Third WOW festival organized to highlight climate change, womens’ achievements

• The festival’s diverse programme included important discussions, musical performances, dramatic readings, panel discussions and workshops.
• This year’s event was dedicated to making WOW a climate friendly festival by reducing the use of single use plastics and panaflexes.
• The British Council hosted the first full scale WOW in South Asia in Karachi in 2016.

(Karachi) The British Council of Pakistan, together with the WOW Foundation organised the third WOW – Women of the World festival in Karachi to highlight climate change and celebrate achievements of women.

The two day festival commenced on December 14 (Saturday) at Beach Luxury Hotel. The event was hosted by Dr Fozia Tahir, Entrepreneurship and Community Development Institute (ECDI), Numaish-Karachi and Olomopolo Media.

The festival’s diverse programme included important discussions and mentoring, musical performances, dramatic readings, panel discussions, workshops, a space for young children and a market reimagined as an inclusive third space.

This year’s event was dedicated to making WOW a climate friendly festival by reducing the use of single use plastics, panaflexes, and working for a sustainable waste management solution.

Speaking on the opening day of the festival, Chantal Harrison-Lee, Director Arts, British Council in Pakistan said, “Working with our team, the WOW Foundation and our phenomenal curatorial team we have put together our most ambitious programme to date, featuring nearly 100 women as well as men, across ages.”

He added, “We have climate change at the heart of our work, throughout our programming and in our delivery approach and are dedicated to making WOW a climate friendly festival.”

He maintained that WOW is a family friendly inclusive festival for all ages and genders. “WOW is a vital platform to celebrate and empower women, to provide a space for discussion around key issues and barriers women and girls face, and aims to make bottom up change.”

In her address, Senator Sherry Rehman, who is also the Chair of Climate Change Caucus in Parliament said, “Women, whose lives are deeply entangled with access to natural resources, like water and firewood to complete their daily chores, are harder hit by climate enhanced burdens and frustrations.”

She added, “As we celebrate women, we must continue to push back, disrupt and defy emerging challenges, risks and problems women face at multiple levels.”

Earlier, the festival was opened by Michael Houlgate, Area Director Sindh and Balochistan and Chantal Harrison-Lee.

This was followed by a detailed programme review by curators Amneh Shaikh-Farooqui from ECDI, Saima Zaidi from Numaish-Karachi, Vicky Zhuang Yi-Yin from Olomopolo Media, Dr Fozia Tahir and consultants Sumbul Khan and Maheen Zia. It also included an open mic performance where three women and a remarkable young girl recited poems, speeches and stories around the WOW Karachi 2019 themes of return, resilience, transformation and environmental sustainability.

The British Council hosted the first full scale WOW in South Asia in Karachi in 2016. It brought together exceptional and inspiring women, offering a space to share the achievements of women and look at the significant challenges still faced by them.

WOW – Women of the World Festivals first began in the UK in 2010, launched by Jude Kelly CBE at Southbank Centre London. To date, WOW has reached over two million people in 17 countries on six continents