Web breaks femme taboo
'Bonu' will examine issues facing women in Afghanistan
"Bonu" (the title is the Persian word for women) will examine topics such as education, marriage, leadership, motherhood and physical and mental health.
"Our aim is to drive social change through open and frank discussions regarding the issues facing women in Afghanistan today," says host Farzana Samimi.
Station director Saad Mohseni says Samimi will be joined by psychiatrist Dr. Yassin Babrak.
Tolo Television, launched in October last year, is Afghanistan's most popular station, reaching an estimated 15 million people in the country ruled until almost four years ago by the fundamentalist Taliban regime, which forced women to appear in public with all-covering burqas.
Though the Taliban was ousted by U.S.-led forces in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S., the country remains deeply conservative. Tolo Television has drawn condemnation from mullahs in the conservative Islamic nation for airing racy musicvideos and for accepting large U.S. grants.
In May, the female host of its popular music program was found shot dead; no one has been charged.
