Moana Genevey, the guest of this episode, is a Senior Policy Officer at Equinet at day, and a stand-up comedian at night.

By doing the European Master in Human Rights and Democratisation, she had for the first time a sense of belonging and a sense of legitimacy. The master created career opportunities working for human rights (e.g., paid traineeships, work as co-Secretary General of the EMAlumni Association, network of people and opportunities…). Her hope regarding organisations working on human rights is that we will bridge the gap between theory and practice as this would have more impact. She also thinks that human rights education would be more efficient if the students were in touch early on with groups that are affected by human rights violations.

She entered the world of stand-up comedy through improv theatre that she started in 2021. Having some knowledge on feminism, anti-racism, intersectionality and equality, really helps her to filter what she is saying on stage. She uses her knowledge to write things that are the safest possible. She started applying her gender lens to her comedy work, because “it was the first time ever that I entered a professional world where sexism was so prevalent.”

She finds strength in the collective and created a feminist collective to create a support system for stand-up comedians who are not the standard stand-up comedian and support shows made by women. She noticed that when women and gender minorities feel in a safe environment, where they are supported and encouraged, they are funnier.