The second edition of WOW Kathmandu - Women of the World Festival 2018
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.
The British Council as a part of its cultural relations is partnering with Southbank London and organising the Women of the World (WOW) Festival in Kathmandu. This Festival is creating a platform for women and girls of Nepal and South Asia to voice out for gender equality. The Festival had been organised in Karachi, Colombo, and Kathmandu and soon in Dhaka.
The second edition of WOW Kathmandu will be held on 17 February 2018 at the IOE – Pulchowk Campus, Lalitpur. It is a one day festival from 10:00 to 8:00 PM. WOW Kathmandu is a free event, open to everyone. The local curators are: Hamro Chahana Nepal, Institute of Professional Development, Abhilasha Subba, Sareena Rai and Image Ark. The inaugural edition in Nepal was very well-received with over 6000 visitors attending the event.
Jude Kelly CBE, Artistic Director of Southbank Centre shares her thoughts on why she founded the festival and why the festival is appropriate for Nepal (excerpt from 2017):
“When I founded WOW I wanted to start a new conversation that could include girls and women, boys and men regardless of educational background, political persuasion or field of interest. I really wanted to say that if you are women, or if you know a woman, this festival can celebrate your history and challenge any obstacles that are being experienced in the world. It was important to me to create the spirit of celebration as that allows people to feel optimistic, and optimism produces energy, stamina and determination. I had no idea that WOW would become a global movement but now that it's in so many countries I'm thrilled and it's beyond all my expectations. My experience of Nepal suggested to me that women and men need to embrace gender equality as something that would make the whole society more prosperous, more fruitful, and more dynamic. There is still too strong a perception that women's equality would undermine men's identity and destroy cultural traditions. It's important to develop a different story demonstrating how everyone will benefit from a gender equal world.”
Dr. Jovan Ilic, Country Director, British Council Nepal shares,“We are excited to work with Southbank Centre and our local partners to present the second edition of Women of the World Kathmandu. Yet again, informed by community brainstorming sessions called Thinkin, we have put together an exciting list of activities encompassing the inclusive and diverse breadth of the global movement that is WOW. There is great perseverance yet still immense hardship and challenges for many women and girls in Nepal and around the world. So, it is always inspiring to bring together a new class of women leaders, thinkers and artists to revisit important milestones and issues within the vision for a better place for everyone.
The British Council for the past 59 years has been creating opportunities, connecting people and building trust between our two great nations. Female or male, young or old, no matter your background, ethnicity or sexuality, come and join us and together on Saturday, 17 February at IOE-Pulchok ”.