From dick jokes to rape culture -- Nepali women ask hard questions in podcast 'Boju Bajai'

Podcasters Itisha Giri and Bhrikuti Rai are fed up with the male-dominated discourse in Nepali media and are determined to change it. The hosts of Boju Bajai are using their platform to speak to women, for women and about women in a space where many voices are left behind. Giri, a writer, and Rai, a journalist, met in 2016 at an audition for The Vagina Monologues in Kathmandu. They bonded over how they think the country's media has failed women, time and again.   Maxine Betteridge-Moes is a freelance journalist and podcast producer from Guelph, Ontario, who is now in Nepal. She's a big fan of the podcast. She is in Nepal working with an NGO called the Blue Diamond Society, established in 2001 to advocate for the rights of Nepal's marginalized gay, transgender and other sexual and gender minority communities. A graduate of Carleton University, she has worked in media and international development in Malaysia, Ghana and now, Nepal. She is an avid listener of Boju Bajai and wanted to share what she's heard with rabble listeners. She spoke to Victoria Fenner from Nepal over Skype and shared some of the best clips from the show. Thanks to Maxine Betteridge-Moes for doing this for rabble radio, and also to the producers of Boju Bajai for letting us air portions of their show and for providing us the picture for our show notes. If you want to hear the show yourself, you can listen here. It's also available on Apple Podcasts. Image: Manjushree Thapa. Used with permission Audio Clips: Boju Bajai. Used with permission