A few years ago, we held a contest with NPR and Cowbird to find our next Teenage Diarist. We got almost 1,000 submissions from around the world. And we found someone really special.
Majd Abdulghani is a teenager living in Saudi Arabia, one of the most restrictive countries for women in the world. She wants to be a scientist. Her family wants to arrange her marriage. From the age of 19 to 21, Majd has been chronicling her life with a microphone, taking us inside a society where the voices of women are rarely heard. In her audio diary, Majd documents everything from arguments with her brother about how much she should cover herself in front of men, to late night thoughts about loneliness, arranged marriages, and the possibility of true love.
Majd’s Diary was produced by Sarah Kate Kramer and Joe Richman, with help from Nellie Gilles. Our editors are Deborah George and Ben Shapiro. Thanks to the team at NPR’s All Things Considered, and NPR correspondent Deb Amos, who hand-delivered the recorder to Majd in Riyadh.
And above all, thanks to Majd for sharing her story.
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Read the NPR’s Goats and Soda article about Majd’s Diary.
Download an Arabic transcript of the story.
