WOW – Women of the World Festival on in December

The British Council, together with the London Southbank Centre, will be bringing the WOW – Women of the World Festival to Sri Lanka  from December 2-3, 2017.

 The festival, which is free to enter, will take place at the National Film Corporation Grounds and is open to
all members of the public.

A statement from the British Council said the WOW Festival, Founded by Southbank Centre’s Artistic Director Jude Kelly in 2011, is now a global festival movement having been held in over 38 countries including Ethiopia, Egypt, Iceland and USA.

The purpose of the festival is to bring together women and girls from all social backgrounds to empower them and celebrate their achievements as well as provide a space in which they can talk about their experiences of gender inequality and the possible solutions there are towards it.

The festival promises to be insightful with English, Sinhala and Tamil sessions running concurrently. Throughout the weekend, audience members will be able to enjoy a diverse range of events such as performances, panel discussions and workshops covering topics such as inspirational women across Sri Lankan history and strategies for combating gender-based violence.

Additionally, the festival plans to showcase female musicians performing Sinhala and Tamil contemporary classics and screen original short-films by 13 Sri Lankan women. The WOW Market will also provide female social entrepreneurs from around the island a place to talk about their businesses and sell their goods.