The international festival, Women of the World (WOW), is to combine with the Commonwealth Games in order to promote women’s empowerment
The international festival, Women of the World (WOW), is to combine with the Commonwealth Games in order to promote women’s empowerment.
A three day festival in April 2018 will involve over 100 speakers and artists from Commonwealth countries around the world.
The main event will take place in Brisbane, but festival-related activities will be taking place all over Australia, as its Gold Coast hosts the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
One focus for the festival will be to examine the challenges women of the Commonwealth face and to find solutions that support and empower women socially, politically and economically.
Dame Quentin Bryce, WOW’s patron, former Governor-General of Australia and Chairwoman of the Special Taskforce on Domestic and Family Violence, started celebrations in Queensland with the Channel Country Ladies Day on October 20-22, 2017 in Jundah, Queensland.
Attendees were invited to share stories via video, photos and interviews, which will become part of an exhibition held during the festival in 2018.
Similar events will be held in Bundaberg and Katherine, in the Northern Territory.
Festival Executive Producer, Cathy Hunt, said it was important to ensure remote and regional Australian female voices were heard, when many would be unable to attend the following year’s festival in Brisbane.
Bryce said that violence was one of the gravest issues faced by women and children.
She said: “Bringing women together is empowering; it’s as important now as it was 100 years ago.
“None of us want to live in a society where women are living in fear, where women are psychologically, physically, emotionally abused.”
Hunt said: “These big international festivals, they go to cities, they hear the voices of women in cities [and] women in cities get a lot of opportunity to have their voices heard.
“There are so many women and girls living in the world, in rural and remote areas.
“People in cities have no idea what is happening in those areas, and also how they can help.”
