Patricia Amira is a Kenyan women's and girls' rights advocate, a broadcaster, public speaker and conference moderator, receiving particular recognition for her television show, ''The Patricia Show'', which was syndicated throughout Africa, as well as in Europe and the US, from 2009 to 2013.

Early life

Amira was born in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. She attended the

International School of Geneva The International School of Geneva (in French: ''Ecole Internationale de Genève''), also known as "Ecolint" or "The International School", is a private, non-profit international school based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1924 in the servic ...

between 1981 and 1985, the Convent of the Assumption in

Richmond, North Yorkshire Richmond is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, and the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is from the county town of Northallerton and situated on t ...

, England from 1985 to 1988, and

Regent's University London Regent's University London (formerly Regent's College) is a private university located in London, England. It is part of Galileo Global Education, Europe’s largest higher education provider. Regent's University London was established in 1984 ...

from 1989 to 1992.

Media career

In 2000 Amira began working for 98.4 Capital FM, the second independent radio station to be established after the liberalization of the media in Kenya. Later she moved to television, creating, hosting and being responsible for the content of ''The Patricia Show'', which was syndicated across Africa, as well as in Europe and the US, between 2009 and 2013. More recently, she has presented a 3-hour syndicated radio show devoted to a broad range of African music styles. She has appeared in one film, ''

Rafiki is a 2018 Kenyan drama film directed by Wanuri Kahiu. ''Rafiki'' is the story of romance that grows between two young women, Kena and Ziki, amidst family and political pressures around LGBT rights in Kenya. The film had its international prem ...

'', which was premiered at the 2018

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

, the first Kenyan film to be shown at the festival. The film is the story of romance between two young women amidst family and political pressures and the debate about

LGBT rights in Kenya Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Kenya face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Sodomy is a felony per Section 162 of the Kenyan Penal Code, punishable by 14 years' imprisonment, and any sexual pract ...

. Amira played the mother of one of the girls.

Conference moderation

Amira has become a leading moderator of conferences and webinars that have a focus on issues related to least-developed countries, particularly in Africa. Meetings she has moderated have covered a wide range of topics, from

agricultural value chain Agricultural value chain is the integrated range of goods and services (value chain) necessary for an agricultural product to move from the producer to the final consumer. The concept has been used since the beginning of the millennium, primarily b ...

s to

snakebites A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may oc ...

. She has worked with organizations such as the African Leadership Network, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

, the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

, the

African Academy of Sciences The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is a non-aligned, non-political, not-for-profit, pan-African learned society formed in 1985. The AAS elects fellows ( FAAS) and affiliates. The AAS also awards the Obasanjo Prize for Scientific Discovery and ...

, the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, and

UN Women The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women advocates for the rights of women and girls, and focu ...

Women's rights

Amira is co-chair of the board of

Equality Now Equality Now is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls. Through a combination of regional partnerships, community mobilization and legal advocacy the or ...

, an international non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls. It works to encourage governments to adopt, improve and enforce laws that protect and promote women's and girls' rights around the world, concentrating on ending

sexual violence Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.World Health Organization., World re ...

, ending harmful practices such as

child marriage Child marriage is a marriage or similar union, formal or informal, between a child under a certain age – typically 18 years – and an adult or another child. * * * * The vast majority of child marriages are between a female child and a ma ...

and

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...

, ending

sexual exploitation Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership right over one or more people with the intent of coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in sexual activities. This includes forced labor, reducing a person to a s ...

including the

trafficking Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

of women and girls, and ending sexual discrimination in law.

Recognition

Amira's work has been recognised by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' Africa, which in 2011 considered her to be one of the 40 Most Powerful Media Personalities in Africa. In 2014, ''Forbes'' Afrique considered her to be one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Africa. In 2013 she won the Women, Inspiration and Enterprise Media Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amira, Patricia 21st-century Kenyan actresses Amira Amira Amira Amira Year of birth unknown Year of birth missing (living people) Living people