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“Women of the World Festival Bangladesh”, recognising the contribution of women and womanhood will begin at Shilpakala Academy in the capital on Friday.
Speaker of the National Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will inaugurate the two-day event at 3 pm, said a press statement.
During the WOW festival, there will be thought-provoking discussions on various important issues like the impacts of colourism and biases based on skin tone, social perceptions and moral policing based on clothing, the perception of feminism in wider communities and more.
Among various other activities, there will be interactive workshops to raise awareness of breast cancer and stroke signs and symptoms. Attendees will have the opportunity to be mentored by successful women from various fields and local women entrepreneurs will get an exclusive opportunity to share their products at the WOW Marketplace. There will also be fun workshops for children visiting the festival.
“We are committed in our work with women and girls across South Asia and believe that there are millions of inspiring women who exemplify why empowerment, diversity and having meaningful platforms for connection help close gaps to gender equality”, said Jill Richens, Director Arts South Asia of British Council.
“Our work in the arts and strategic priorities support women’s voices and agency, and that is also why festivals like WOW accelerate progress”, he said.
British-Bangladeshi band 'Khiyo', who are performing in Bangladesh for the first time, and Bangladeshi rock band 'Chirkutt', are the key attractions of the festival, alongside performances by popular celebrities and artists like Ridy Sheikh, Masha Islam and Toshiba Begum.
Azmeri Haque Badhan, Zakia Bari Momo and Nazifa Tushi will also be sharing their stories with the chance of live interaction with audiences. There will also be traditional folk dances, theatre productions and film screenings.
"WOW Festival is organised in different countries across the world to recognise the role and gravity of women and femininity. On one hand, it identifies issues related to gender inequality in societies through various discussions and cultural performances, while on the other hand, it inspires young girls and women to try and overcome barriers to express their own unique identities. Mongol Deep Foundation is proud to be an associate in this endeavour “, said Sara Zaker, founding chairperson of Mongol Deep Foundation.
The women and girls-focused festival is organised by strategic partners the British Council, Mongol Deep Foundation and Center for Communication and Development-CCD Bangladesh, in partnership with UK charity The WOW Foundation.
The festival aims to bring people together to combat the inequality and discrimination they face in society and provide support and encouragement by fostering a safe space for dialogue.
Jude Kelly, CEO and Founder of The WOW Foundation, launched WOW in 2010 when she was the Artistic Director of Southbank Centre in London. The last national WOW Dhaka festival took place in 2019.
The festival is open for all to attend. Interested people are asked to visit www.mongoldeep.org for registration.
