Alliance Française de Banjul and Women’s Association for Victims Empowerment (WAVE) joined the global community to celebrate International Women’s Day, honouring the invincible spirit of women and recognising their ongoing efforts towards achieving gender equality, justice and inclusion.
International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8 to celebrate women’s achievements, awareness about gender inequalities and to take actions to address them. This year’s event is celebrated under the theme; “Count Her In; Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress.”
The commemoration at the Alliance Friday, was marked with theatre workshops, meditative and therapy sessions, exhibition showing women entrepreneurship and a colourful theatre show “Mondial.E.S” produced by Brr Production in senegal.
Speaking at the event, Alliance Francaise director, Justine Guschlbauer said celebrating and commemorating Women’s Day with human rights dimension through arts and culture is an efficient way in creating awareness and call to actions around women’s rights, women empowerment and gender equality.
She hailed the courage and determination of WAVE and other women groups in their strive to enhance women participation and contribution across all levels.
“This day presents a great opportunity to promote female voices and deal with different issues facing women all over the world. The truth is that there is still a lot to be done to ensure equality between genders, equal treatment in families, the society and the workplace. That is when real success will come,” she remarked.
Director Justine, pledged that Alliance will continue to support and partner with women groups, support organisations and beneficiaries in driving change and progress.
Priscilla Yagu Ciesay from WAVE underscores her organisation’s dedication and commitment to advance women empowerment in the Gambia particularly within the context of justice, accountability, reparations and closure for victims.
She said the Women’s Day is set to celebrate the achievements of women, the event also provided a momentum for meaningful engagements with victims of human rights violations particularly victims of enforced disappearances to support them in honouring the memoirs of those who have passed or those who are still declared disappeared and help them heal.
Ciesay added that WAVE in partnership with other organisations will put forward a call to action for the government to address and expand awareness and discussions around issues of enforced disappearances.
The director of Brrr production Dakar Berengere Brooks, who wrote and directed the play Mondial, described it as a humorous cast that deals with women rights in West African, feminist struggles and women rights in light of globalisation and other social realities.
Marking the celebration of International Women’s Day, Alliance Francaise de Banjul has been at the forefront of initiatives honouring and recognising the contribution of women in the Gambia and other parts of West Africa and reflecting on the past and fresh perspectives to promote gender equality.
