At this digital evening event we would like to take a closer look at the topic of female and feminist activism in West Asia and North Africa. Across countries, we will encounter different women from the region who are actively engaged in activist movements or groups and/or make important contributions to society through their work.
It is not just in European mainstream discourse that women from West Asia and North Africa are unfortunately still too often depicted as defenceless victims of male oppression and archaic societies or considered mere bystanders of social and political change in their countries. On the other hand, WANA women's participation in different aspects of society is oftentimes portrayed as exceptional and praised as empowerment, while in reality it is the norm. The existence of structural inequalities of different kinds certainly cannot be denied, but still, it is no secret that this representation falls far short of the lived realities and fails to recognize the daily struggles and achievements of many women on the ground.
While it is of course not possible to present the full range of female activism in the region, we would like to not just try and disrupt those patterns in our event, but to enable a more direct discourse with some activists from the region instead of just talking about them. Therefore, we are very much looking forward to meeting the following activists with you and learning firsthand about their work as well as the challenges and opportunities they are presented with on a daily basis:
Nour AlMukhled is the project manager of Eithar, a Kuwaiti non-profit organisation, advocating female empowerment and women's rights and campaigning to end gender-based violence in the region. She is also an active member of the Abolish 153 movement, a campaign aimed at removing Article 153 from the Kuwaiti penal code, a law that allows so called honor killings to be classified as misdemeanour charges.
Muzna Alhaj is a communications professional, with special focus on government communications. She is a feminist and a political activist who took part in the 2018/19 Sudanese Revolution. Muzna is also a member of the media committee at MANSAM, a coalition of Sudanese women's civil and political groups.
Sonia Terrab is a Moroccan film director, writer and journalist. She is a founding member of the feminist collective and social movement "Moroccan Outlaws" whose main focus is the abolition of laws that undermine sexual freedom and reproductive rights by challenging social norms and creating awareness.
Program
18:45 Start of the live stream.
19:00 Welcome by our host Anna-Theresa Bachmann of dis:orient e.V.
19:10 Live connection to Morocco: Input from writer and film director Sonia Terrab about the Moroccan Outlaw Collective she co-founded to combat laws undermining sexual freedom. Followed by Q&A.
19:40 Live connection to Kuwait: Input from Nour Al Mukhled, Project Manager at Eithar, an organization fighting domestic abuse, and active member of the Abolish 153 campaign, followed by Q&A.
20:10 Live connection to political activist Muzna Alhaj in Khartoum, input about the role of women in the country’s transformation process and the issue of female genital mutilation. Followed by Q&A.
20:40 Closing remarks and announcements.
Further information
The broadcast takes places via Zoom and will be free of charge for you. Under the following link you can register for the event.
Register Now
Please note: Due to the high interest in our previous events, we cannot guarantee participation via Zoom and will additionally broadcast the event live via Facebook Live where you will also be able to ask your questions via the chat or comment function.
The event will be held in English.
Discuss with us and our speakers, at this joint online event by Alsharq & dis:orient! We are looking forward to seeing you there!
The event is part of the digital event series "Ferngespräche" (German for "Long Distance Calling") by dis:orient e.V. and Alsharq REISE.
