Radio Amina

Director Orlando von Einsiedel allows 12-year-old Amina Dibir to talk about her dreams and the low status of girls in Nigeria, but not by interviewing her. Instead, he literally gives her a voice on the fictitious radio station Radio Amina, where she can broadcast all her ideas and opinions. "Girls can be presidents, run companies, or even fly to space!" The film alternates back and forth between the gray reality of Amina, one of the many young street peddlers in the country, and a much brighter, more colorful world. The image blurs, the buttons of the sound studio come into focus, and the "On Air" light goes on. Von Einsiedel films a cross-section of the Nigerian population as they listen to Radio Amina. From a farmer and his camels to a group of young girls in headscarves, they listen to Amina's radio show and react to it. When Amina says that her country is run by a bunch of fat men in ties, she generates some serious laughter. Despite the many lighter notes, her story is also about why she can't go to school and has no hope for a better future. Is it only because she's a girl?