This International Women’s Month, the African Women’s Development fund celebrates the power of Narrative, both on the collective and on the individual level. Throughout history African women have been rebellious change-makers, advocating for their independence and finding ways to gain power in societies that oftentimes restricted them from having full autonomy. It’s important for us at AWDF to celebrate the stories of these women and highlight the ways in which African women continue to own their own narratives. We know just how strong storytelling can be. It can transform nations, inspire and teach whilst reminding us of the art that our own lives have the possibility be, if we’re brave enough to take the first hesitant steps towards something different.

As part of our celebration of Narrative, this year we will be collaborating with the Global Arts and Development Centre in a performance of the Vagina Monologues. This is a collection of a varying number of monologues performed by a broad spectrum of women. Each monologue examines aspects of the feminine experience, touching on everything from HIV and FGM to birth and the female orgasm. The play was written by Eve Ensler and premiered in 1996. Since then it has been updated and performed hundreds of times around the world with various adaptation made by different casts.

We’re excited to partner with the Global Arts and Development Centre to bring this years performance to life, and invite people to come, watch and talk about what they see, and who they see represented in the work. This play forces us to think of the nature of womanhood and how we see and experience it in our daily lives. We invite the general public to come and witness with us the power of Narrative in action, on Friday March 23rd 2019, at the Law Faculty Auditorium, University of Ghana, Legon, at 6.00 pm.

#ThePowerOfNarrative