Women Create! A Creative Workshop on Gender Equality

The four day workshop held by “Sonmaz Mashal” Cultural Relations Public Union in Baku within the framework of the project titled “Women Create: Creative Conversation on Gender Equity and women successes in Azerbaijan” ended on June 11, 2017.

The creative women writers and artists who brought together under the UNESCO’s Programme of Participation in the activities of Member States for 2016-2017” and with the support of National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan within the UNESCO held discussions on various issues during the workshop. The aim of the project was to reflect artists’ and writers’ various views on the same subject, to read literary pieces, to create the paintings about the same literary pieces and in generally to further develop women's creative potential.

AZƏRTAC reported that the workshop which was attended by more than thirty women writers and artists was headed by Dr. Alison Mandaville-poetess- translator and teacher from California State University, and Dr. Shahla Naghiyeva chairperson of “Sonmaz Mashal” Cultural Relations Public Union.

During the workshop the creative women held discussions, wrote various essays, stories and poems and drew paintings on the subjects like “Equality of the images”, I am the woman who..., “Woman with problems in artistic literature "and so on. It is planned to publish book- album containing the works of the creative women writers and artists, to display the artists' paintings at the exhibition and to hold literary reading party as a part of the project which will be completed at the end of the year.

In her closing speech Dr. Alison Mandaville-poetess- translator and teacher from California State University noted that by bring together women writers and artists aged between 15 and 55 on the topic of Gender Equity we achieved close cooperation among the creative women which significantly enriched each of their creative activity.

Expressing her pride in supporting the creative activities of Azerbaijani talented women, the American expert said;More than 60 works created by women during the workshop reflect the power of individual, collective and global changes. I look forward to sharing these works in the United States and around the globe It should be noted that  Sonmaz Mashal ; Cultural Relations Public Union has been carrying out interesting cultural events since 2004 to introduce Azerbaijani literature and art to the world and has been arranging the exhibitions of female artists' paintings in the different cities of the world.