By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Dec. 10: On the occasion of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, a virtual exhibition of art works created by young people has been launched by Plan International, an INGO, under its global campaign titled “Girls Get Equal”. The exhibition features 150 different works portraying girls’ and children’s issues, views, experiences and stories -- and calls for action for gender equality.
Prior to the exhibition, in October, Plan International Nepal had organised virtual art workshops for 250 young persons from Sunsari, Banke, Bardiya, Makwanpur, Jumla, Kalikot and Sindhuli districts to celebrate International Day of Girl Child (IDGC). Following the workshops, the participants created various forms of art demanding that they be valued and supported.
“We have received overwhelming number of art works from girls and boys in this year’s “Art is Power” programme. Spoken art in which girls express their desire to be free from all kinds of violence is especially powerful. We appreciate the power of their words and arts,” said Liz Satow, Country Director of Plan International Nepal.
Ten virtual workshops were conducted on a range of topics -- drawing, comics, poetry (spoken), theatre, and song writing. Anjana Thapa Magar, a participant from Banke, said, “I feel great to create art work expressing my views on the issues of young girls, and am happy to know that my creation is being displayed.”
The event “Art is Power” is in its second year. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event, facilitated by Kaalo.101, a Lalitpur-based art centre, was conducted virtually. Eleven canvases portraying issues raised by young girls and boys are being displayed. They also will be shown to stakeholders, including government officials and local leaders, with the aim of drawing their attention to the issues of violence that young girls face in Nepal.