WOW’s awareness message amidst a festive air
Enlightening: One of the many panel discussions
Although the cyclonic weather provided much more than a dampener to those who were looking forward to a relatively longer weekend, the general gloom did little to darken the bubble of fun, wonder and curiosity of the Southbank Centre’s WOW (Women of the World) Festival, Colombo held in partnership with the British Council. Held for the first time in Sri Lanka, the groundbreaking two day event used a festival atmosphere together with panel discussions, film, art, music, martial arts and more- exploring and expanding the bands of creativity to give a voice not only to women but to society’s marginalised groups as well.
The first walk down the paved path of the National Film Corporation Building and Grounds set the pace for two days of exploration- of the festival’s numerous enlightening events as well as the festival atmosphere itself. Armed with a festival bag- complete with an easy-to-use handbook in all three languages as well as a colourful map of events, one is herded on their illuminating adventure by the many helpful and equally enthusiastic volunteers.
Not forgetting the children
The well-drawn up programme started at 9 a.m. on both days with fitness sessions and introductions to Wenlido Self Defence Training. A form of psycho-physical Self Defence based on feminist principles, the Wenlido training also focused on the voice as well as bodily Self Defence. The introductory session covered basics of assertiveness, physical technique and recognizing violence. Sunday’s session also saw the teachings of Angampora– a traditional art of self defence. Adding an authentic Sri Lankan perspective, the short session was conducted by women for women, one of the many experiences that were unknown to many.
The Auditorium or “the stage” as it was named for the festival, saw several panel discussions with diverse academic and influential figures discussing topics such as identity of marginalized women, sexuality, disability and the evolution of feminism in Sri Lanka. Other panels included the conflict between women and caste, race and religion, highlighting the issues faced by Sri Lankan Muslim women. The speakers consisted of both local and foreign panelists, allowing the audience an insight into the plight of women both at home and abroad.
The Good Market : Comfortably positioned in the centre of the happenings. Pix by Sameera Weerasekera
“The stage” also hosted a daily reel of short films directed by Sri Lankan women, covering contemporary topics of child marriage, prostitution and sexual empowerment among many others. The Good Market also found themselves comfortably positioned in the centre of the happenings, next to the lobby where one could grab a bite to eat and relax on one of the bean bags strewn around while waiting for one of the many poetry, music or dramatic performances to begin. The performers ranged from young spoken word poets to dancers from Batticaloa and established women in the entertainment and artistic fields such as the Chitrasena Dance troupe, Umara and Ashanthi de Alwis.
Although the nucleus of the WOW festival was to primarily shed a light and share knowledge on women and diversity, it included sessions for children as young as seven years- proving that age is no limit to challenging stereotypes. Talks on bullying, cyber exploitation and others found feminists of all age groups and genders, friends and family coming together at the festival- a clear thumbs up for a goal achieved.