IWD Rush Hour Panel Discussion ‘Local Women: Global Perspectives’
Ulster Hall, Belfast 5-6pm
On International Women’s Day we would like to invite you to delve into the experiences of the international women living and working in our own city. If women’s voices are marginalised in the ongoing conversation about what Belfast is and has the potential to be, then the women who have come here from other parts of the world are even less visible. Belfast Feminist Network have invited a panel of such women to share their stories so that we can celebrate their contributions, be challenged by the struggles life here can present, and learn a little about the issues women face in their own home nations.
Chair: Louise Higgins (BFN, NICEM)Panel:
Assia El-Zaruk (Libya)
Mimi Unamoyo (DRC)
Rosa Wu (Taiwan, ROC)
Barbara Gabriella Renzi (Italy) – introducing her new documentary “Belfast: You Never Know!”
(Starts 5pm sharp due to 1 hr time limit on venue.)
The format of the Feminist Forum includes short presentations by panelists followed by interactive discussion. Please feel free to just come along and listen or participate as much as you like!
_____________________________________________________________
In 2012 Belfast Feminist Network are hosting a series of monthly discussion forums exploring a range of issues currently impacting women and the feminist movement. We’ve taken our lead from the areas of interest our growing feminist community has identified and we hope you’ll find the programme as exciting as we do! Participating is easy – just come along to WRDA, 6 Mount Charles, off Botanic Avenue on the first Thursday of every month at 7pm. Feel free to just pull up a seat and listen or jump in and flex your feminist vocal chords with as much input as you like. There will be a panel of 3/4 speakers at each forum to help get the conversation started, all of whom will be experienced in the particular area up for discussion. The rest is up to all of us.
So that’s the serious part…now for some fun. Each month we will also have a social activity to give us the chance to build new friendships and discover new things about old ones. Plans for these events are a little looser but the dates and activities are included on the programme below. Please feel free to volunteer ideas for social events or help to organise these.
2nd Feb – Feminism and the LGBT community
22nd Feb – Musical fundraiser in La Boca, 9pm
1st March – Women and Money
8th March – Special extra forum for IWD in The Ulster Hall at 5pm: Local women, global perspectives: The challenges facing women in Belfast’s international communities.
5th April: Multiple feminisms – exploring difficult questions within the feminist movement
Strictly feminist dancing: night out on the tiles TBC for end of April
3rd May: Activism and advocacy – approaches to changing the world.
16th May: Movie night TBA
7th June: Reproductive rights – where next in the fight to change abortion law?
23rd June: Feminism al fresco – a picnic in the park!
In July we will be partaking in a little seasonal activity we like to call “Reclaim the marching season”…this will involve a fun, feminist slant on the idea of taking to the streets to express ourselves.
5th July: planning and costume making session in WRDA
7th July: a big feminist march, uniting groups to bring women issues into the public arena at a time of the year usually dominated by more patriarchal agendas.
