Women from around the world are set to converge on Colombia’s capital for a festival that will promote peace, discuss gender issues, and highlight female achievements.
The “Festival of Women for Peace” will bring together women from Europe, Asia and the Americas for over 100 performances, 50 art groups and 30 lectures on gender issues.
Some 15,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which is being held in the year Colombia commemorates two centuries of independence.
“It’s a unique festival in Colombia and has managed, against all odds, to stay and grow over time,” says Patricia Ariza, playwright and festival director.
The festival kicks off Thursday with a performance called “One Hundred Manuelas in the Park for Peace of Colombia” at 3PM.
Fifty renowned artists, actresses and musicians will accompany 50 female victims of war and violence in Colombia for the opening extravaganza.
The performance will pay tribute to the South American heroine of independence, Manuela Saenz, and deliver messages of peace to mothers in Plaza de Mayo in Argentina, and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.