, whether they’re opera singers, pop singers or singers (in) different Arabic genres,” she tells Arab News. “I love to see those singers shaping their voices and polishing their skills. It’s a passion of mine to be a part of that.”
And she has found that working with students enriches her own development. “I learn from every singer that I train by reflecting on my own capabilities,” she says. “Understanding how to inspire other singers and (aid) their artistic development helps me grow as an artist and as a leader.”
She reveals that she will soon publish an Arabic-language book about vocal training, having noted that “content in Arabic — with books about singing — is not sufficient yet. I saw that it’s my place, as a vocal coach and an opera singer, to write a book about such an important topic.”
Travel has also shaped her artistic evolution, with certain cities leaving lasting impressions, particularly Rome, where she lived for almost a year.
“That city is so rich in history and arts, specifically music, and specifically opera,” she says. “Walking where (legends of opera) walked, learning in the same institutes where they learned, understanding their stories, and seeing their belongings changed my connection with the opera world forever.”
Closer to home, AlUla has been a huge inspiration for Albahiti. “AlUla is such a strong representation of Saudi culture, it’s very artistic,” she says. “Its blend of culture and art, heritage and modernity, has really impacted my view of art in general.”
Her serene stage presence, she says, gives people the impression that she is “very serious, like, calm and composed.” However, that persona is somewhat misleading, according to Albahiti.
“I want people to know that I’m just (like) any other young Saudi woman,” she says. “I’m a playful person. I love to have fun. I love to dance.
“A perfect day for me, outside of performing or rehearsing, is enjoying quality time with people I love — spending time with my family, going out with friends, walking my dog… my dog’s a sweet Maltese Shih Tzu called Lucky.”
And she has a lot of family to spend time with, she adds. “I come from a big family. I’m the youngest of seven siblings.” Some of those siblings were early musical inspirations too. “I can say I’m the most artistic in my family, but one of my sisters and one of my brothers also have musical skills. And I learned from them. They pursued other fields in life, but I continued in music.”
That decision is certainly paying off now, as Saudi Arabia’s leaders continue to place great emphasis on the development of a homegrown cultural scene, in which Albahiti is increasingly being acknowledged as a major player. The most recent recognition of this was her collaboration with the Tareq Abdulhakim Center for Saudi National Day, in which she performed the national anthem in the center’s courtyard in her hometown of Jeddah’s historic Al-Balad district.
“That was special because Tariq Abdulhakim was one of the pioneers of Saudi music,” she says. “To be able to have a collaboration with such a name was a big deal for me.”
One of the most exciting of the Kingdom’s upcoming cultural projects, for Albahiti, is the Royal Opera House in King Salman Park. “I haven’t been involved yet, because the project is still under construction,” she says, adding that she is eagerly anticipating the opening “as (are) so many people around the world.”
She continues: “I heard the great news about the collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where (the Met) will perform their programs in the opera house once it opens.”
The significance of the Royal Opera House will be far-reaching, Albahiti believes. “It will be a very important center for arts and culture,” she says. “It will not only bring a new form of arts — opera — (to the Kingdom), it will also be the hub for so many artists and so many art forms, introduce new arts to society, and give a platform for upcoming artists to showcase their art regardless (of what) new kind of genres they want to bring forward.”
