Deeyah - Pop Star to Activist

"In Norway, I was always different. I was told to "go back where you came from". I didn't feel accepted...

I found acceptance in music. Music didn't discriminate. Music was home.

I started to get media attention when I was 10 and 11 - a lot of media attention! National newspapers started to use me as an example of Norway's 'new multicultural society'.

Before that, foreigners had been portrayed in a negative light. I felt excited and proud. Suddenly, Pakistani and Muslim stood for positive things!

Ngozi Eze - Oil, Poverty and Women

"Corrupt people are not fulfilling their official responsibilities and the people who suffer most are the women and children.

We lose a lot of women through child birth complications & pregnancy: around 50,000 a year.

This is unacceptable when you consider that we are the fifth largest producer of oil... We have lots of wealth but where's the money going to? Is it going to the grassroots?

...Look at the Niga Delta. Because of militancy control over resources, mines and oil drills, it has not been developed.

The land has degraded and the women cannot farm. A lot of women and children were killed and families displaced. The conflicts are over land as a resource and the women bear the brunt of it.

I see myself a vehicle to be used to at least bring some hope to some women and if I can do that, for the little time I have on earth, that will be something."

Mona Seif and the Egyptian Revolution

I would have never thought that it would really turn into a revolution where we actually claimed our ownership of the country. And I think everyone really realised that this could become a much bigger thing when we ended up marching tens of thousands towards Tahrir Square on the 25^thand we took it over.

I remember we didn’t have communication in Tahrir Square. So I ran out of Tahrir Square so I could find a place so I could email this to my friends outside so they can circulate it out to the media.

And everyone out of here, everyone who wasn’t living this moment of us taking over Tahrir thought we were completely out of our minds. Like why would we think that taking over Tahrir Square and moving into a big protest, that we could suddenly really ask for Mubarak and his regime to step down.

But everyone in Tahrir Square thought that we could do this... It just took over completely and it was going to continue whatever, whatever the regime did.

I just want everyone to remember it was peaceful, it was amazing how people insisted on being peaceful to the end.

But we lost a lot of people for it. And not only the people we lost during these 18 days but all the people we lost previously through torture, or though any other state brutality. So these people are really the ones who paid the price."

Gabriela Spanic - My Life Between Lines

"I've had several violent situations in my life.

Since I became a public figure, I've kept this to myself because women who've suffered from violence are always at risk of being crucified, and feel great frustration for not being able to scream the truth to the world, because people would never believe them.

One day, being seven months pregnant, I almost lost my son due to depression, insults, and the unfair, public harassment of the father of my son.

I decided to share my experience with three hundred women of Fundación Mujeres Latinas de Weston (Weston’s Foundation for Latin Women).

I got the courage to talk.

I was no longer afraid"

Mahsa Vahdat: My music is banned in Iran

It makes me sad to be a banned musician in my country and that women cannot perform in their homeland.

Banning music and art is destructive but sometimes it brings more creativity.

It is something that I gave grown from. I chose my path and nothing could discourage me from it. Nothing can stop me or prevent my activity and being banned makes me play my music louder.

I am happy that I crossed the red line that this regime drew for female singers.

I think it is stupid to ban music in a world such as ours.