What actions should HR and business leaders take to curb mental harassment at work? Share your thoughts.
The Women’s Pavilion showcases women through history and how they have changed the world for the better, either known or unsung, as most are.
Dubai Expo, the world’s biggest show. Where, 192 countries have come together to showcase their culture, innovations and technological advancements. And jostling amongst them, close to the magnificent Al Wasl Plaza, is the Women’s Pavilion, showcasing the oft-forgotten contributions made by women since times immemorial.
As one enters the Women’s pavilion, there are two quotes emblazoned on the walls.
The first, “What’s Your Perspective?” challenges the visitor to look at women beyond the roles defined for them by society.
This quote, written on an angled wall, shows how our perception changes when we look at something from different angles. This is what the Women’s Pavilion wants to do. It wants the visitors to change their perception of women from beyond the roles women have been stereotyped into.
The second quote, written on a wall with undulating wooden blocks, says, “When Women Thrive, Humanity Thrives”.
This quote is simple. And yet, this is something we often choose to ignore. We all know that the nurturing nature of women can create a society that is just, equal, more humane. And yet, we continue to suppress women. Women in most countries continue to be overlooked, deprived of their basic right of respect and dignity.
The two quotes when taken together, make the underlying theme of the Women’s Pavilion, “New perspectives: when women thrive, humanity thrives“.
Most of us are unaware that the first university in the world was set up by a woman. Fatima bint Muhammad Al-Fihriya Al-Qurashiya set up the University of Al Qarawiynn, Morrocco, in 895 CE.
The exhibition halls of the Women’s Pavilion educate us about such women. Women whom the world has largely forgotten, and others like Rani Lakshmibai and Noor Jehan, who, despite adversities, rose so high that they could not be obliterated from history.
A walk through the Pavilion inspires you as a woman. You come across countless stories of women, known and unknown, who have broken the bias, excelled in their respective fields, and become role models of young girls around the world.
A photo of Christine Legarde, the first woman to be Finance Minister of France, under the quote, “You cannot be what you don’t see”, underlines the fact that young girls need role models to aspire to. That the world needs more women to step forward, to inspire and motivate the future generations of women.
Not only the world-famous, but the Pavilion also honours the contributions of someone like Zubaida Ali, who might not be very well-known, who developed the Clean Birth Kit In A Purse to promote safe births. Thus, helping in cutting down infection rates and saving countless lives.
Interspersed with the inspiring stories are shocking statistics that force the visitors to introspect. Like the facts that
At the end of the Women’s Pavilion, the walls are covered with post-its. These are messages of support, encouragement, and hope written to women from the visitors.
The images and the information of the Women’s Pavilion are deeply imprinted in my mind, forcing me to write about it. Each turn, each wall of the pavilion forces the visitor to re-think, challenging their perspective.
The Women’s Pavilion needs to be visited by both men and women. It needs to be walked through slowly to imbibe its essence. And to change one’s perspective.
Images source: YouTube
My Motto is you can learn anything from books! I am an engineer turned SAHM turned book blogger. I love to read, talk and write about books. I am passionate about instilling a love for read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
I wanted to scream with excitement that my daughter chose to write about her ambition and aspirations over everything else first. To me, this was one of those parenting 'win' moments.
My daughter turned eight years old in January, and among the various gifts she received from friends and family was an absolutely beautiful personal journal for self-growth. A few days ago, she was exploring the pages when she found a section for writing a letter to her future self. She found this intriguing and began jotting down her thoughts animatedly.
My curiosity piqued and she could sense it immediately. She assured me that she would show me the letter soon, and lo behold, she kept her word.
I glanced at her words, expecting to see a mention of her parents in the first sentence. But, to my utter delight, the first thing she had written about was her AMBITION. Yes, the caps here are intentional because I want to scream with excitement that my daughter chose to write about her ambition and aspirations over everything else first. To me, this was one of those parenting ‘win’ moments.
Uorfi Javed has been making waves through social media, and is often the target of trolls. So who and what exactly is this intriguing young woman?
Uorfi Javed (no relation to Javed Akhtar) is a name that crops up in my news feeds every now and again. It is usually because she got trolled for being in some or other ‘daring’ outfit and then posting those images on social media. If I were asked, I would not be able to name a single other reason why she is famous. I am told that she is an actor but I would have no frankly no clue about her body of work (pun wholly unintended).
So is Urfi Javed (or Uorfi Javed as she prefers) famous only for being famous? How does she impact the cause of feminism by permitting herself to be objectified, trolled, reviled?
Please enter your email address