Staff of FIRE

Katerina Anfossi Gómez

Katerina, a Chilean feminist lawyer, has lived in Costa Rica for 21 years and has supported women and women's groups involved in legal conflicts. She is co-Director of AC FIRE, and co-producer of "Está Legal," the local radio program.

"Talking about myself is not easy," said Katerina, "and having to write about myself is even harder. Maybe this is due to the way in which patriarchy has affected us women, and influenced us; maybe it is because throughout my life, few people have really wanted to know who I am and what I am like. But it is my turn now, as producer of FIRE and co-director of ac FIRE."

Katerina explained what joining FIRE in 1991 meant to her: "When I was told that there was a place on FIRE and that FIRE was a space for women in radio, to promote women, I felt it was such an important project that I came to see if I could work in it. I was hired, and it provided a new possibility of continuity of what I was already doing: Promoting women's needs and interests, especially the least protected. I am a lawyer who was working with women subjected to domestic violence.

"Women are the most marginalized unprotected and discriminated against, and at the same time, there is a new consciousness of the role that women can play. Women are working to change the world. Broadcasting this program on the air is a constant challenge, the communication with women and men listeners is a great responsibility that I take very seriously.

"For us it has been very important to create this space for women, because throughout history, women's expression and experiences have been denied. It is a space by and about women, for the world. Women have a culture of listening to radio, and now FIRE is an international place for women to communicate internationally, based on their experiences.

"I want to end by saying that speaking about oneself is to remember collective processes, shared experiences that are stored in the memory of each one of us."