Valérie Courtois was recently announced as the winner of the 2024 Shackleton medal for her work revolutionizing climate conservation in the Canadian arctic, most notably for her vision connecting Indigenous Guardians as ‘the eyes and ears on the ground’ to preserve ecosystems. As a member of the Ilnu community of Mashteuiatsh and director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, Valérie talks to Anita about leading the movement for Indigenous-led conservation and land stewardship.
Female voters could outnumber male for the first time in this year’s general election in India. As the world’s largest democracy goes to the polls for the penultimate round of voting for the Lok Sabha, or lower house of parliament, Anita speaks to the BBC’s Divya Arya in Delhi. They discuss what political issues are most important to women in this election, and how the main parties have been wooing them.
Clara Schumann was one of the greatest female musicians of the 19th Century – a virtuoso performer who gave over 1,500 concerts in a 60 year career, all while raising eight children and financially supporting her household. Concert pianist Lucy Parham and actress Dame Harriet Walter join Anita to discuss their concert I, Clara which celebrates the ground-breaking life and work of Clara Schumann in her own right.