Meet Lenina Rassool | Journalist and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lenina Rassool and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lenina, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The Womxn Show is a television programme that seeks to make visible that systems that respond to gender-based violence. The idea was born out of witnessing the disparities between public narratives on responding to GBV (including legislations and policies) and what was really happening on the ground: policies and legislation was not being implemented on a ground level. I read a quote the other day that said: “The cover-up is worse than the crime” and that is the type of experiences I saw (larglely) women dealing with when they were approaching our justice system. Having been a journalist for many years though, I realised that this part of the GBV process is rarely covered and we sought to change that.
I believe that knowledge is power and that sharing the reality of our systems – and system failures – empowers women by helping them recognise what is happening, what their rights are in these situations and what appropriate and legal actions they can take. For this reason, the concept of the show is centered around end-user-value: what information do we need to give audiences that can positively affect their lived reality? And I think we do that. A great moment for me was when a viewer said she sits down to watch with pencil and paper to make notes. That, to me, is impact.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I studied journalism at the Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, with a dream of working for women’s magazines, and an assumption that it would take 10-years to get there. But through hard work and kind and generous people, I was able to do a job-shadowing gig at Femina Magazine, who then offered me a job right as soon as I graduated. I then moved on to Cosmopolitan Magazine for two years, after which I freelanced for a while doing a range of things. In 2013, I entered the non-profit space focusing on active citizenship, leaning about and promoting how government works and how citizens can better engage with these processes. I then moved on to Code for South Africa, now called OpenUp, a tech non-profit focusing on using data for active citizenship, after which I was recruited to head up Cape Town TV’s news department. I produced and presented the daily news show.
It was here that my interest in women’s issues grew, and eventually we conceptualised a proposal for The Womxn Show that was submitted to the Ford Foundation. We are currently in our fifth year on air and I am thrilled to be bringing this information and service to the public. In my other time, I consult with organisations – usually those who work on gender justice – to conceptualise communications strategies and public relations, and speak to companies and organisations about gender-based violence.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am not the best person to be a tour guide. Like many writers (aside from Lifestyle journalists), I am a homebody and so you’re more likely to come over, have a braai (which is a barbeque), some wine and great conversation. But if we WERE going anywhere, it would probably be the beach, Table Mountain and a walk in nature. All things I would either get or pay someone else to arrange.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m thankful for all the people who have played a part in building my career and contributing to my growth: from my mother who put me through school while working at a clothing factory, to the many people who saw potential and hired me, and then for The Womxn Show, to Cape Town TV and our station manager for recognizing the need for this programming and the Ford Foundation for providing multi-year funding to enable us to create the show.

Website: https://capetowntv.org/shows/the-womxn-show/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenina.rassool/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leninarassool/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nina_210

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewomxnshow

Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6Ukk5-f14SAlED8skJ_mpotT02HxGBe4&si=JixcMSYytCtfgnw9

Image Credits
None, these were taken by the station.