KARACHI: With the theme of ‘Rani’, the British Council Pakistan, in partnership with the Women of the World (WOW) Foundation and curating partners Entrepreneurship and Community Development Institute (ECDI) and Olomopolo Media, will be hosting the second virtual edition of the two-day WOW Festival in Pakistan from March 5.

Sharing a brief history of the festival and its significance, British Council Pakistan Director Arts Laila Jamil said that equality, diversity and inclusion is the core of British Council’s work.

During a press conference held at the British Council Library here on Monday, she said: “We hosted the first full scale WOW Festival in South Asia in Karachi in 2016, and we are now partnering with the WOW Foundation in three other countries across South Asia, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

“The WOW Festival in Pakistan has been attended by over 27,000 people in three face to face festivals held in the last five years, and almost 300,000 people watching the sessions online over four days last year, in the first virtual WOW in Pakistan. They are all still there on the WOW Festival Pakistan YouTube channel if you would like to watch them again,” she said.

“This year, the WOW Virtual Pakistan 2022 will be opened by keynote speakers Senator Sherry Rehman and the Founding Director of WOW Foundation Jude Kelly CBE,” she added.

“It will be a sensitively curated programme that offers great insight into contemporary Pakistani concerns, and highlights the inspiring work being done by women and non-binary people across a variety of sectors. Artists and cultural practitioners have been instrumental in using their art forms and voices to inform and support civil society and civic issues. Women empowerment and wellness is a key challenge, and this festival offers a publicly engaging and informative programme,” she maintained.

“The festival this year will explore the different facets of ‘Rani’, which may be Jhansi ki Rani, Raat ki Rani, Sapno ki Rani,” explained ECDI curator Amneh Shaikh Farooqui.

She added that there will be critical conversations on leadership, allyship and accountability in a post pandemic world.

“This will be done through panel discussions, interactive workshops, talks, performances, children’s storytelling and more,” she further explained.

“WOW Virtual Pakistan 2022 will also have check-ins hosted by Sania Saeed and Mira Sethi in between the sessions to help navigate the various aspects of the festival, and will host some surprise guests as well,” she said.

Another ECDI curator, Atiya Abbas, shared some more highlights from the two-day schedule.

Finally, Asma Mundrawala of Zambeel Dramatic Readings read Ismat Chughtai’s Ghoonghat.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2022