History books are filled with stories of groundbreaking discoveries, political revolutions, and artistic movements, but how many of these stories feature women?
Shining a Light on the Women History Overlooked
Too often, the achievements of women have been overshadowed or erased entirely. While men’s contributions have taken centrestage, many female pioneers have been left in the shadows.
Nisa Minsija (Forgotten Women) is a programme on Campus FM 103.7 dedicated to rewriting this narrative. Hosted by Coryse Borg during the Summer of 2024, the show delved into the extraordinary lives of women who changed the world but never received the recognition they deserved.
These were women who made significant strides in science, politics, and the arts – women whose legacies should have shaped history but were instead buried beneath the waves of time.
The ‘Silent’ Pioneers
Scientific breakthroughs have shaped our understanding of the world, yet many women who played a key role in these discoveries were ignored or had their work credited to men.
Take Rosalind Franklin, for example. Her X-ray diffraction images were crucial to discovering the structure of DNA, but James Watson and Francis Crick received the Nobel Prize while she remained largely unrecognised.
Art has always been a powerful tool for shaping culture, but many influential female artists have been forgotten or overshadowed. For instance, Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the most talented Baroque painters, yet her work was often attributed to male artists. Her bold and dramatic paintings challenged the norms of her time, yet she remained underappreciated for centuries.
Another example is Clara Schumann, a brilliant composer and pianist who influenced the Romantic era of music. However, she was often seen as merely the wife of composer Robert Schumann, despite her significant contributions to classical music.
Nisa Minsija highlights women such as these, discussing how their discoveries revolutionised our world and how they were often denied credit simply because they were female.
Rewriting History to Include Women’s Contributions
The mission of Nisa Minsija is clear: to challenge the traditional narratives of history and bring forgotten women back into the spotlight. These were women whose ideas, actions, and achievements shaped the world we live in today, yet they were rarely given the recognition they deserved.
By shining a light on their stories, the programme encourages listeners to rethink history and acknowledge the role that women played in shaping science, art, and social progress. Their legacies continue to influence us, even if we were never taught about them.
Each Nisa Minsija programme also featured guest interviewees – strong, talented women – who gave their unique take on each forgotten woman who was discussed.
All programmes may be accessed/downloaded as follows:
- Programme 1: Runner Kathrine Switzer – Julia Vella, climber & data analyst
- Programme 2: Female photographers including Margaret Bourke-White, Lee Miller and Germaine Krull – Lorella Castillo, photographer
- Programme 3: Hedy Lamarr, actress and inventor – Pia Zammit, actress and communication coach
- Programme 4: Female wartime (WWII) heroes – Kim Dalli, writer and actress
- Programme 5: Women whose work was wrongly attributed or stolen by someone else (usually a man) – Monique Chamber, entrepreneur
- Programme 6: Forgotten female artists, including Artemesia Gentileschi & Tina Blau – Dr Charlene Vella, Associate Professor & curator
- Programme 7: Katherine Wright Haskell – Sarah Puntan Galea, conservationist
- Programme 8: Mothers of famous people – Simone Ellul, actress & director
- Programme 9: Female authors who used a male pseudonym – Ramona Depares, author & journalist
- Programme 10: Female Maltese historical figures – Simone Azzopardi, Assistant Lecturer & historian
- Programme 11: Female composers – Dr Rebecca Hall, Principal Flute, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra
- Programme 12: Women who found their purpose/career later in life – Dr Maria Brown, Senior Lecturer
- Programme 13: Women in STEAM – Klara Vassallo, poet & Danielle Martine Farrugia, Science Educator
Read more about Nisa Minsija on the official research magazine of the University of Malta – Think.
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