unwomen.org - From where I stand: “Today, I am living my dream, because I got a second chance” Aissata Ibrahim Maiga on why women’s representation in media matters

I wanted to be in the media since I was a child. But I was pregnant at 14 years of age and by 15, I was married. My parents supported me to continue my education and I graduated, against all odds.

The contributions that women make at all levels of our society must be seen and heard. This is what drives me in my work as a journalist—young girls must be able to see that Malian women are fully capable of contributing to the development of our country when given the opportunity.

Being a woman in media means that you have to prove your professional competencies continuously, so that you are not judged (poorly) because you are a woman. For the most part, in Mali, men perceive women as weak and don’t see our strength. It’s important to change that perception.

I created a website—www.maliennemoi.org—to tell women’s stories, to show the women in Mali in all their diversities, and to reduce the negative perceptions about African women that remain both inside and outside our borders.