WOWKTM 2018 Pop-up performances

Uma Bista is a photographer based in Kathmandu whose visual narratives focus on issues of women. She is a graduate of the International Photography Program, Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, Bangladesh. In 2017, she participated in Angkor Photo Workshop, Cambodia and was nominated for the prestigious Joop Swart Masterclass. Her works have been widely published and exhibited nationally and internationally. Her images have been published in the books: “The Constant Change” and “Nepal the Land of Contrast”. Uma currently works as the deputy Photo Editor for Annapurna Post.

Photo.circle is a platform for photography. Through workshops, publications, exhibitions and commissioned assignment work, photo.circle strives to bring together photographers and other visual storytellers to nurture unique voices that document and engage with social change in Nepal.

InfoShop is an alternative platform that provides creative engagement of punk ideologies and socio-anarchist school of thoughts. It focuses on music, literature and adventure sports as an outlet for Nepali youths and promotes a DIY culture. 

Sharmila Shrestha is a Kathmandu-based contemporary artist. Her installations are realized through community participatory processes. She utilizes local and household materials to present commentary of social dynamics.

Women Empowerment Nepal (WEN) is a non-profit organization that works for women and child rights, social justice and gender equity. Our programs focus on empowerment of women; preventing violence against women through awareness and preparedness. Empowering Girls/women through self-defence is one of the main focuses of WEN. WEN started teaching self-defence from May 2013, till now more than 2500 girls/women and around 200 men have participated in WEN self-defence training.

Word Warriors are a Kathmandu-based group of young poets leading the spoken word movement in Nepal. They have been performing, conducting events, competitions and workshops across the country sharing the platform that spoken word provides for youth expression and voice. 

Katha Ghera is a professional theatre production company with a deep passion and drives towards listening, enacting and working with stories. Katha Ghera works in the areas of Proscenium Theatre, Playback Theatre, theatre-based interventions, community engagement and workshops as well as Psychological Counselling.

Muna Gurung is a writer, translator and educator based in Kathmandu, Nepal. She received her MFA from Columbia University, where she was a teaching fellow. Her fiction, non-fiction and translated works have appeared in The Margins, Himal Southasian, Words Without Borders, La.Lit, The Record and No Tokens. Muna was a 2015 Asian American Writers Workshop Margins Fellow, and is the founder of KathaSatha.

The Pump is Nepal’s first gym specialising in calisthenics and cross-fit training. It provides complete solutions to living healthy by customizing the workout regimen and providing consultations on diet and other lifestyle choices. 

Nepa Dance Academy is dedicated to exposing the grooving talents hiding within everyone. It offers a range of courses for children to adults on classical and contemporary dance forms. The Academy runs its courses at the Rastriya Nachghar. 

Minu Waiba is one of the few female Sarangi (traditional South Asian instrument) musicians active in Nepal. She is proactively engaged in the preservation and promotion of the gaine tradition (linked to the Sarangi) as the instrument has helped her deal her physical disabilities and has given her confidence. Minu also uses the sarangi to help others with disabilities.