People visit an exhibition entitled "Mu'anath" in Cairo, Egypt, on March 6, 2021. Entitled "Mu'anath" (Feminine), the exhibition held ahead of International Women's Day (IWD) is organized by Art D'Egypte, a renowned Egyptian platform of art and heritage, and features the unique works of 20 talented painters, photographers and sculptors. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
by Mahmoud Fouly
CAIRO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- "My paintings here express nature. For me, feminine means nature, because Mother Earth combines strength, tenderness, movement, change and patience," said Reham el-Adl, an abstract painter, on Saturday during the opening ceremony of an exhibition held in downtown Cairo to mark International Women's Day (IWD).
Entitled "Mu'anath" (Feminine), the exhibition held ahead of IWD is organized by Art D'Egypte, a renowned Egyptian platform of art and heritage, and features the unique works of 20 talented painters, photographers and sculptors.
The event will last until the beginning of April, according to Nadine Abdel-Ghaffar, founder of Art D'Egypte.
"As the Egyptian government supports the empowerment of women, we try to support the empowerment of women through art, for art is a soft power, just like women," the lady said.
Displayed in several rooms, the art works of the participating 13 female and seven male artists include oil and acrylic paintings, photographic prints and copper, iron and stainless steel sculptures.
On one of the walls, Alia el-Goan, a 25-year-old photographer who was born in California and raised in Cairo, displayed six photos of a tree, which she said symbolizes the freedom, fruitfulness, care and shelter of women.
"On the IWD, I encourage all women to express themselves, talk about their social problems and never be silenced, for women have the right to have their voice heard," the photographer told Xinhua.
Dozens of distinguished guests attended the exhibition's opening reception, including Egyptian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris, former Egyptian Investment Minister Sahar Nasr and the ambassadors of the United States, France, Ireland and Colombia.
"As Chairman Mao said, women hold up half the sky," said Ireland's Ambassador to Egypt Sean O'Regan, referring to late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, while expressing his support for the political, economic and social empowerment of women.
"It is a fact that when women are involved in decision-making, you get better decisions, and when women are involved in peacemaking, you get better peace processes and agreements," the Irish ambassador said.
Colombia's Ambassador to Egypt Ana Milena Munoz de Gaviria noted that the vice president of Colombia is a woman and in line with Colombian law requiring that 50 percent of the cabinet to be women, "yet we need to work more on the empowerment of women at the low-income level."
UN Women, a United Nations body dedicated to gender equality and women's empowerment, said that the theme of this year's IWD is "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world."
"International Women's Day this year comes at a difficult time for the world and for gender equality, but at a perfect moment to fight for transformative action and to salute women and young people for their relentless drive for gender equality and human rights," Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women, said in a statement on Monday.
In an interview with Xinhua on the eve of the IWD, Nehad Abol El-Komsan, chairwoman of the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, said Egypt has made plenty of progress regarding the political and economic empowerment of women, adding that women constitute 25 percent of the government and parliament, with "women holding key posts in the state and in the private sector too." However, "the social empowerment of women is still lacking and needs more efforts to be achieved," she said.
She noted that Egyptian women have become braver in reporting violence and harassment.
"I tell women on their international day to speak up, express themselves freely and let no one oppress or blackmail them under any justification." Enditem
