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The Documentary: Swan's head, tiger's roar

Swan's head, tiger's roar

13/06/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - The Documentary, Swan's head, tiger's roar

Hip-hop artist Mrs M, actress Bayra Bela and throat-singer Zolzaya on art in Mongolia

Meet the Mongolian women making waves across art and culture, including hip-hop artist Mrs M, Hollywood actress Bayra Bela and traditional throat-singer Zolzaya.

Producer Steven Rajam travels to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar to meet some of the women challenging convention, tradition and history at home and across the globe, including hip-hop artist Mrs M, Hollywood actress Bayra Bela and traditional throat-singer Zolzaya, whose fiddle is adorned not with the traditional horse's head, but a swan.

The 21st Century has seen a generation of Mongolian women make waves across art and culture - from brilliant new talents in contemporary music, visual art and film to leaders at the arts council, national theatre and opera house.

But how much does the changing face of Mongolian culture reflect changing gender roles and society in this proud Central Asian nation - one still making sense of the legacy of its turbulent and multifaceted history: its famous 13th Century empire under Chinggis (Genghis) Khan, which stretched across most of Asia; colonisation by Chinese imperial dynasties; a satellite state of the USSR in the 20th Century; and more recently, a thriving liberal democracy?

Producer/presenter: Steven Rajam
An Overcoat Media production for BBC World Service

(Photo: A young horse-head fiddle player in Ulaanbaatar. Credit: Steven Rajam)

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