The 77 Percent - Topics

On The 77 Percent this week ahead of International Women's Day, it’s all about the women, wonder women. We’ll be looking at female filmmakers at a film festival in Dakar, Senegal and the obstacles they face. And we’ll meet a group of young girls from Mombasa Kenya who are busy showing that science education is not just for the boys. Tune in for all that and more.

Female filmmakers in Africa abound, but are often not heard about. This year’s film festival ‘Films Femmes Afrique’ held in Dakar in February paid tribute to them on and off the screen: more than 50 films on African women were showcased over 7 days and dozens of young female filmmakers came to represent their films.

Do desperate times call for desperate measures? We meet a woman who saw no way out of her situation and joined a terror organization. And, we take a look at migration within and outside of Africa. All that and more on this jam-packed edition of ‘The 77 Percent’ with host Jessie Wingard.

Security agencies and human rights groups in Kenya are worried by the increasing number of young women joining Somali’s terrorist group al-Shabab. In the coastal region, it’s claimed the militia is using women to gather information and spy for them — as they arouse less suspicion. In Mombasa, Diana Wanyonyi met one of the women who has since returned from Somalia.

In Senegal, circus skills were not really seen as a "proper" or "respectable" job. But that didn't stop a former street beggar from founding Senegal's first circus company in 2010. Today, Sencirk teaches circus acts to underprivileged kids. Last year, they represented Senegal with their juggling and acrobatic skills on the acclaimed TV show ‘Africa's Got Talent’.

Obesity levels across Africa are rising — and it’s most prevalent amongst lower income earners, with young urban African women hardest hit. But, are young Africans risking their health by trying to show off their affluence through what they put in their mouths? All that and more on this edition of The 77 Percent with host Jessie Wingard.

In some African countries, some women and men have taken to bleaching their skin in the belief that lighter skin is more beautiful than darker. It estimated that 70 percent of women in Lagos use skin lightening products. So why is this phenomenon growing despite its health concerns? Host of DW's What Else show, Eddy Micah Jr responds.

We all like what's beautiful, so in this week's 77 percent show, we'll be taking a look at the subject of beauty from different perspectives. For example, why young people decide to marry at a mass wedding in Senegal or a beauty pageant with a difference in Kenya. And on social media, we debate on why some people prefer to lighten or bleach their skin despite the health risks.

Beauty is more than just skin deep. To emphasize that, some 50 youths on the Kenyan coast recently took part in a beauty pageant with a difference. They competed to show how much work they had put in to educating their peers on sexual health and encouraging them to be empowered economically. From Mombasa DW correspondent Diana Wanyonyi reports.

As a groom, you may not have been aware but your wife-to-be might have spent a huge fortune to look her best on the wedding day. But what if you can't afford all the make-up, food and drinks and entertainment? Well, for 200 young people in Senegal, the solution was to go for a mass wedding costing only 20 euros ($25) per couple. Emmanuelle Landais attended the ceremony and here's her report.