International Girls Day “Open Mic Night” at AUCA

October 6, 2016

On October 11, 2016 from 18:00 to 20:00, the Women and the Arts Club is hosting a "Stand with Girls" Open Mic Night at the AUCA in honor of International Girls Day. Tickets will be sold in the Forum at lunch time for 50 soms each. Students can either perform, or get the tickets and join the event. The ones who want to perform must sign up beforehand; nonetheless, the microphone is open to anyone who wants to perform anything!

Fatima Airan, a sophomore studying economics, in her words, “as a means of empowering women and working for a better world… through the economic independence of women.” Airan is the head of Women and the Arts and took a minute to tell us about their premiere event and their club in general.

"As our club is just starting out, our first event, Stand with Girls, will be a fundraiser. With enough funds, the club can explore more options and reach organizations, artists and groups with similar visions within Bishkek, allowing us to give students the tools and contacts they need to make a difference in their own communities.

Stand with Girls is specifically in honour of the International Day of the Girl Child, a day internationally acknowledged as a reminder that young girls are facing injustices just because they were born female. The UN lists these injustices and plans for their reform: child marriage, female genital mutilation, child labour, unequal access to education, discouragement from studying and working in male-dominated fields.

Students and guests will gather to remember that we have an obligation to stand with girls and to work to create a better future for our little sisters all over the world. The event will be an open mic night; some performances will focus on the theme of Girls Day, while other performances will showcase talent in dedication to young girls".

About Women and the Arts:

"Members of Women and the Arts are focused on enriching their understanding of gender-related issues in society, as well as gaining the confidence to tackle obstacles surrounding the female experience and the female creative voice. The events of Women and the Arts work with a wide variety art (including: film, dance, music, literature, and critical theory) to discuss gender-inequality and provide an understanding and appreciation of female artists and voices.

The club’s founder is Tasneem Alsayyed, a faculty member teaching First Year Seminar and the History and Philosophy of Science. Our club has 20 members, all of whom are AUCA students studying to make the world a better place.

The Women and the Arts Club focuses on reading and studying female authors and artists. It intends to serve two proposes. First, it intends to be a place where we can provide each other with support and attention. Secondly, we want to write these stories down.  We want to create a medium for women’s voices and to expose the obstacles women face so that they cannot be ignored. This club wants people to realize the problems women face. It is necessary to understand gender equality and women rights and this club’s goal is to build awareness for gender equality and women rights.

We meet every Friday at 4pm. Topics of discussion include Joan of Arc, woman as a symbol, and Susan B. Anthony. We plan to hold events like the one above, film and documentary screenings, and small post-event discussions. Student conferences will be held once a semester to make use of what we learned up to that point and focusing on women’s rights and gender equality. Twice a semester we plan to hold debate tournaments for our club members".

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