'We are together': Women of the World Festival İstanbul program announced

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Organized through the partnership between the WOW - Women of the World Foundation and the British Council and with the support of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the Women of the World (WOW) Festival İstanbul will be held on March 19-20, 2022.

While the details of the program have now been shared with the public, the festival, bringing together the culture - arts sphere and civil society, will be opened to physical participation for the first time at Müze Gazhane, "İstanbul's new cultural heritage and creativity hub".

Bringing together the arts and culture world and civil society to develop new dialogues and collaborations, the festival has been offering a platform where women from different backgrounds can share their stories and voices via music, performance, talks and workshops.

Taking inspiration from artists, speakers, workshop leaders and NGOs from the United Kingdom (UK) and Turkey, WOW İstanbul will provide a platform for the sharing of cultural and creative expressions.

The Festival will start with an opening panel, titled #WeAreTogether, which will be hosted by the Founder and CEO of WOW Foundation, Jude Kelly, and journalist and writer, Zeynep Miraç. The speakers will discuss what it means for women to stand in solidarity in a world that keeps experiencing the pandemic, conflict, the impact of migration, climate change and poverty, and how art makes women's drive for equality more visible.

Among the women to attend the 2-day WOW Festival İstanbul are also Zeynep Miraç, Jude Kelly, Şebnem İşigüzel, Tamar Çıtak, Ayşe Tükrükçü, Aslı Karataş, Nurdeniz Tunçer, Hande Karaca, Zeynep Yıldız, Beyhan Göksan, İlhan Yalçın and Simay Dinç, according to the program.

About the WOW Foundation

The WOW Foundation was created by Jude Kelly CBE in 2018 to run the global movement that is WOW - Women of the World Festivals.

The Festivals began in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2010, launched by Kelly at Southbank Center London, where she was Artistic Director, to celebrate women and girls, taking a frank look at what prevents them from achieving their potential, raising awareness globally of the issues they face, and discussing solutions together. To date, WOW has reached over 3 million people in 17 countries on six continents, in locations including Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Finland, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somaliland, the UK and the USA.

The festival traveled around the world everywhere from the UK to Nigeria, and Pakistan to Australia exploring the intersectional impact of COVID-19 on gender inequality, and responding to Black Lives Matter. (AÖ/SD)