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The purpose of Woman Power: an Evening of Excellence is twofold: it showcases the talent of some TT’s most popular and powerful female musicians and will raise funds for the Network of NGOs of TT for the Advancement of Women.
The event will be held on International Women’s Day (March 8) at the Lord Kitchener Auditorium, National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port of Spain on March 8 from 7 pm.
Patrice Roberts, Johanna "D Piano Girl Johanna" Chuckaree, Vaughnette Bigford, Alicia Jagassar, Sharda Patasar and Mavis John are the six female performers, with David Rudder being the sole male performer.
UNwomen.org websites says the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.
The network’s co-ordinator Jacquie Burgess says the event was devised to raise funds for the NGO, particularly after the covid19 pandemic.
[caption id="attachment_1003907" align="alignnone" width="981"] Network of NGOs of the Advancemet of Women co-ordinator Jacquie Burgess says the event was devised to raise funds for the NGO, particularly after the covid19 pandemic. -[/caption]
She said in a phone interview on Wednesday, “Coming out of the pandemic, NGOS have not been able to do some of the fundraising or activities that they normally do.
“So I was trying to see how we could bounce back. Now that things have reopened in a sense, what can we do to kick-start our activities?”
Burgess said she decided on a concert and took it to the five-member board.
“We wanted it to be a showcase of women. As you know, International Women’s Day is kind of celebratory. It has reached to being celebratory. It started off in struggle.
“I said, ‘Probably, we can celebrate some very strong women.’ I think in the local landscape now the women we have chosen are among the strongest in their area of work.”
The network got help from the Sport and Culture Fund of the Office of the Prime Minister to offset its costs, as well as from the Division of Gender and Child Affairs and National Flour Mills (NFM), and is waiting on other sponsors.
With the public’s attendance, the network would be able to cover the cost of the artistes as well as having some funds left over for its work.
[caption id="attachment_1003910" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Johanna "D Piano Girl Johanna" Chuckaree-[/caption]
That includes leadership training, advocacy and getting men and boys involved in the conversation on how they can be part of the solution to end domestic violence.
“We know it will not be eliminated entirely, but the more men and boys are part of the solution, we think we can get a grip on the kind of violence we are seeing.”
Burgess said violence is at a state where it needs to be addressed. She said the rate of femicide (the killing of women and girls) and gender-based violence demands that groups like the network go out into the communities and engage people.
[caption id="attachment_1003909" align="alignnone" width="486"] Patrice Roberts -[/caption]
“There are some people who still think that violence is all part of the process of their relationship, and we need people to come to terms with once you see violence occurring find some help.”
Burgess said those kinds of conversations were necessary with women and men; boys and girls.
“We have to raise the awareness of people…and how to identify some of those traits that can put you at danger or risk.”
[caption id="attachment_1003892" align="alignnone" width="995"] Alicia Jaggasar - SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]
While the issue of gender-based violence would be mentioned at the event, its main focus would be to celebrate women, Burgess said.
Asked if there has been a regression in the world as it relates to feminist ideas and how men interact with women, Burgess said men had always viewed women as property and social media has simply brought this into sharper focus.
“What we need to do now is to get people to understand a woman is not to be controlled and how can we co-exist without them thinking they have to have an upper hand on her,” she said.
If that was the view in the past, Burgess said it was time men/masculinity came to terms with a changing that mindset about women.
People also needed to start taking personal responsibility for these changes, she added.
“Violence is a learnt behaviour. No one is born violent. If you are able to come out of it, and see it for the error it is, then we have a little room we can discuss and reason around some of these issues,” she said.
[caption id="attachment_1003908" align="alignnone" width="774"] Mavis John -[/caption]
At the event, the life of one of the network’s founding members, Hazel Brown, will be celebrated. Brown died last September at 80.
“In the morning we usually have a proclamation and we do something with the mayor’s office. There is a brunch the morning of the 8th, where the city would be honouring her. At our function we will also honour her,” Burgess said.
 
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