This year, on International Women’s Day, UNDP Lebanon and the Embassy of Canada invited women artists to advocate for Women’s economic rights and use art in all its forms to #CreateForEquality !
Our young women leaders and artists from YLP participated in the event and expressed their thoughts for equality through outstanding art pieces!
In this chaotic world, everyone needs an escape where they can freely and creatively express their thoughts. This event provided a welcoming platform to all women artists to showcase their talents and to be able to advance their ideas, thoughts and feelings in the most creative, innovative, and even sustainable ways. The event also targeted youth creators to take part and display their artistic thoughts. Young change-makers from YLP had participated and 5 women had been selected as the crowd’s favorites amongst 70 other projects.
UNDP Lebanon held this event to encourage young women artists and to give them a push start to pursue their goals and dreams within the artistic realm. Every woman who participated in the event felt an incredible amount of inspiration and met with over 100 women artists that had various art styles; the conversations were beyond interesting and the level of intellectuality was over the roof!
Here’s what these wonderful women had to say about the event:
Sabine El Zein, YLP7 Alumna
“Observing art pieces representing the combination of the reality that we’re living in and the future that we aim for was a big inspiration for me, because that’s how we are reminded that even the smallest act of empowerment is needed in the present moment.”
Karen Takkouche, YLP6 Alumna
“I had to go around at first to find my artwork display, which enabled me to admire all 70 drawings. Each illustration represented a unique story. Each artist had a different insight on women, yet they all aimed toward the same goal: women empowerment. The perspectives ranged from the role of women in uprisings to the beautiful phenomenon of motherhood. Meeting the artists behind each piece of art and learning about their life aspirations was fun and insightful.”
Hiba Jouni, YLP7 Alumna
“It was a pleasure for me to participate in the International Women’s Day competition event in the presence of the Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon, I had the opportunity to express my artwork and the concept behind it.
I was also proud to be meeting talented and successful women each one of them sharing an incredible message.
YLP gave me the opportunity to participate in several things, and this is one of them !
Many thanks to UNDP Lebanon, the Canadian Embassy, YLP Lebanon, and INJAZ Lebanon for the full support!”
Aya Abu Hawash, YLP6 Alumna
Aya expressed her gratefulness for UNDP and Rotaract Club for sharing the opportunity with her. She felt that the exhibit was very enriching and fruitful as she had met more than 100 aspiring women artists whose art styles varied from conceptual to modern to contemporary.
The painting done by Aya was under the title of “Paola’s Gun”, illustrating the Lebanese Women holding the gun made up of natural elements. She’s holding up the gun against her everyday struggles against the oppressive regimes, the discrimination she faces as a woman, etc.
“In this painting i addressed themes of self-awareness, women’s political & social role, also emotions & society standards. I explore with wonder and conviction – between revloution, memories, history & media, through which I question myself and the environment. This painting explores the intersection between the female and her journeys of misconceptions ,memory & emotions of beings that overlap in life”