Celebration of Asian Feminist Solidarity

Presentation of Meeto Memorial Award to Ani Choying

2nd Sunila Abeysekera Memorial Lecture delivered by Charlotte Bunch

 

 

Thirty seven women activists, development workers, government officials, teachers, lecturers, lawyers, theatre persons, a woman reverend and others from eight SAARC countries, Turkey and Iran are attending a month long Feminist Capacity Building Course on Gender, sustainable Livelihoods, Human rights and Peace at TEWA, Dhapakhel, Kathmandu from 14th September to 14th October 2014.

This is the 19th month long course organized by Sangat, A South Asian Feminist Network to facilitate and strengthen cross border sharing, solidarity and creation of knowledge. Feminist cross border solidarity will be celebrated by the participants, resource persons and about 20 eminent feminist activists from South Asia, like Kamla Bhasin, Indira Shrestha, Binda Pande, Abha Bhaiya, Khushi Kabir, Kumudini Samuel, Roshmi Goswami, Rubina Saigol, Ambreen Ahmad, Sapana Pradhan Malla, Rita Thapa, Mona Sherpa.

This celebration will take place on 28th September, 2014 from 2.30 pm onwards, at the Academy Hall, Kamaladi, Kathmandu, in the presence of several hundred members and leaders of the Nepal Civil Society, eminent citizens, cultural activists etc.

Along with the celebration there will be the following important events on this afternoon,

Celebrating Social Commitment, Meeto Memorial Award for Young South Asians will be given to Ani Choying, the well known Buddhist Nun, Singer and social activist from Nepal. Meeto Bhasin Malik was a young dancer, human rights activist and scholar. She was pursuing her PhD at Baliol College, Oxford when at the age of 27 she passed on. Her mother Kamla Bhasin instituted this Award in Meeto’s memory and it has been given to four young South Asian women already.

The Second Sunila Abeysekera Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Professor Charlotte Bunch, the founder of the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership, Rutgers University, USA, to commemorate the life of one of the most eminent feminist activists and human rights defenders from South Asia.

The launch of One Billion Rising Revolution 2015, a global campaign to end violence against women and girls will also take place on this afternoon. Monique Wilson, well known actor, feminist activist from the Philippines and the Global Director of One Billion Rising will be present for this launch. There will be music, dance and slogans.

ENOUGH! NO MORE VIOLENCE!

One in three women on the planet is violated, beaten or raped.

This is one billion women!!

This is the BIGGEST WAR ever and it takes place within our homes and communities.

Patriarchal structures and mindsets are responsible for this war on women.

In addition, we now have modern, capitalist patriarchy, corporate media, mindless consumerism, cosmetic industries, and garish weddings with exorbitant dowries that objectify women on the one hand and make boys and men violent and greedy, on the other.

One Billion Rising is a global campaign to transform patriarchal structures and end violence against women and girls.

On 14th February 2013 and 2014, people in 207 countries got together and said

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! NO MORE VIOLENCE.

In South Asia, young, old, urban, rural, women, men and children have been participating in this global movement.

The world is getting ready to RISE again on 14th February 2015, and this year, we are calling it a ONE BILLION RISING REVOLUTION.

One Billion Rising Revolution is an escalation of the first two stages of our campaign – One Billion Rising and One Billion Rising for Justice. We’ve danced. We’ve demanded justice. Now we are demanding CHANGES.

WE MUST ACT NOW, AND WE MUST ACT TOGETHER.

OBR is a call to survivors, their families and friends to break their silence and release their stories through art, music, dance, marches, ritual, spoken word, and testimonies.

OBR is a call to boys and men everywhere to recognize how patriarchy is harming and dehumanizing them.

OBR invites every justice and peace loving person to join this global REVOLUTION and demand JUSTICE and peace everywhere!

Let us begin with our families, communities, schools and colleges.

Let us mobilize for the biggest RISING ever on 14th February, 2015, for justice, love and Peace.

NOT LOVE OF POWER, POWER OF LOVE