COLMENA FUND · PODCAST
Resist,
persist and
reimagine.
Colmena Fund’s first podcast — amplifying the voices of women across the Global South who are transforming politics, defying authoritarianism, and building collective power. The stories that too often go unheard: of resistance, resilience, and radical imagination.
EVERY EPISODE
The full archive.
Conversations with the women rewriting what power looks like. Newest first.
Gloria Sengha’s Fight for Justice and Equality in the Congo
Gloria Sengha is a lawyer and human rights activist in the Democratic Republic of Congo who has dedicated her life to defending freedom. Her journey into activism began as a teenager; while others pursued typical hobbies, she spent her time reading and watching...
Ni Sasa Hivi (“it’s right now”): Building a Democracy Where Young Women Lead
Tabitha Oluoch is dedicated to ensuring that young people—especially women from sidelined communities—are no longer ignored in decision-making spaces. As a Youth Participation Champion at Siasa Place, a youth-led civic tech organization in Kenya, she is working...
Defying the Narrative: How Winnie Kiiza Reimagined Power in Uganda
Honorable Winnie Kiza made history as Uganda's first female Leader of the Opposition and served in parliament for 15 years. But long before she was a national leader, she was a young girl watching her mother fight for their family’s survival. Her story is a powerful...
Politics Found Me: Crystal Asige on Leadership, Democracy, and Breaking Barriers
Crystal Asige is not your typical politician. Originally from Mombasa, Kenya, she brings a vibrant, multi-disciplinary background—spanning music, advocacy, and disability rights—to her role as a Senator. In a recent interview on the Colmena Fund’s podcast Resist,...
The Courage to Lead: Fadzayi Mahere on Women Transforming African Politics
"I'm an engaged citizen who has a deep love for Zimbabwe. I'm also an Africa development enthusiast, meaning that I'm always curious about how the lot of the common person on the continent can be improved.”Fadzayi Mahere Fadzayi Mahere identifies herself first through...
“Democracy is Not a Destination”: Samia El Hashmi on Justice, War, and Sudanese Solutions
“We need democracy that enables people, and women in particular, to practice their rights as citizens, not as mothers only or as young people only, no, as citizens that have full rights to take care and to decide about the current and the future of their...
Disrupting the Status Quo: How Bina Maseno is Building a Political Pipeline for Young African Women
In a continent where the median age is 20, the average politician is 63. The exclusion of young people, and specifically young women, from power is not an accident; it is a structural design. On the first episode of Season 2 of...
When Women Lead: Reimagining Political Power from Syria to the World
In a powerful conversation on Episode 10 of Resist, Persist and Reimagine, the Colmena Fund podcast, we hear from Mariam Jalabi, an activist, revolutionary, and co-founder of the Syrian Women's Political Movement. Her insights offer a compelling vision for a more...
Reimagining Democracy Through Queer Political Leadership in Brazil
All over the world, we’re witnessing backlash against feminist, queer, and racial justice movements. But alongside this wave of repression, we are also seeing strategic, visionary responses—especially from grassroots organizations in the Global South. In Brazil,...