WOW Dhaka fest to celebrate inspiring women, girls

The WOW (Women of the World) Dhaka 2023 Festival, a signature event of the UK-based charity WOW Foundation that celebrates the achievements of inspiring women and girls around the world, will be held on 24 and 25 February at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.  

The WOW Foundation, in partnership with the British Council, Mongol Deep Foundation and CCD Bangladesh, is organising the Dhaka chapter of the festival, which aims to unite people against inequality and discriminations to women as well as support and encourage them by fostering a safe space for dialogue, the organisers told a media brief at the British Council Auditorium yesterday. 

British Council Cultural Engagement Programme Manager Ifra Iqbal, Founding Chairperson of Mongol Deep Foundation Sara Zaker, and Joint-Director of CCD Bangladesh Shahana Parveen outlined the segments of the WOW Dhaka festival at the press conference.

This year's festival will celebrate the achievements of women and girls by recognising their courage through sharing stories of resilience and strength as well as performances, music and much more. 

Jude Kelly CBE, the CEO, and founder of the WOW Foundation, launched WOW in 2010 when she was the Artistic Director of Southbank Centre in London.

The event is held every year since the first WOW festival in 2010. Currently, the festival is celebrated in over 100 countries. In Bangladesh, the festival was introduced at the district levels in 2017, while the national version of the festival was first held in 2019.  

Sharmin Sultana Sumi, vocalist of the rock band Chirkutt, was also present at the press conference.