In The News
This piece was originally published in the Star on 25 June 2007.
Women feted at festival
by Michelle Goh
MORE than 150 women and a sprinkling of men gathered at Universiti Malaya recently for a three-day festival of women's affairs.
Themed Embracing Diversity , the inaugural Fiesta Feminista took participants on a journey of women's achievements, aspirations and attitudes as well as issues affecting their lives.
The theme was chosen to reflect a common bond among women despite their diverse lifestyles, professions, economic background and physical attributes.
The event was a potpourri of forums, public talks, discussions, exhibitions, bazaars and movie screenings, void of the glitz and glamour of popular festivals.
Fiesta Feminista was organised by the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), a coalition of various women's groups.
They include the All Women's Action Society (Awam), Sister's In Islam (SIS), the Women's Aid Organization (WAO) and the women's wing of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).
The others are the Women's Development Collective (MDC); Women's Centre for Change, Penang (WCC); and Universiti Malaya.
“Women have something like a multiple identity,” said journalist and Awam activist Ng Tze Yeng.
“On one hand, they're against discrimination and they call for gender equality.
“Yet, on the other hand, they're also the beneficiary of discrimination,” she said.
The discussions covered a wide range of issues like women's health and rights, refugees, indigenous women's concerns and rights, Islamic feminism and finance.
There were also discussions on human rights and democracy as well as the environment and corporate social responsibilities.
Selected movies were screened to reflect the current mood among women. Among them is the award-winning Indonesian flick about polygamy, Berbagi Suami .
The others were Alice Lives Here, Behind Doors, Unlimited Girls, Moving From The Poverty Line and The Day I Became A Women .
