A portrait of resilience

Why women aren't biking in Kabul; inspiring 'Woman King'

View this email online Goats and Soda editor's note Laylah Amatullah Barrayn for NPR The word "resilience" is kind of popular -- I mean, 41.2 million results on a Google search is not too shabby! We're all looking for stories of how a person (or an organization or even the whole world) can recover from a crisis. And we sometimes forget that resilience can happen not just in the face of one obstacle but also when there's setback after setback. Consider our profile this past week of Bupe Sinkala: "HIV crashed her life. She found her way back to joy — and spoke at the U.N. this week." Sinkala was diagnosed with HIV before her wedding. She did not tell her fiancé at first, fearing he'd reject her. When she later became ill, he did end the marriage. She contracted TB as well and was found to have cervical pre-cancer cells. This fall, she came to the U.N. General Assembly and told her story -- how she overcome these obstacles and went on to become today a dedicated community health worker. Read the story here. As she says of her life today: "Now for me it's such a joy!" Marc Silver Editor, Goats and Soda in the news Diaa Hadid/NPR Bikes are everywhere in Kabul since the Taliban takeover. But who's not cycling? Women As the economy unravels, "everyone is getting a bike," says one young resident. It's the cheapest way to get around. But the Taliban's conservative culture means women cyclists are not welcome. movies Ilze Kitshoff/Sony Pictures 'The Woman King' speaks loud and clear to this Nigerian feminist The film about female warriors in 1800s West Africa is all too relevant in 2022, writes Oyeronke Oyebanji: "The inequalities faced by the women in the movie reflect the struggles of women today." Newsletter continues after sponsor message from our archive Brad Barket/Getty Images for Comedy Central Remembering Trevor Noah's Oscar prank The South African comic has announced that he will be leaving The Daily Show, which he has hosted for 7 years. We've written about Noah during his tenure -- including the time he introduced the best picture nominee Black Panther at the 2019 Oscars in Xhosa, a language spoken by millions in South Africa and in a few other African countries as well. After noting that people all over the world shout out "Wakanda forever" to him — referring to the fictional African nation in the movie — Noah said: "Growing up as a young boy in Wakanda, I would see King T'Challa flying over our village, and he would remind me of a great Xhosa phrase: 'Abelungu abazi ubu ndiyaxoka,' which means, 'In times like these, we are stronger when we fight together than when we try to fight apart." The audience applauded. What it really means: "White people don't know I'm lying." Read our story here. links we like   Global Health Now interviews Luis Pizarro, a Chilean physician who's the new executive director of the research organization Drugs for Neglected Diseases. A schoolgirl in India asked for free menstrual pads -- and a female civil servant mocked her request. The BBC reports on the backlash. Mexico City's Girl Ultra shares their "intimate, shimmering" music at an NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: goatsandsoda@npr.org Norman R. Thompson Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Health, Daily News, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Goats and Soda emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy