By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Mar. 5: A group of women identifying themselves as ‘Independent Female Movement’ Thursday organised an interaction program titled ‘Politics of Future and Future of Politics’ on the premises of Basantapur Durbar Square.
Participated by 13 women -- Binda Pandey, Kunti Shahi, Pramila Yadav, Sunita Baral, Rajni KC, Renu Chand, Bimala Rai Poudel, Puspa Bhusal, Sapana Sanjeevani, Karma Lama Tamang, Anjana Bisanke, Nancy Yadav and Anmol Rai -- the event was a revolutionary response to the male panels. It was moderated by 21-year-old Bhawana Rawat.
Another all-men panel was organised at the Janakpur Literature Festival (JLF). When people questioned female representation, they claimed there were not eminent females for the event.
“If there are no eminent females, we should question why this is the case. Had we conducted programmes like this earlier, we would not have come here.” Rawat said. “This is not only at JLF but all other programmes where only men are seen.”
Artist and aspiring activist Sapana Sanjeevani gave two reasons for this. She said, “The organisers are lazy. Searching for people takes time and effort, and they aren’t ready for this. Second, they are scared because if they do so, their pre-built mind-set will get challenged.”
The organisers had one common question: Why is the space for the representation of all being captured by a handful of men?
In addition to women, the interaction programme had a transgender woman as participant.
Anmol Rai,17, went to the stage to raise the issues of female-identifying individual. She asked that when she identified as a female, why she still had to carry a citizenship card mislabelling her gender identity. “No one should identify themselves as other. We are not others,” she added.
When a panel where important discussions are made by males only, there is no representation of the rest of the population, including minorities.
“Our patriarchal society does not identify females as representatives. Even young emerging leaders are failing to acknowledge the diversity and urgency of women representation. Everyone needs to raise their voice for this major oppressed group,” said a veteran politician Binda Pandey while talking to The Rising Nepal.
Nancy Yadav, a 19-year-old old electrical engineering student, who was a speaker at the programme, remarked that these ‘man-alls’ over represent the oppressing group and asked everyone to create a space for young ones to raise their voices.
The programme that began at 1 PM lasted for two hours.