The British Council being the UK’s international cultural organisation has a history of delivering international festivals around the globe and adapting them to the local context. In this regard, the British Council Bangladesh brings in an international festival for Khulna citizens at the Khulna University to introduce an international platform to celebrate and inspire women and girls from this divisions. The programme was open for public from all background that includes - women, youth, and people from Khulna.
The initiative WOW Dhaka: Khulna Chapter is part of the British Council and Southbank Centre’s commitment to diversity and inclusion and in particular to the women in Bangladesh who go from strength to strength in overcoming odds in their daily lives, politics, education and creative disciplines. A series of events and activities all over Bangladesh for next few months will lead up to WOW (Women of the World) Dhaka in 2019. As a part of the initiative, the event, Khulna Chapter of WOW Dhaka is organised jointly by the British Council, South Bank Centre, Rupantar at Khulna University on 2 August 2018.
The programme will bring together people from all over Khulna that includes community leaders, activist, entrepreneurs, students, media personals and semi urban representation to have conversation around societal and cultural challenges, taboos and stereotypes. The event consists of panel discussions, poter gaan, workshop, WOW Bites (inspirational talks) and many more, highlighting the challenges facing by the women of Bangladesh. Topics include tech for women, legal support, health, entrepreneurship, leadership, and how to support young Bangladeshi people as empowered individuals.
In the 100th anniversary year since the first British women won the right to vote, the event celebrates the changes brought about by women and men historically and brings together the voices of women and girls of all ages to transform the future for gender equality and highlight solutions to modern day challenges. The WOW movement is growing and is now in over 20 cities across 5 continents including Karachi in Pakistan, Colombo in Srilanka, Kathmandu in Nepal, New York and Baltimore in the USA, across the UK and Australia.
Programme Schedule: 11.00 AM – 07.00 PM
Market Place
Workshop: Cyber security – How safe are you?
Panel Discussion
Pop up performance
WOW Bites
Cultural event
For further information please contact:
Arshia Aziz, Head of Marketing, Communications and Digital, British Council, Bangladesh
Email: Arshia.Aziz@bd.britishcouncil.org
British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We work with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 65 million people directly and 731 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. We make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government. www.britishcouncil.org
Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre, comprising three iconic buildings (Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery) and occupying a 21acre site that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames. The site has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Building on this rich heritage, Southbank Centre offers an extensive artistic and cultural programme including annual and one off themed festivals and classical and contemporary music, performance, dance, visual art and literature and spoken word events throughout the year. www.southbankcentre.co.uk
WOW Women of the World Festival was launched by Southbank Centre Artistic Director Jude Kelly CBE in 2011, the centenary of International Women's Day. It has since grown into the largest women's festival network in the world, involving over a million people across five continents. Over the last five years, WOW has presented among many others, Nobel Peace Prizewinning Malala Yousafzai, Salma Hayek Pinault, Alice Walker, Vivienne Westwood, Christine Lagarde, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown MP, Annie Lennox, Ruby Wax, Patrick Stewart, Sinead O'Connor, Jessye Norman, Julie Walters, Naomi Wolf, Nawal El Sadaawi, Cherie Blair, Kiran Bedi, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC and many women who don’t have public profiles but have done extraordinary things. With the HRH Duchess of Cornwall as President, Southbank Centre is now planning a WOW Commonwealth festival at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 with all 53 nations. The WOW movement is growing, and is now in over 20 cities across five continents including New York and Baltimore in the USA, Finland, Karachi in Pakistan, and across the UK and Australia and in Hargeysa, Somaliland.