#wowldn
2014
Supported by
Wednesday 5 – sunday 9 March London
WOW LOGO 2014
Full programme
WOW LONDON 2014 WOW WEEKEND: 7, 8, 9 MARCH The WOW weekend is for everybody. Join us for a packed weekend that celebrates the incredible achievements of women and girls and looks at the most potent topics for women today. Featuring voices from around the world and stories from your neighbours. WOW is now in its fourth year, and this time it’s bigger, broader, and broaches a range of new subjects. This has been an important year for women’s rights. WOW looks back at key events and considers the future, with more action-focused sessions and ways to campaign, whether you’re a veteran or dipping your toe into feminism for the first time. Day passes and three-day weekend passes are available Day passes: £12* Three-day passes: £30* *No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online, £2.75 over the phone.
contents WOW STUFF
P4,32-33
FRIDAY DAY PASS EVENTS
P8-13
EXHIBITIONS P5
SATURDAY DAY PASS EVENTS P14-22
TICKETED EVENTS
SUNDAY DAY PASS EVENTS
P6,7,13,23,31
P24-30
Highlights VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
P25
MALALA YOUSAFZAI
P23 P29
VICKY PRYCE
P11
ANNE SUMMERS
MAXINE PEAKE
P13
NIRBHAYA
UNDER-10S FEMINIST CORNER
P14,20,24
WOMEN AGAINST PIT CLOSURES P28 TEENS’ EVENTS
P18,20,25
P6
RONNIE SPECTOR
P31
GRAYSON PERRY
P31
MIRTH CONTROL
P23
southbankcentre.co.uk/wow
#wowLDN
Jude Kelly
Jude Kelly, Women of the World Festival Director As Artistic Director of Southbank Centre and a female leader, WOW directly expresses many of the aspirations, dilemmas and dramatic challenges that I’ve witnessed throughout my life and still see mirrored in the female population across the world. I founded WOW four years ago to ensure there was a highprofile cultural space where hundreds of women’s stories could be shared, feelings vented, fun had, minds influenced and hearts expanded. There is not one country in the world where women have full equality and in most countries injustices are commonplace. Women can support each other to make changes on all levels. Men can and must be part of realising that changing landscape. It will be a better world for everyone and I think our children and grandchildren, both boys and girls, are entitled to expect progress from us. The three-day pass will give you access to a plethora of conversations and events, some deeply disturbing and some exhilarating and inspiring. During WOW week there are parallel activities for teachers on gender education, for teenagers who are holding their own
WOW festivals in schools and also for primary-age children who have their own conference on Thursday. WOW is now happening in four other countries and scheduled to spread to four more next year. WOW festivals around the UK are starting up too. Wowsers, our trainees programme has attracted an astonishing group of young women who help to run the Festival, whilst of course the whole team at Southbank Centre search for new and distinguished contributors to add to the wealth of ideas. This year we’ve added Women in the Arts Day to ensure that as part of the cultural sector we take action in our own backyard. Almost 1,000 women from all walks of life will be part of the Speed Mentoring Programme. We want WOW to be the place you rely on to highlight hidden issues and important projects. We work with hundreds of contributors to make WOW happen – it’s now one of the largest women’s festivals in the world and will keep growing. After all, there’s a lot to do.
Bloomberg’s support builds on a long history of support across Southbank Centre for a wide range of art exhibitions, public commissions and literature programmes. Through its philanthropy programme, Bloomberg helps charities and non-profit organisations around the world with education and literacy programmes, health and medical research, social work, arts and culture, public parks and the environment. Southbank Centre is grateful to Ms Miel de Botton, Catherine Petitgas, Lauren Prakke, and Joana and Henrik Schliemann for supporting WOW 2014.
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wow Stuff that’s useful to know
WOWsers
TEEN EVENTS
Look out for the Wowsers – a team of young ambassadors for WOW. Meet them at the information desk where they can answer your questions and direct you to the next event. Get crafty with them at the WOW market where they can help you make your own WOW souvenir and read their reports of the festival on the WOW blog.
This year we have a number of events for young people covering subjects including bullying and the politics of the playground. See pages 18, 20, 25 for details.
wow.southbankcentre.co.uk
MARKETPLACE
Friday 7 – Sunday 9 March The WOW marketplace is the heart and hub of the festival. Our specially designed indoor market is home to carefully selected stalls providing information, raising awareness, showcasing work or selling their wares. Market stallholders include WAH Nails, Science Grrl and Africa’s Living Room. Level 2 Foyers at Royal Festival Hall 10am – 6pm
ACCESS A selection of the talks will be British Sign Language interpreted and Speech to Text Transcribed. Look out for the symbols next to each event in this brochure.
UNDER-10s FEMINISt corner
Share your challenges, exchange ideas and stories and potentially identify a new mentor. Speed mentoring is an opportunity for you to be mentored by experts across many fields, including theatre directors, journalists, scientists, campaigners, artists, WOW speakers and many more. The mentoring session lasts for one hour, with four individual 15-minute speed mentoring sessions.
Friday 7 March 2.30pm The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall
saturday 8 12 noon – 1pm and 3.30pm – 4.30pm Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall
sunday 9 March 11.30am – 12.30pm and 3pm – 4pm Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall
Speed mentoring at WOW is free, but sign-up is required as places are limited.
Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 March
Sign up to be a mentee via the Southbank Centre website or Ticket Office.
Are you a budding young feminist? Would you use the F word in the playground? If so, we’ve got the perfect session for you. Join other young feminists for an interactive workshop exploring what being a girl means and get tips on how to start a campaign in your bedroom. Led by former under-ten feminists, Caroline Bird and Lucy Ellinson.
If you’re interested in being one of our WOW mentors please email wowmentoring@southbankcentre.co.uk for further information. These are women-only events.
Please note, this free event requires a ticket. Please book your free ticket online, by phone or in person (no fees apply). Saturday 8 March, 12 pm – 1pm & 3.30pm – 4.30pm Sunday 9 March, 10am – 11am J.P. Morgan Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall Please note this event is for under-10s only.
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Speed Mentoring at WOW
wow exhibitions
J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere Hairstyles and Headdresses
opens wednesday 5 march The first UK exhibition of work by renowned Nigerian photographer, J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere. The Hairstyles series began in 1968, driven by Ojeikere’s desire to document the many different types and meanings of hairstyles worn by Nigerian women. In essence Modernist fashion photography, the resulting images poignantly document a nation undergoing immense social and cultural change following post-colonisation. Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall
Jananne Al-Ani: Excavations
wednesday 5 March – sunday 20 April Hayward Gallery Project Space presents a selection of works from London-based Iraqi-born artist Jananne Al-Ani. Working with photography, film and video, Al-Ani has an ongoing interest in the landscape of the Middle East, its archaeology and its visual representation in the West through the technology of modern warfare. The exhibition includes Shadow Sites I (2010) from the Arts Council Collection. Hayward Gallery Project Space Jananne Al-Ani will be in conversation with Hayward Gallery Chief Curator Stephanie Rosenthal at 3.30pm in Dan Graham’s Waterloo Sunset Pavilion, Hayward Gallery. See page 21
Hera Master Come Down tuesday 4 March – sunday 13 April
Ntiense Eno Amooquaye launches her first ever solo exhibition, Hera Master Come Down, after working with The Saison Poetry Library’s collection over a period of 12 months. Ntiense Eno Amooquaye is a member of the Londonbased art collective Intoart and her practice integrates the visual, written and spoken word through print, text, image and live performance. The Saison Poetry Library at Royal Festival Hall Ntiense Eno Amooquaye will be doing a WOW Bite. See page 29
Image Credits: J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere, Modern Suku, 1979 © J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere. Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Jananne Al-Ani, Aerial I (2011), production still from the film Shadow Sites II. Courtesy the artist and Abraaj Capital Art Prize. Photography Adrian Warren
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wow events Stuff that’s useful to know These events are ticketed separately and are not included in the day passes. Buy tickets online or phone our Ticket Office (details on the back page).
miss representation monday 3 March
Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s powerful film highlights how America’s mainstream media contributes to the lack of women in leadership positions. Like drawing back a curtain to let bright light stream in, Miss Representation uncovers a glaring reality we live with every day but fail to see. The film exposes how mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America and challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and feel powerful in their day-to-day lives. Duration: 90 minutes Queen Elizabeth Hall, 7pm £12 The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director, Jennifer Siebel Newsom
★★★★★ (The Independent)
★★★★★ (Daily Telegraph)
Miss Representation
Nirbhaya
Written and Directed by Yael Farber Wednesday 5 – Wednesday 12 March
Based on the performers’ real-life experiences. On December 16 2012 a young woman and her male friend boarded a bus in New Delhi. What followed changed their lives and countless others forever. Playwright and director Yael Farber has created a searing new work that cracks open the silence around women whose lives have been shattered by gender-based violence. Presented by Southbank Centre. An Assembly, Riverside Studios and Poorna Jagannathan Production.
A post-show conversation will be held after each performance Wednesday 5 – Wednesday 12 March, 7pm Saturday 8 March: Matinee, 2pm Tuesday 11 March Performance will be BSL signed. Please note there is no performance on Monday 10 March Nirbhaya © William Burdett-Coutts
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Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall £22.50*
*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online, £2.75 over the phone.
Gabriela Montero Wednesday 5 March
Venzuelan pianist Gabriela Montero shines a spotlight on a remarkable female composer, Clara Schumann. Queen Elizabeth Hall, 7.30pm £28, £21, £15, £10* Gabriela Montero is also speaking as part of WOW. See page 16
Gabriela Montero
Motherland
vincent dance theatre Thursday 6 March
Through a potent blend of theatre, live music and dance, an ensemble of men, women and children take a look at the gender they were born into and the price they are paying for it. Queen Elizabeth Hall, 7.30pm £16 and £10*
Motherland © Alastair Muir
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FRIDAY 7 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Friday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
Women and Power Friday 7 March
Is feminism officially ‘in’? If so, has it changed women’s relationship to power? Journalist Kira Cochrane opens this session with a whistlestop tour of the past 12 months’ big stories. In this unprecedented year for feminism, Baroness Shirley Williams, campaigner Sarah Brown, and space-scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock talk about power – and whether women’s relationship to the p-word would change in a gender-equal world. Chaired by WOW founder and Southbank Centre Artistic Director Jude Kelly. Queen Elizabeth Hall 9.30am – 11am Sarah Brown
Maggie Aderin-Pocock
The Squeezed Middle – the Lord Mayor’s Challenge Friday 7 March
Activism Without Borders Friday 7 March
What can UK-based activists learn from their international sisters? Australian writer and feminist Anne Summers, co-founder of anti-FGM campaigning group Daughters of Eve Nimco Ali, Judy Kosgei, leading Kenyan journalist and winner of the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award, and Mariana Katzarova, founder of Reach all Women in WAR, discuss global campaigns and grass-roots activism, lobbying policy makers, and what success would look like. Chaired by Jessica Horn, feminist activist and one of Applause Africa’s 40 Changemakers. Queen Elizabeth Hall, 11.30am – 1pm 8
The gender diversity debate rages on – with calls for more women on boards, more opportunities at start-up or apprenticeship level and focus on equal opportunities all the way up the career ladder. Fiona Woolf, the Lord Mayor of London, argues that the people largely responsible for implementing diversity – HR departments and middle managers – are too busy, stressed or un-persuaded to implement these intentions. What companies or initiatives are REALLY making a difference, not just offering lip service? The Lord Mayor is joined by Australian lawyer and company director Cheryl Bart and paralympian and independent cross bench peer Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson. The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 11.30am – 1pm
Friday Lunch:
Austerity – who benefits?
COLLECTRESS
Friday 7 March Collectress has been described as a cross between the Elysian Quartet and the Brontë sisters when possessed (FoxyDigitalis.com). They are a quartet of long-term musical collaborators from London and Brighton. With dynamic combinations of strings, keys, woodwind, found sounds and voices, they perform with a strong sense of narrative, drawing listeners into their distinctive world of experimental chamber music. Central Bar at Royal Festival Hall 1pm – 2pm FREE
Friday 7 March
Why are cuts and austerity politics still disproportionately affecting women? Leading anti-cuts campaigners including Rosie Rogers from UK Uncut and Eleanor Lisney from Sisters of Frida lay out today’s cuts landscape and consider what challenges the next round of cuts will bring. Chaired by Guardian journalist Kira Cochrane. The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Rape and the Law Friday 7 March
Collectress
WOW question time Friday 7 March
Which political party really puts gender equality at the heart of its policies? As we gear up for the 2015 general election, WOW holds its first ever political hustings.
Nearly one in five women in England and Wales report that they have been the victim of a sexual offence since the age of 16. Hear from Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Dru Sharpling CBE, who currently chairs the national Rape Monitoring Group which regularly reports to the Home Secretary on the progress of criminal justice agencies in dealing with rape and serious offences; Detective Inspector Jason Ashwood, from Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command in the Met Police and Professor Joanna Bourke, author of ‘Rape: A History from 1860 to the present’ about how these crimes are reported, how government and police policy impact conviction rate and how the myths around rape should be challenged. Chaired by Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman. Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Harriet Harman, deputy leader of the Labour party, Linda Jack, chair of Liberal Left and member of the Liberal Democrats’ Federal Policy Committee. Chaired by Sarah Sands, Editor of the London Evening Standard. Queen Elizabeth Hall 1.30pm – 2.30pm
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FRIDAY 7 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Friday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
Olympic Leadership Friday 7 March
What is good leadership – and is leadership gendered? At this special WOW session, Sarah Winckless, Olympic medalist rower and leadership coach, describes how knowing yourself helps you bring out the best in others and gives guidance on getting your skills and talents recognized in life and in the workplace. Small capacity Sunley Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 1.30pm – 2.30pm
heading for the stratosphere
Lynne Franks SEED Clinic pt 1 Friday 7 March
Lynne Franks, founder of SEED, interviews Stella Creasy MP, Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills at the SEED Café about what government can do to help women in business. This will be followed by the SEED team of coaches and experts work in SEED Café Style with WOW attendees, offering practical help and guidance on how to start and run your own sustainable business Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Friday 7 March
Stella Creasy
Nelly Ben Hayoun is Designer of Experiences at the SETI Institute. In 2012, Ben Hayoun assembled the world’s first International Space Orchestra (ISO) composed of space scientists from NASA Ames Research Center, SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), Singularity University, and the International Space University. Here she talks about her methods and results, working against all odds, and the highlights of this cosmic-sized work. Australian lawyer and company director Cheryl Bart and daughter Nikki Bart made history when they became the first-ever mother-daughter team to reach the summit of Mt Everest. Upon reaching the top, they also became the first mother-daughter duo to complete the Seven Summits: the highest peaks of every continent in the world. Cheryl talks about ‘mind over mountain’, and the particular challenges of being a woman whether balancing work and children to training and expedition life – and argues that everyone should attempt a mountain. Weston Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Women in Tech Friday 7 March
As the percentage of women using social networking sites surpasses that of men, and barriers to women learning code are diminishing. But what role are women playing in the tech, media and digital industry, and is it being influenced by women’s voices? And does this matter? Cheryl Bart, board member of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) looks at the future of the media at a time when we’re all journalists. The speakers are Mariéme Jamme, CEO of SpotOne Global Solutions and founder of African Gathering, and tech artist Julie Freeman. Chaired by Olivia Solon, deputy editor of Wired.co.uk St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 1.30pm – 2.30pm
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Speed Mentoring
Crash and Burn
The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 2.30pm See page 4 for details
What happens when your life hits the wall? Is there really such a thing as rock bottom and if so what do we learn about ourselves when we reach it? Rosie Boycott, a recovering alcoholic, Zoe Webber, founder of Full Petal Jacket, and journalist Tanya Gold open up about depression, addictive behaviour and coming back from the brink.
Friday 7 March
Friday 7 March
Women and Immigration Friday 7 March
Immigration will be one of the key issues of the general election, but what are the real facts? How does immigration affect women? What makes women leave their homes, their families and their friends, and what happens when they arrive in their UK? Hear about the lives behind the headlines. Speakers include Ewelina Pawlowska from the Roma Support Group and campaigner Meltem Avcil. Queen Elizabeth Hall, 3pm – 4pm
Vicky Pryce: Prisonomics Friday 7 March
After her stint in Holloway Prison, Vicky Pryce discusses being behind bars, her book Prisonomics, and the human and economic cost of keeping women in prison. Chaired by Deborah Coles, CoDirector of INQUEST and trustee of Clean Break theatre company and Women In Prison. The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 3pm – 4pm
Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 3pm – 4pm
How To become an mp Friday 7 March
Learn from the experts what it takes to become an elected representative. Find out why so few women stand, whether women vote for other women and what tips seasoned female politicians share with those at the start of their career. If you’ve ever toyed with the idea of running for office, whether it’s at local, national or international level, this is the session for you. Blue Room, Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall 3pm – 4pm
How to create a great web presence Friday 7 March
Discover the most effective web presence for your needs. Lulu Kitololo, creative director and co-founder of Asilia, tells you how to create your own off-the-peg website, generate quality traffic and capture leads. Small capacity Sunley Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 3pm – 4pm
Vicky Pryce
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FRIDAY 7 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Friday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
Funny Women Comedy Workshop Friday 7 March
Want to improve your confidence, presentation, and networking skills by using humour? Led by Funny Women founder Lynne Parker, who draws on 11 years of comedy experience, this workshop gives you a taste of how you can use comedy on stage, in business, or as part of everyday life. Level 4 Blue Bar at Royal Festival Hall 3pm – 4pm
Lynne Franks SEED Clinic pt 2 Friday 7 March
Lynne Franks, founder of SEED, interviews successful women leaders from the corporate and entrepreneurial world including Debbie Moore of Pineapple and Helen Humphrey, former Vice President of McDonalds. They tell their stories about getting to the top of their careers having emerged from very challenging backgrounds. Followed by a Q & A session on how you can do it too. Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall 3pm – 4pm
Bringing Up Boys Friday 7 March
Are there fundamental differences in how we bring up boys and girls and do we have unhelpful preconceived ideas about how children of each gender should behave? Are gender-segregated products limiting what boys believe they can be? A panel including poet and performer Nick Makoha, journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Abi Moore of Pink Stinks campaign discuss if we need to rethink how we bring up boys and whether we are teaching our children to grow up with the tools they need to live in a gender equal world. Weston Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 3pm – 4pm
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Why People Fail Friday 7 March
Is there a handbook on how to be successful? Do self-help books work? We ask founder of WAH Nails, Sharmadean Reid, Southbank Centre Patrons Manager Joanna Newell and others to follow the rules of Siimon Reynolds’ How People Fail and report back on its strategies for defeating things that affect us all, like low productivity, stress, fixed mindset and lack of daily rituals. Did this book change their lives? And what was the best and worst advice? Chaired by Editor of COSMOPOLITAN Louise Court. St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 3pm – 4pm Sharmadean Reid
Maxine Peake
club night
Starring in shows such as Shameless and Silk, Maxine Peake is not just one of the UKs most popular actresses; she is also building a name as an astute and independent artist who is using her fame and influence to help women’s stories take central stage. From her mesmerizing, haunting portrayal of Myra Hyndley to her quietly courageous Grace Middleton in BBC One’s The Village, her searing performances focus on the complex circumstances that drive women’s actions in crime, love or politics. She talks candidly about ambition and her growing celebrity status, and the role models she has been inspired by. In
The line-up includes Radio 1’s Gemma Cairney, Capital Xtra’s Coco Cole, presenter and DJ Jamilla Walters and Melody Kane, prolific DJ and founder of Female Takeover, which showcases work from the UK’s top female DJs, MCs, artists and urban acts. Curated by Gemma Cairney.
conversation with Jude Kelly.
For the first time in history, all five UK and NI poet laureates are women. We bring Carol Ann Duffy, Liz Lochhead, Gillian Clarke, Paula Meehan, and Sinéad Morrissey together for this celebratory performance and their first joint reading.
Friday 7 March
The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 4.10pm – 5pm Maxine Peake © Lorna Milburn
Friday 7 March
Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall, 8.30pm – 1am
friday 7 march EVENT WOW Laureates’ Night
Queen Elizabeth Hall 6.30pm £15 and £12*
FRIDAY TONIC: Lyrically Challenged Collective Friday 7 March
The UK hip-hop collective takes you on a journey to honour the power of women through music. Spoken word and hip-hop collide.
Carol Ann Duffy ©Michael J Woods
The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 5.30pm – 6.30pm FREE
*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online, £2.75 over the phone. 13
saturday 8 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Saturday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
malala yousafzai
men talk
Royal Festival Hall 10am – 11.30am Please see page 23 for more information. Separate ticket required.
How do men talk about women and what truths lie behind it? Sam Roddick, founder of Coco de Mer, activist, artist and sexual philosopher talks to a men’s group led by gonzo therapist Jerry Hyde, and asks them to open up and talk honestly about sex, vulnerability and their emotional relationships with women.
saturday 8 March
saturday 8 March
wow Films
saturday 8 March See what happened at WOW 2013 with screenings of some of last year’s taks including Alice Walker, The Politics of Afro Hair and some of the top bites. The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 10am – 11.30am
Under-10s Feminist Corner saturday 8 March
J.P. Morgan Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 12 noon – 1pm See page 4 for details Caroline Bird
Festival Village under Queen Elizabeth Hall, 12 noon – 1pm
refusing to be silenced saturday 8 March
Who are the women who risk their lives to speak the truth? This session brings together international women of courage who stand for human rights and justice in war and conflict zones around the world, including winners of the Anna Politkovskaya Award. Speakers include Elena Kudimova, Anna Politkovskaya’s sister; Mariam Suleiman (Darfur), Founder and Chair of The Voice of Darfur Women; Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News International Editor and Lyse Doucet, BBC Chief International Correspondent (both friends of veteran war correspondent Marie Colvin who died reporting in Syria and won the 2012 Award); Masih Alinejad (Iran), a journalist persecuted for exposing government corruption; Reem Rashad (Syria), an activist from the Violation Documentation Centre (VDC) and sister of Razan Zaitouneh (2011 Award winner, kidnapped in Syria); and Lydia Cacho (Mexico), a journalist who exposed child sex trafficking by the powerful elite and suffered torture and death threats. Singer-songwriter Lorraine Jordan concludes with Anna’s Song, dedicated to Anna Politkovskaya. Led by Mariana Katzarova, Founder of RAW in WAR (Reach All Women in WAR) The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 12 noon – 1pm
speed mentoring saturday 8 March 14
Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall, 12 noon – 1pm See page 4 for details
Does Page 3 make the world a better place? saturday 8 March
Since it started in 1970, the Sun’s Page 3 feature – a photo of a topless woman – has become both a British institution and a lightning rod for debates about the objectification of women. Campaigners have argued for it to be scrapped, while others have defended it on the grounds of press freedom. So is it a genuine problem, or just harmless fun? And what does it say about sexism in the press more broadly? We open with a keynote by Eleanor Mills, chair of Women in Journalism and Editorial Director of the Sunday Times. Speakers include journalist India Knight, ex-Loaded editor Martin Daubney, model and business woman Katie Price and Laura Bates, founder of Everyday Sexism. In partnership with Women in Journalism Queen Elizabeth Hall 12 noon – 1pm
Weave vs Natural? The Politics of Afro Hair saturday 8 March
With over 40,000 views on Youtube and counting, last year’s conversation on the politics of Afro hair is WOW’s most popular video online. This time we dig even deeper. Sandie Okoro, chief legal counsel at HSBC and one of the UK’s most powerful black women, talks about being natural in the City, United KinKdom blogger Crystal Afro and Angel Dike, founder of The Natural Lounge, talk about the rise of the online naturals, and Natalie Clue of BeautyPulseLondon tells us why she loves her weave. Chaired by Hannah Pool, who confesses her Jheri curl sins...
Campaigning Workshop saturday 8 March
The ‘Lose the Lads’ Mags’ campaign has successfully taken on some of the UK’s biggest retailers – The Co-op has stopped selling lads’ mags and Tesco have age-restricted them. Find out what makes this campaign powerful and why strategy is so important. Learn how to identify goals, targets and tactics and how to plan your own campaigns. Led by Sophie Bennett, from UKFeminista. Level 4 Green Bar at Royal Festival Hall 12 noon – 1pm
WOW Fringe
saturday 8 March A space for unsigned acts, new conversations and activism. Come and see the best emerging talent, alternative ideas, performances and a vibrant range of no-pressure workshops. • Join a craftivist workshop with Sarah Corbett, founder of Craftivist Collective and craft your own mini protest banner (which you’re encouraged to leave somewhere as street art) • Hear from Lets Start a Pussy Riot on being inspired by the Pussy Riot movement, art, activism and Riot Grrrl. See the blackboard outside the space for more details. Level 4 Blue Bar at Royal Festival Hall 12 noon – 3pm (also Sunday 1 – 4pm)
Followed by the WOW Natural Afro Hair Meet-up, hosted by Crystal Afro and The Natural Lounge (see page 18) The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 12 noon – 1pm
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saturday 8 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Saturday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
Jóhanna and me saturday 8 March
Jónína Leósdóttir, the wife of the former Icelandic Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, discusses life as the wife of the first out gay head of state and the dramatic years when the two women hid their relationship, worried the truth might damage Jóhanna’s political career. At a time when gay rights are in question across the world, Jónína talks candidly about reactions to their relationship and reads from her new acclaimed book about their thirty years together. She is in conversation with novelist, playwright and founder of the Bailey’s Prize for Fiction, Kate Mosse. Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall 12 noon – 1pm
Art will change the world saturday 8 March
One of Venezuela’s most gifted musicians, Gabriela Montero, uses her albums to rail against the regime. Ros Horin is an Australian theatre directorwho combines real women (including Aminata Conteh-Biger, who joins the panel) with professional artists to create powerful, joyous theatre about their lives. Charlotte Vincent, choreographer/director and founder of Vincent Dance Theatre, is committed to raising the profile of female-led arts practice in a field that remains male dominated, and Josie Rourke is Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, where Phyllida Lloyd’s all female production of Julius Caesar sparked huge cultural and politcal debate. Emerging from strikingly different artistic backgrounds, these artists meet here for the first time to discuss why art will change the world. Chaired by Southbank Centre Creative Director of Learning and Participation Shân Maclennan. Blue Room, Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall 12 noon – 1pm
WOW Bites 1
saturday 8 March Rebecca Andrews on the art and photography of bodybuilding
Fighting the Neurotrash saturday 8 March
Women are better at empathising; men are better at reading maps. That’s because their brains are different, isn’t it? Can stereotypes such as these actually change how brains work and make ‘gender neuromyths’ come true? Neuroscientist Gina Rippon wades through the ‘Mars and Venus’ neurotrash to give us the lowdown on whether there is any such thing as a ‘female’ or a ‘male’ brain. Chaired by Chi Onwurah MP. In partnership with ScienceGrrl. Purcell Room, 12pm – 1pm 16
Hattie Hasan, Founder of Stopcocks Women Plumbers, on her unlikely journey from bringing shame on her family to running a groundbreaking and highly innovative national business Jane Walker MBE – how the ‘Angel of the Dump’ set up The Philippine Community Fund. Ayndrilla Singharay on being inspired to write by working with South Asian survivors of domestic violence. Chaired by filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 12 noon – 1pm
WOW Tour
Female Friendship
Catherine Cartwright gives a women’s tour of the South Bank area. Come and hear about the creative, caring, daring, dutiful, powerful, patriotic, and bonkers women who tried and sometimes triumphed in times that were not always easy. This walk emphasises how these ladies’ efforts have marked London and our lives.
Who is the Thelma to your Louise? Best friends can come and go, and the nature of friendship changes as we move through different phases of our lives. But how do you get the most from – and give the most to your friendships? Psychologist Linda Papadopoulos, Josie Barnard, author of The Book of Friendship, and novelist Dorothy Koomson and Kate Packenham and Josie Rourke from Donmar Warehouse discuss BFFs, quality vs quantity and whether Facebook friends really count.
saturday 8 March
In partnership with London Undone. 1.30pm – 3pm, Meet at Royal Festival Hall Ticket Desk
Online Bullying saturday 8 March
Women receiving death, bomb and rape threats on social media has become a fact of modern life. How can women and girls use the web without being subjected to trolling and abuse? Campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez, TIME Magazine Editor at Large Catherine Mayer and comedian Ava Vidal, who have all received serious threats to their lives on Twitter, explore the topic. Jamie Bartlett, Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos gives an overview and inside look at the stats. Chaired by journalist Kira Cochrane. The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 1.30pm – 3pm
Being a Man
saturday 8 March Following Southbank Centre’s inaugural Being A Man festival in January 2014, join some of the BAM contributors as they give feedback on the weekend. Chaired by the festival’s founder Jude Kelly, the panel – including poet and writer Anthony Anaxagorou and psychotherapist John McKeown explore some of the main themes that emerged from discussions on fatherhood, being a gay man, gang culture, boys’ education and male violence – and discuss why we need a men’s festival.
saturday 8 March
The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 1.30pm – 3pm
Being Mixed Race saturday 8 March
What is being ‘mixed race’? Is there such a thing as a mixed-race identity? In the 2011 census, over a million people in the UK ticked the ‘mixed race’ box – double the number who did so in 2001 when the box was first introduced. This multi-generational panel continues one of WOW 2013’s most moving and insightful conversations. Is the term mixed race useful to anyone but statisticians? Can today’s increasingly fluid racial identities ever really be squeezed into a onesize-fits-all box? Speakers include Irish Nigerian visual sociologist Emma Dabiri and artist Phoebe Collings-James. The session includes a workshop led by Emma Dabiri and we hear from consultant Sally Kneeshaw. Blue Room, Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall, 1.30pm – 3pm Emma Dabiri
Festival Village, under Queen Elizabeth Hall 1.30pm – 3pm 17
saturday 8 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Saturday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
Teens’ Feminist Corner saturday 8 March
Under 18 and at WOW? This session led by and for young people looks at everything from body image to consent; feminism to friendship. Learn how to set up a campaign and get tips on getting your mates involved. Includes a campaigning workshop by Sophie Bennett from UK Feminista. Under-18s only; girls and boys welcome. J.P. Morgan Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 1.30pm – 3pm
Afro Hair meet-up saturday 8 March
Considering going natural but not sure how to go about it? Been natural for a while and need some new styling tips or inspiration? Join leading natural hair bloggers Crystal Afro (United KinKdom), Angel Dike (The Natural Lounge) and others as they guide you through the best products, salons and the difference between ACV and BC. All hair types welcome!
The Liberty session – State Failure, Personal Justice saturday 8 March
When the state fails to respond to allegations of rape or domestic violence it can have catastrophic consequences. The Human Rights Act is an essential tool for justice, yet it is hugely maligned and misrepresented – and under threat of repeal. Liberty Solicitor Emma Norton and Sarah Ricca from Deighton Pierce Glynn discuss how the HRA works on behalf of the women they represent. They are joined by clients Sharon Hardy and Khristina Swain, sisters of Anne-Marie Ellement, who committed suicide after alleged rape and bullying by army colleagues, and Celia Peachey and Manuel Fernandez, daughter and brother of Maria Stubbings, murdered by her former partner. Chaired by Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, the UK’s leading human rights campaigners. Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall 1.30pm – 3pm
Following on from The Politics of Afro Hair (see page 15). Level 4 Green Bar at Royal Festival Hall, 1.30pm – 3pm Crystal Afro
Anne-Marie Ellement (centre) with her sisters Sharon and Khristina.
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female genital mutilation saturday 8 March
How can we end Female Genital Mutilation in one generation? An estimated three million women undergo this practice each year – but what is FGM, why does it still happen, and why do campaigners receive death threats? Efua Dorkenoo from Equality Now, Nimco Ali, co-founder of Daughters of Eve and Naana Otoo-Oyortey, Executive Director of FORWARD discuss the momentum for change with Lynne Featherstone MP, who outlines the UK government’s new programme to reduce the practice by 30% in at least ten countries across Africa over the next five years. Chaired by journalist and author Hannah Pool. Queen Elizabeth Hall 1.30pm – 3pm
Fertility Myths saturday 8 March
Fertility is big business. With more than 30,000 women seeking IVF each year, the sector is worth £500 million – but over 70% of treatments fail. Are clinics offering a valuable service, or are they trading on false hope? This panel looks at the barrage of information and misinformation, freezing your eggs, ‘running out of time’, and the politics and economics of fertility. Speakers include leading fertility and pregnancy expert Zita West, Jody Day, founder of Gateway Women and consultant obstetrician Dr Susan Bewley. Chaired by journalist and author of The Complete Guide to IVF, Kate Brian. *See page 20 for details of the Childlessness Workshop hosted by Jody Day.
speed mentoring saturday 8 March
Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall 3.30pm – 4.30pm See page 4 for details
Fabulous Fashionistas saturday 8 March
With an average age of 80, the stars of Channel 4’s Fabulous Fashionistas redefine old age and defy expectations of the ageing process, determined to have fun and keep going. Here, three of the fashionistas, Bridget Sojourner, Daphne Selfe and Sue Kreitzman, and the producer of the film, Sue Bourne, talk life, art, and why wearing beige may kill you. Chaired by television producer, journalist and writer Ruth Pitt. Beware: this session might make you wish you were 80. The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 3.30pm – 4.30pm
© Hana Ali
St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 1.30pm – 3pm
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saturday 8 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Saturday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
Feminism and Privilege saturday 8 March
Does mainstream feminism only speak to white, straight, able-bodied, middle class women? This panel unpicks the debate about feminism and identity politics, what it means to be a good ally and whether you can ever leave your privilege at the door. Speakers include Nan Sloane, director of the Centre for Women and Democracy, Reni Eddo-Lodge, writer and contributing editor at Feminist Times and Eleanor Lisney of Sisters of Frida. Chaired by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.
saturday 8 March
1:5 women are turning 45 without having had children, double that of their mother’s generation. Although some women are childfree by choice, many others are childless by circumstance. Jody Day, founder of Gateway Women, leads this workshop on the complex truth about childlessness. With a film by Katie Barlow. Following on from Fertility Myths (see page 19)
The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Level 4 Green Bar at Royal Festival Hall 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Under-10s Feminist Corner
Beyoncé and me
saturday 8 March
J.P. Morgan Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 3.30pm – 4.30pm See page 4 for more details
Feminism in the Classroom saturday 8 March
Hear from a group of young women about life in the playground, in the classroom and on the internet. What’s it like when your peers have porn on their phones and you’ve grown up with social media? 11 year old Mila Harrison, campaigning student Yas Necati and Anisa Khalique from Mulberry School for Girls discuss the pressures and the joys – and the kind of world they want to grow up in. Led by Miriam Franklin, teacher at Mulberry School for Girls. Festival Village under Queen Elizabeth Hall 3.30pm – 4.30pm
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talking about Childlessness
saturday 8 March
Love Beyoncé but feel confused? Journalist Hannah Pool talks about why it’s hard to be Beyoncé-loving feminist, then Bonnie Parsons, founder of Seen on Screen (SOS), invites you to a Beyoncé Dance class to come and learn the moves to Beyoncé’s Run the World (Girls) with a backdrop of the Houses of Parliament. There’ll be loud music, smoke machines and probable fierceness. Classes are about having fun first and foremost, absolute beginners are strongly encouraged and no trainers are needed. Level 5 Function Room at Royal Festival Hall 3.30pm – 5pm
janaNne al-ani in conversation saturday 8 March
WOW Bites 2
saturday 8 March Shirley Thompson on the heroic women of opera
Jananne Al-Ani talks to Hayward Gallery Chief Curator Stephanie Rosenthal about her Hayward Project Space exhibition Excavations and the landscape of the Middle East.
Rachael Campbell on cheerleading – athletic and unapologetic
Free event – no ticket required.
London guide-lecturer Catherine Cartwright on learning, teaching, living and loving (in) London
Small capacity Dan Graham’s Waterloo Sunset Pavilion at Hayward Gallery 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Rape – giving testimony
Lynn Ruth Miller on reinventing yourself with laughter at 70 with the help of stand-up comedy
Triona Holden on her death-defying journey through illness to art. Chaired by Southbank Centre’s Claudia Merhej. St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 3.30pm – 4.30pm
saturday 8 March
Does our culture have an attitude problem with rape and sexual assault? Why is it more difficult to talk about than other serious crimes? How does society treat women who have been raped? Jude Kelly chairs a discussion with women who have been raped and are willing to talk about it. Blue Room, Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Women, water and sanitation: From burden to liberation saturday 8 March
What role do water, sanitation and hygiene play in women and girls’ ability to fulfil their potential? How can a village well reduce teenage pregnancy, and what role has water and sanitation played in the history of women’s liberation in the UK and around the world? Dr Helen Pankhurst leads a panel of experts including Kenyan journalist Judy Kosgei, who won the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award for a story on the suffering of girls because of a shortage of sanitary towels, in a discussion on the impact of water and sanitation on a woman’s life, liberty and learning.
Pick of the Festival saturday 8 March
It’s impossible to go to everything in WOW – so come and hear highlights from Under-10’s Feminist Corner, the Politics of Afro Hair, Fighting the Neurotrash (about the real differences between men and women’s brains), Jónína Leósdóttir talking about her life as the wife of the first out gay head of state, and more! The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 5pm – 6.30pm
In Parthership with Care International Level 4 Blue Bar at Royal Festival Hall 3.30pm – 4.30pm 21
saturday 8 MARCH day pass Events
The Butch Monologues
Self-Defence Workshop
The Butch Monologues uses interviews with butch-identified women living in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia and the Caribbean, and re-positions the negative, socially threatening concept of female masculinity into a place of pride. Hot on the heels of There Is No Word For It – The (Trans) Mangina Monologues, hotpencil press presents this brand new collection of stories. Using urgency and humour, the piece offers fresh language and intonation on butch beginnings, butch desire and desirability, butch bravado and vulnerability, butchon-femme sex, butch-on-butch sex, switches, stones, butch as a trap, the butch body, violence, heroes and clothing. Readings will feature the Drakes: the UK’s first female butch group.
Just knowing some simple rules about verbal diffusion and self-defence techniques can give you confidence and reduce the risk of suffering serious injuries from an attack. Debi Steven is a 4th Dan Black Belt in karate and Advanced Self Defence Instructor with over 20 years’ experience. After coming back from India where she taught 3000 underprivileged girls and women for free, she gives a short course specifically designed for WOW. No prior knowledge required.
saturday 8 March
saturday 8 March
In partnership with Premier Self-Defence Ltd. J.P. Morgan Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 5pm – 6.30pm
In partnership with DIVA magazine.
DIVA editor Jane Czyzselska hosts a short Q&A after the performance with film-maker Campbell X, performance artist Lois Weaver and members of the cast. Blue Room, Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall, 5pm – 6.30pm
Women Make Music meet the artists saturday 8 March
The Drakes © Oscar Marchoch
Women represent only 14% of the UK’s registered professional songwriters and composers, yet many women are topping the charts and creating some of the most interesting new contemporary music. Join Anna Meredith, Serafina Steer and Deborah Coughlin – all women funded by PRS for Music Foundation’s Women Make Music scheme – to hear how they’re making a career out of writing music and to discuss how more women could be encouraged to follow in their footsteps. Chaired by journalist Jude Rogers. This talk preceeds the performance at 8pm (see page 23) Free - no ticket required The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 6.45pm – 7.30pm
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saturday 9 MARCH Events
These events are ticketed separately and are not included in the day passes. Buy tickets online or phone our Ticket Office (details on the back page).
Malala Yousafzai
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saturday 8 March Malala Yousafzai is a campaigner who in 2012 was shot for her activist work. Here she talks about the systemic nature of gender inequality and bringing about change.
SERAFINA STEER, ANNA MEREDITH, AYANNA WITTER-JOHNSON AND GAGGLE saturday 8 March
An special evening of music from some of the UK’s most exciting female artists. Queen Elizabeth Hall, 8pm £15, £10
10am – 11.30am Royal Festival Hall £20, £15 and £10* Malala Yousafzai © Elyse Marks
Sandi Toksvig
Thomas Lohr © Gaggle
CRIPTEASE
saturday 8 March A night of striptease fun, celebrating disabled women’s sauce and sexuality. Following the success at last year’s WOW – Women of the World festival, Oneofus is back to present Women of the World Criptease. Free event - no ticket required The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, 9.30pm
Mirth Control saturday 8 March
Mirth Control is an electrifying night of comedy and music inspired by great women and hosted by Sandi Toksvig. This year’s line-up stars Sharon D. Clarke, Jeremy Hardy, Sue Perkins, Sandi Toksvig, Voicelab and The WOW Orchestra. Join us for an evening of fun for men and women. Royal Festival Hall, 7.30pm £40, £30, £20, £15*
© Criptease
*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online, £2.75 over the phone.
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sunday 9 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Sunday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
NAILWRAPS
Newspaper Review
Following the success of Nailwraps: Influences at WOW 2013, Phoebe Davies’ nail-bar returns on Sunday for WOW 2014.
WOW reads the Sunday papers – Jude Kelly, Shami Chakrabarti, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Natascha McElhone and Mulberry School for Girls student Sujina Khatun, give us a snapshot of the biggest headlines across the globe, and best comment and reflect on their own experiences of dealing with the press.
Sunday 9 March
Over the past year, the artist has been working in collaboration with groups of women exploring current attitudes to gender equality, feminism, female expectations and aspirations. Drawing upon the contemporary culture of nail art, these dialogues and collaborations have resulted in a series of printed nail designs depicting people of personal influence or significance to participating groups. These nailwraps are then applied and distributed from a public nail bar run by project participants, acting as a site to exchange opinions and ideas, questioning what feminism means to women today.
SUNDAY 9 March
The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 10am – 11am
Nailwraps: Influences is an Artsadmin Project and is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Level 2 Foyers at Royal Festival Hall 10am – 6pm Doreen Lawrence © Sharron Wallace Photography
Under-10s Feminist Corner saturday 8 March
J.P. Morgan Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 10am – 11am See page 4 for more details Nailwraps: Influences © Phoebe Davis
speed mentoring sunday 9 March
Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall 11.30am – 12.30pm See page 4 for more details
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Trafficking
SUNDAY 9 March Human trafficking is one of the largest areas of organised crimes across the globe, generating £20 billion per year. Trafficking for sexual exploitation almost exclusively affects women and girls (98%) and trafficking for labour exploitation also affects women more than men (56% women and girls). Speakers including Marissa Begonia, founder of Justice for Domestic Workers and Klara Skrivankova from Anti-Slavery International speak about how trafficked women are hidden in plain sight and what they are doing to fight it. Chaired by Senior Correspondant for ITV News, Ronke Phillips. Queen Elizabeth Hall, 11.30am – 12.30pm
Club 18 – 80
SUNDAY 9 March Journalist Katharine Whitehorn, best selling author Kathy Lette, teenager Ioana Anghelescu and journalist Bim Adewunmi are from four different generations. Here they talk to author and journalist Rachel Johnson, swap stories about how navigating sex, relationships, friendships and society’s treatment of women has changed over 80 years, and discuss life’s milestones from first periods to menopause.
Vivienne Westwood in conversation with Shami Chakrabarti SUNDAY 9 March
Dame Vivienne Westwood is a living legend – not only one of the most recognised and influential fashion designers of the late 20th century, but also an active campaigner on social and environmental issues such as nuclear disarmament, climate change, and most recently the anti-fracking campaign at Balcombe. She states that one of her proudest moments was being named a trustee of human rights organization Liberty – and here, Vivienne talks with Liberty’s director Shami Chakrabarti about human rights and speaking out about what matters. The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 11.30am – 12.30pm
The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 11.30am – 12.30pm
Who owns your body? SUNDAY 9 March
Despite many successes in gender equality, women’s bodies are still continually under threat. What do campaigns against issues such as rape in conflict, pornography-inspired labiaplasty or the pushing back of abortion rights tell us about ownership of women’s bodies? Speakers include Nimco Ali from anti-FGM campaigner Daughters of Eve, Kate Smurthwaite from Abortion Rights, Australian writer & leading feminist thinker Anne Summers and activist Jessica Horn. Chaired by Helena Kennedy QC. Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 11.30am – 12.30pm
Vivienne Westwood © Christian Shambanait
MsUnderstood Workshop SUNDAY 9 March
Why policy matters, and how you can change it. A workshop for young women and men who want to make a difference. Led by Ikamara Larasi from Rewind & Reframe/Imkaan and Carlene Firmin, founder of the MsUnderstood project. Level 4 Green Bar at Royal Festival Hall 11.30am – 12.30pm
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sunday 9 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Sunday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
global gay rights
Bites 3
With marriage equality in the UK finally a reality, are lesbians still facing prejudice specifically because they are women? Is it even more difficult for black queer women? In a time where international anti-homophobia campaigns are still predominantly led by men and there are still few lesbian role models, Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, founder of Black Pride UK, forensic psychologist Skye Chirape and author Beatrix Campbell – who talks about her new book The End of Equality – discuss misogyny, race, and whether we need more lesbian national treasures.
Natasha Devon on Body Gossip: ‘How to rock your own brand of gorgeous’
Blue Room, Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall 11.30am – 12.30pm
Chaired by journalist Anna Hart
SUNDAY 9 March
Funny Women workshop SUNDAY 9 March
June Barrow-Green on the fantastic story of Sofia Kovalevskaya, one of the first great women in maths. Emma Chapman on being a transsexual woman and living a life more ordinary Lucy Kerbel on 100 Great Plays for Women Marion Trestler and Dr. Jill Lewis on the courageous women and hidden facts of post-war British-Austrian life in the UK St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 11.30am – 12.30pm
WOW Tour
Want to improve your confidence, presentation, and networking skills by using humour? In a workshop led by Funny Women founder Lynne Parker, who draws on 11 years of comedy experience, get a taste of how you can use comedy on stage, in business, or as part of everyday life.
SUNDAY 9 March
Level 4 Blue Bar at Royal Festival Hall 11.30am – 12.30pm
SUNDAY 9 March
Women’s Rights in the arab region SUNDAY 9 March
What are the core issues that affect women’s lives in the Arab region? What is the role of the women’s movement in revolution, war and peace building? Speakers include: journalist Dame Ann Leslie, Abir Awad Country Director BBC Media Action, Iraq and writer Samar Samir Mezghanni Weston Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 11.30am – 12.30pm
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SUNDAY 9 March
1pm – 2.30pm Meet at Royal Festival Hall Ticket Desk See page 17 for details
Porn
As generations grow up with hard-core pornography easily accessible on mobiles and laptops, is it a waste of time trying to stem the flow, or should we be campaigning more than ever? Porn addiction is on the increase and porn’s links to domestic and sexual abuse have long been documented. What does this mean for our relationships with each other? Chaired by Helena Kennedy QC. Opens with a keynote speech by film director Beeban Kidron. The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 1pm – 2.30pm
WOW fringe
SUNDAY 9 March 1pm – 4pm Level 4 Blue Bar at Royal Festival Hall See page 15 for details
Ruby Wax – Sane New World
Sexual violence in conflict
Ruby Wax performs extracts of her new show, Sane New World, and talks mindfulness, brains and comedy with neuroscientist Sophie Scott.
Women for Women International has worked with over 384,000 socially excluded women in eight conflict-affected countries across the world. Many of these women have survived sexual violence as well as other abuses associated with conflict. They present lessons from 20 years of experience to explore how sexual violence can be prevented in conflict and postconflict contexts, and how to support survivors of such violence to ensure they contribute fully to the rebuilding of conflict-affected countries.
SUNDAY 9 March
Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 1pm – 2.30pm Ruby Wax
SUNDAY 9 March
Led by Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Executive Director of Women for Women International St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 1pm – 2.30pm
The New Black The Personal is still Political: Will you Occupy your Body? SUNDAY 9 March
Apples, pears and hourglasses, too fat, too thin – why are we obsessed with women’s body shapes, who decides what the ideal is, and what damage does it do? In this session led by Susie Orbach, discuss how women can reclaim their bodies for themselves, how body image could be taught in schools – and formulate campaign strategies with body activists AnyBody. Follows on from Who owns your body? See page 25. The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 1pm – 2.30pm
SUNDAY 9 March
Whether it’s Beyoncé being Drunk in Love or Miley Cyrus and her twerking, how far have we come from the 19th-century fetishization of Sarah Baartman as the Hottentot Venus? Does popular culture still have a problem with black women? Speakers include Dr Shirley Tate, author of Black Beauty Aesthetics, Stylisation, Politics, Jude Smith Rachele, co-founder of Abundant Sun and Ikamara Larasai from Rewind&Reframe/ Imkaan Chaired by journalist and author Hannah Pool. Weston Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 1pm – 2.30pm Hannah Pool © Aida Muluneh
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sunday 9 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Sunday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
Louboutins and landfill: how to be a sustainable fashionista SUNDAY 9 March
Worth over £200 million per year, ethical clothing is one of fashion’s newest markets. Join Dr Kate Fletcher of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, Jacqueline Shaw, author of the Africa Fashion Guide, Carry Somers, founder of Fashion Revolution Day and Abigail Murray, ex Vogue editor and founder of Designer Jumble Sale, as they discuss whether fashion can ever really be ethical and whether ethical fashion can ever truly be stylish. Chaired by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large.com.
Women Against Pit Closures - 30 years on sunday 9 March
Betty Cook and Anne Scargill are founding members of Women Against Pit Closures, the political movement that supported miners and their families in the UK miners’ strike of 1984–85. Here, they talk about picketing, community and finding their voices in the traditionally macho coalfield communities with artist, writer and broadcaster Triona Holden, author of Queen Coal: Women of the Miners’ Strike, who covered the miners’ strike for the BBC throughout the 80s. Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 3pm – 4pm
Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall, 1pm – 2.30pm
Betty Cook second from left, Anne Scargill third from left.
Women and Faith SUNDAY 9 March
How does faith impact on gender equality? What particular challenges do women of faith face? What can Muslim women teach Christian women and do women of faith have more in common than they realise? This multi-faith panel of speakers includes Dina Brawer from the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, Reverend Sally Hitchiner, Polly Harrah, founder of The Sharan Project and Catriona Robertson. Festival Village under Queen Elizabeth Hall 1pm – 2.30pm 28
this is what a fat activist does sunday 9 March
What is fat activism, why do fat activists use the word fat, and why is it still such a taboo? Public discourse about fat usually looks at fat people in the abstract. This panel gets to the nuts and bolts of what fat activists do. Speakers include artist and activist Rita Keegan, Kay Hyatt, host of The Weigh In and campaigner Kathryn Szrodecki. Chaired by leading fat activist Charlotte Cooper Weston Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 3pm – 4pm
The Misogyny Factor sunday 9 March
Life Drawing & modelling
After more than 40 years of fighting for women’s rights, leading Australian feminist Anne Summers says it is time for a radical rethink about what we need to do to achieve equality. Her 2012 speech Her Rights at Work? The Political Persecution of Australia’s First Female Prime Minister was a game-changer and refuelled the debate on the treatment of women in politics, and in her new Stella Prize-nominated book The Misogyny Factor, she argues we don’t have true equality of the sexes because misogyny and its expression – sexism – are still rampant. Here, she talks with Jude Kelly about inclusion, equality, respect, and the role misogyny plays in day-to-day life and in the corridors of power.
sunday 9 March
Come and try life modelling and/or drawing, and hear the testimonies of women who have found life modelling to be a transformational experience. Be professionally guided in a peaceful space, or just come to listen. Women model together as a group, with poses lasting up to 20 minutes, and the strong, supportive vibe is ripe for lasting empowerment. Art materials, robes, a changing area and a warm, comfortable space to pose are provided. If you have health concerns, inform us and we will do our utmost to accommodate you. Men are welcome to the introduction between 3pm and 3.15pm.
The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall 3pm – 4pm
Women-only session.
Anne Summers
In partnership with Spirited Bodies
Blue Room, Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall 3pm – 4.30pm
Bites 4
sunday 9 March Aowen Jin on the changing lives of modern Chinese factory workers and her Factory Girls art project. Kawsara Chowdhury and Maria Amrin from Mulberry School for Girls on why feminism is still relevant to young women.
speed mentoring sunday 9 March
Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall 3pm – 4pm See page 4 for details
Ntiense Eno Amooquaye on Hera Master Come Down, her first solo exhibition currently at The Saison Poetry Library. Ros Horin on the The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe: a celebration of women, human rights, laughter and resilience including a short film excerpt. Amisha Ghadiali, Co-Founder of Provenance, on voting with your wallet and understanding what you buy. Chaired by city girl and feminist Hannah Philp. St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall 3pm – 4pm
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sunday 9 MARCH day pass Events If you have a Sunday/Three-Day Pass, choose one event to attend in each time slot and arrive early, as it’s first come, first served.
Kate Smurthwaite – the News at Kate sunday 9 March
A comedy show about opinions: how we form them, how we challenge them and how we can change them. A talk based on Kate Smurthwaite’s experience of appearing on more than 500 TV and radio debate shows, from Woman’s Hour to Question Time, facing off with MPs, religious leaders and the odd TV presenter. Festival Village under Queen Elizabeth Hall 3pm – 4pm
zero tolerance sunday 9 March
We live in a world where female inequality is embedded into society. Jude Kelly argues that in order to live a sociable and loving life most women feel compelled to tolerate a level of inequality that makes us complicit in the continuation of the status quo. Are we capable of taking a zero tolerance approach to inequality in both our domestic and public lives? And what would be the consequences if we did? Can endemic injustice be rooted out – or are some of us resigned to improvement rather than real change, just for an easy life? Finally, are men ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with women in order to create a total shift in the world? The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 4.30pm – 5pm
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A Day in Detention SUNDAY 9 March
‘I came here for safety, but they locked me up.’ In this final day pass session at WOW 2014, come and listen to leading actresses Juliet Stevenson, Bryony Hannah and Cush Jumbo reading the searing testimony of refugee women locked up in the UK. Every year, many women who come to the UK to seek asylum are held in indefinite detention. For this piece, directed by Jessica Swale, writer Nell Leyshon has woven together the extraordinary true stories of refugee women who have been detained. Come and hear their journeys through hope and despair. After the reading, campaigner Natasha Walter is joined by Shami Chakrabarti and women who have been detained, including student and campaigner Meltem Avcil, to discuss with the audience how the detention of refugee women can be challenged. In partnership with Women for Refugee Women.
The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall 5pm – 6.15pm Shami Chakrabarti ©Jo Metson Scott
SUNDAY 9 MARCH Events These events are ticketed separately and are not included in the day passes. Buy tickets online or phone our Ticket Office (details on the back page).
RONNIE SPECTOR’S BEYOND THE BEEHIVE Ronnie Spector’s first UK headline show in four years, the acclaimed Beyond The Beehive, chronicles her 50-year journey through rock and roll. In a multi-media performance, Ronnie performs classic tracks including Ronettes songs with her band, reveals previously unseen photographs and home videos and shares personal stories from every stage of her career – from her early days with The Ronettes to her years of touring the world with Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones. Queen Elizabeth Hall, 8pm £25, £20* Ronnie Spector © Debra Greenfield
Grayson Perry © Peter Allan
‘Men – Sit down for your rights’ At Southbank Centre’s Being A Man festival, Turner Prize-winning artist and national treasure Grayson Perry gave his inaugural speech about all things MAN to a sold-out Queen Elizabeth Hall. While maintaining a sense of comedy, Perry raised issues of equality, the male gaze, macho transvestites and whether the male role is looking a bit threadbare. He proposed a Bill of Rights for Men, which included the Right to be Vulnerable, and the Right to be Wrong. Here, Grayson repeats his lecture, followed by a Q and A with Jude Kelly about what this means for women – and if it could be implemented, what impact his bill of rights might have... Royal Festival Hall, 7.30pm £15, £10*
*No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £1.75 online, £2.75 over the phone.
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wow Stuff that’s useful to know
WOW EDUCATION
Primary School Day Guess Who? Thursday 6 March
An event for primary school children encouraging broad and exciting aspirations for the future and challenging the idea that certain jobs are for men or women only. Meet professionals from different careers – a dancer, a labourer, an athlete, a scientist, a technician and an artist – but who’s who? There may be a few surprises! If you are interested in bringing a group of Year 5 or 6 primary school children to this free event please email wowschools@southbankcentre.co.uk The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall
Open Space Event
Missed a talk during the day? Catch up online at youtube.com/southbankcentre Also follow us on twitter @wowtweetuk #WOWLDN
WOW CRÈCHE
Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 March There is a free crèche available for Day or Weekend Pass holders on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 March. Four sessions are available per day, timetabled according to the talks programme (please see website for further details). Each ticket holder can book a maximum of two sessions across the weekend.
WOW PRODUCTS Take a bit of WOW home with you.
How do we create gender equality in schools?
This year we have created an exclusive range of WOW merchandise, including cotton tote bags, bone china mugs and laser-cut necklaces from celebrated designers Tatty Devine.
How do we create gender equality in schools? An Open Space event for secondary school teachers and staff. This day of discussion is jointly led by Southbank Centre and Mulberry School for Girls in Tower Hamlets. Open Space is a widely practiced method of hosting a meeting or conference where the delegates create a working agenda as the day develops, led by a single facilitator.
These and much more are available in Southbank Centre Shops and online at southbankcentre.co.uk/shop
Friday 7 March
If you are a teacher, trainee teacher or member of staff interested in attending this free event, please email wowschools@southbankcentre.co.uk. Festival Village under Queen Elizabeth Hall
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CATCH UP ONLINE
WOW Parties
WOW Global
Now in their second year, the WOW parties celebrate the work of specially selected charities and organisations supporting women in the UK and internationally and take place simultaneously on the evening of Wednesday 5 March 2014 across the whole of Royal Festival Hall. There is a public event on The Clore Ballroom at 6pm with short presentations from all the chosen charities and organisations.
WOW is a global festival, and since it launched in 2011 it has taken place in three continents. Each WOW is rooted in its local area but becomes part of the global WOW network, and festivals feed into each other, swapping stories, supporting and inspiring each other and creating a network of people and ideas.
WOMEN IN THE ARTS DAY This year, Southbank Centre hosts its first Women in the Arts day. Over 200 women working in the arts and cultural sector have been invited to ask what new steps need to be taken to achieve gender equality across the industry. Keynote speakers include Director of the Whitechapel Gallery Iwona Blazwick and author and playwright Kate Mosse. The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall By invitation only.
WOW has happened in Baltimore, USA with Marin Alsop at the Baltimore Symphony Hall, Sydney, Australia as part of Sydney Writers’ Festival and Katherine, Australia, with the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre, one of the first arts centres in Australia with joint Indigenous and non-Indigenous leadership. In 2013 the first WOW held in the UK outside London took place in Derry-Londonderry as part of the City of Culture. In 2014 WOW will take place in Cardiff and Cambridge, and we hope in Hong Kong, Iceland, New York , Ethiopia and again in Australia and Baltimore.
Kate Mosse Š Mark Rusher
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How to book
Transport
Online southbankcentre.co.uk/wow (£1.75 transaction fee*)
Public Transport
Southbank Centre is located on the Thames riverside between Golden Jubilee and Waterloo Bridges.
Phone 0844 847 9910 9am – 8pm daily (£2.75 transaction fee*) In person Royal Festival Hall Ticket Office 10am – 8pm daily * No transaction fee for Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles Concessions Half-price tickets available. Day pass concessions are unlimited. Visit southbankcentre.co.uk/concessions
Underground: Waterloo & Embankment Buses: Waterloo Bridge, York Road, Belvedere Road & Stamford Street National Rail: Waterloo, Waterloo East & Charing Cross
SHOP, EAT & DRINK Dine at one of our many restaurants, enjoy a drink overlooking the river, and shop at Foyles or one of our Southbank Centre Shops. southbankcentre.co.uk/shop
Access Southbank Centre is accessible to all and a range of assistance is available to our visitors. Please contact us for further information and to receive publications in alternative formats: Email: accesslist@southbankcentre.co.uk Phone: 0844 847 9910 Please see southbankcentre.co.uk/access for further details.
WOW.SOUTHBANKCENTRE.CO.UK /womenoftheworldfestival
@WOWtweetUK
All listings correct at time of going to press
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