Jubiel M. Zulu, Zambia, journalist and women’s rights advocate

Jubiel on air in Kwithu FM

Women on the Global Community Airwaves

Women on the global community airwaves is a podcast series bringing you stories told by women around the world working to strengthen women’s voices on airwaves within their own community media. The stories are brought to you by me, Birgitte Jallov, who have worked with these issues for a lifetime. The women tell about why it is so important that women get a voice and what it means for the producers, the listeners and the community contributing. Much more here →

Jubiel M. Zulu is an award-winning journalist and media and communication specialist, now working as a District Information Officer in Zambia’s Eastern Province. When we spoke, Jubiel was still in Kwithu FM, in the capital Lusaka, where she has worked for the past ten years. Here she integrated issues of importance to women and women’s lives in the general programming: political, economic, social, cultural.

In our conversation Jubiel gives examples of how the programming she engages in supports women’s beginning change in their lives, while there is still a lot to do. And while our conversation focuses on here work as a radio journalist, Jubiel continues with that same focus as a district information officer in Zambia’s Eastern Province. Through TV, newspapers and online, she informs the communities – and not least the women – about the many issues of importance. As she says in our conversation, there is so much basic information that people do not have access to. One example of her work as a District Information Officer (DIO) in the Chadiza district is this article where she tells about fistula, a terrible, life changing condition suffered by no less than 25% of Zambia’s women (link). The women of the district are lucky to have a DIO like her!

Jubiel has a bachelor of Arts in Mass communication and Public Relations from Cavendishi University, and she is Vice President of the Zambia Institute of Independent Media Alliance, a ZAMWA (Zambia Association of Women in the Media) board member and has won both international and national awards for her journalism.

Jubiel interviewing a FEMNET representative visiting Zambia (private photo)
An example of Jubiel's advocacy work - from LinkedIn