2008 Keynote Speaker: Mariane Pearl
Mariane’s travels include most of the world, spanning Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. Her exposure to women in countries across these continents gives her a unique perspective and insight into this year’s conference theme. Most notably, her monthly column in Glamour, titled Global Diary, exemplifies the amazing strides women are making to change circumstances for the better around the world.
Mariane Pearl was five months pregnant when her husband, The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and brutally murdered by a militant Islamic fundamentalist group in Pakistan in 2002.
Determined not to be broken, she wrote A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Daniel Pearl that introduced the world to Daniel Pearl as he was when he was alive while also providing a heart-breaking first person account of his disappearance and death. Amazon.com has said, “Mariane Pearl’s candor is remarkable and her courage, along with that of her late husband, serve to make A Mighty Heart, despite Danny Pearl’s death, an uplifting story.”
In 2007, A Mighty Heart, starring Angelina Jolie as Mariane was released on the big screen and has recently come out on DVD.
Despite the ongoing investigation and declarations about Pearl’s murder, Marianne continues to gain strength by celebrating life, the values of humanism and dignity. She is Co-Founder of the Daniel Pearl Foundation created to further the ideals that inspired his life and work and to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and innovative communications.
In Paris, Mariane covered immigration and identity issues, using her daily radio program that she developed, produced and hosted for Radio France Internationale to explore issues of society, identity and politics. The program helped sharpen her conviction that journalism has the power to cross cultural boundaries and encourage dialogue among people.
An award-winning international journalist, Mariane traveled around the world reporting and producing documentaries on the sensitive issues surrounding the application of genetic technology to contemporary challenges. Biological Memory, the second report in this series, won the prestigious Science and Society Award at the International Festival of Scientific Film, held in Canada.
Mariane also explored the subculture of the Indian subcontinent with magazine features for Télérama on issues as varied as the heritage of Gandhi to the future of Afghan culture. After September 11, 2001, she reported from Pakistan, examining media coverage of the war in neighboring Afghanistan. Today, she is a reporter and “Global Diary” columnist for Glamour magazine, which spotlights exceptional women around the world.