If you haven’t heard the exciting news, we are happy to bring it to you! The British Council of Pakistan in collaboration with ECDI Pakistan and Olomopolo Media hosted the 6th annual Women of the World Festival (WOW) in Karachi on Saturday and Sunday at Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi, this time returning to its in-person format after two virtual versions in 2021 and 2022. The theme this year was Ral Mil – the Seraiki phrase for coming together as a community. Looking at the schedule of the festival, there were so many things to look forward to, including dynamic panels, engaging workshops, immersive performances, a vibrant marketplace and exciting programming for kids and teens. The festival also had an art exhibition, a petting zoo, installation art, and film screenings. With so many things to choose from, we boiled down a list of what we were looking forward to the most at the WOW Festival 2023: THE THEME — we loved the theme as it delved into questions of communities and relationships. The theme posed that the answer to resisting the isolating forces of capitalism and hustle culture is to look after each other in ways that go beyond pop psychology and self -care. The word community is often misunderstood in social justice that we should sell a community a cause when it is the people we are connected to and who enable our friendships and foster our growth. These bonds are not linear but an exchange of energy and ideas. The organizers of the WOW Festival believe that forming communities of care takes intentional work in healing and recognising how patriarchy and capitalism chip away at our energy, isolating us, and making us individualistic. The theme built on ideas of communities of care and imagined ways to build back better, strengthen bonds, heal wounds, find joy and salvage the earth we walked on. PERFORMANCES — the WOW Festival 2023 had performances by several leading stars, including our favourite singer of Pasoori fame Shae Gill and the iconic Naseebo Lal. There was a dramatic reading by the two celebrated superstars Sarmad Khoosat and Nimra Bucha who performed under an Intizar Hussain short story, Kaaga Tantra. If this hasn’t already piqued your interest, there was also an inclusive performance titled ‘Voices Unheard’ which showcased the incredible vocals of the visually impaired girls of Ida Rieu school, Coke Studio vocalist Zara Madani, an Afghan Refugee Band and 90s Pakistani band favorites, Khalid Khan, Shallum Xavier, Shams and Shahid. Each of the musicians performed live on stage exclusively for the WOW Festival audience. Performances were not limited to music and spoken word alone as there was an immersive dance experience and interactive games that made the players think about various aspects of society. PANELLISTS & SPEAKERS — this year’s roster included Sarwat Gilani, who engaged the kids in fun art activities. Men had the opportunity to be strong allies for women by not only supporting gender equity and rights but publicly and consistently advocating for it. However, while it is widely acknowledged that patriarchy hurts women and girls, it also hurt men and boys – not just for being bullied when they allied with the cause but in other insidious ways. The team from the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business, head of research Nazish Shekha, programme managers Sameen Akhund and Rajaa Bokhari and programme coordinator Safia Hussain conducted a baithak where they brainstormed the real workplace policies that will facilitate women’s participation in the workforce. The baithak was well received and fostered a discussion among the festival goers. DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE CLIMATE CRISIS — over the past year, Pakistan has experienced a multitude of challenges, including the devastating effects of climate change and political instability. Additionally, the country has faced economic hardships, such as rising costs of living, inflation and fuel prices Despite these struggles, women have been at the forefront, taking on leadership roles and aiding in recovery efforts. Hence, in these conversations the key note address and the opening panel were on climate change. Senator Sherry Rehman; Climate Change Minister with many accolades to her name from Forbes 50 over 50 Leader, and one of Financial Times 25 most influential women for 2022; talked about her approaches to building the momentum for change. Her leadership had been instrumental in putting Pakistan on the map of demanding its rightful share of rebuilding and making the phrase of Loss and Damage a part of our everyday language. Furthermore, there was a panel on women’s response to climate change with various leaders from Nowshera ADC Quratulain Wazir to Baithak – Breaking Taboos founder Ayesha Amin and others discussed their approaches to the floods in 2022. INCLUSIVITY — what could not be overlooked about the WOW Festival 2023 was its inclusive nature. The festival was more than a stance for women’s rights and empowerment, it included panels, performances and art by transgendered people as well as the visually and hearing impaired. Every panel and performance were interpreted in Pakistan Sign Language. The values of the festival were shaped by the need to cultivate deep relationships with people across traditionally gated and guarded spaces and with acknowledgment of the role of all living things: plants, animals, and other parts of the local heritage and ecosystems. Within these parameters, important questions were also posed and pondered upon such as, ‘what were the challenges to forming a community and leading from a place of radical empathy?’, ‘what could a community look like without “cancel culture” and what does restorative justice actually look like in practice?’