Honour women in August

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Johannesburg- With Women's Day on Monday, the month of August is filled with commemorations, exhibitions and other activities to pay tribute to women. Activities range from the informative to the fun, from the activist to the meditative, Joburg.org reports.

A number of activities have been planned to again honour the memory and legacy of the women who, in 1956, took a stance against apartheid.

The main commemoration is National Women's Day, an annual public holiday in South Africa on 9 August. The day remembers the national march of women in 1956 against the apartheid pass law being extended to black women. The dompas was a special identification document that blacks had to carry at all times during the apartheid years, which curtailed their freedom of movement.

Commemorations have been extended from a day to a full Women's Month. This year, various activities have been planned to celebrate the month that is dedicated to women, including exhibitions, sports activities and conferences.

On Monday, 9 August, Jabulani Mall in Soweto will hold a Women's Day breakfast. The breakfast is aimed at providing a networking opportunity for all professionals, aspiring businesswomen and female entrepreneurs.

"When the ladies are finished eating they can just walk through the mall because we will also be hosting a Career Expo and Beauty Extravaganza exhibition," said the mall's marketing assistant, Thabile Dikobe. "The aim of the day is to empower women through innovative, exciting and educational ways."

Speakers at the breakfast will include professional women, entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs and employers. There is no set fee, but those who want to attend must buy breakfast at either the Wimpy or McDonald's restaurants. The breakfast starts at 9am.
For more information call 011 930 3333. Jabulani Mall is on Koma and Bolani streets in Soweto.

Those women, who prefer to celebrate Women's Day by exercising, can take part in the Totalsports Ladies Race. It is divided into a 5km walk and a 10km run, starting from 8am at Roosevelt High School in Emmarentia.

"The Totalsports Ladies Race is special as it is held in honour of the important role that women play in today's society," said the race's director, Andrew Bell. The atmosphere experienced on the day was electric, with thousands of excited women from all walks of life toeing the line in celebration of this day.

Bell said participants could look forward to a fun, undulating route through the beautifully wooded suburbs.

There are prizes to be won, including Totalsports vouchers worth R10 000 and Nike hampers. For more information about race rules, online entries and entry fees call Top Events on 021 511 7130 or visit Totalsports online or Top Events online.

For a more meditative day, take in the Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre's Women's Day Exhibition at Constitution Hill's Rampart Rooms.

Themed "A Brick Wall: Rape and the Criminal Justice System", the exhibition also marks the launch of the Shukumisa Campaign, which aims to shake up the way sexual offences are dealt with in South Africa. The campaign offers everyone the opportunity to contribute to improving the treatment of rape survivors by the criminal justice system.

Tshwaranang is a multidisciplinary centre that promotes the rights of women to live free of violence and have access to adequate and appropriate services. This is done through the provision of free legal services and litigation, public education, research and advocacy.

The exhibition is on until Thursday, 26 August. Constitution Hill is on Kotze Street in Braamfontein. For more information about the exhibition call 011 381 3100.

The Johannesburg Art Gallery will celebrate Women's Month with its exhibition, Transformations. Comprising a selection of works by female artists from its collections, it explores the changes that have taken place in the way women see and make art.
The exhibition is divided into 14 themes, including abstraction, buildings and townscapes, interiors, mother and child, and social commentary.

"Within each of these themes works have been chosen that show continuities, ruptures, contrasts and commentary evident from the 19th to the 21st centuries," said Nessa Liebhammer, one of the curators of the exhibition.

In the early days, women's arts consisted mainly of lace-making, embroidery, ceramics, tapestry and beadwork.

The exhibition opens on Tuesday, 11 August and closes on 31 January 2011. For more information, contact the gallery on 011 725 3130/80 or fax 011 720 6000. It is in Joubert Park, on the corner of Klein and King George streets, and is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10am to 5pm. Entrance is free.

Discover ancient African secrets of femininity and explore the beauty, traditions, folklore and power of waist beads at the Goddess Play Parties at the Conscious Living Fair, taking place at Woodlands Centre for Wellbeing and Healing and at the African Essence of Femininity Series at Malva Store in central Johannesburg.

Women are invited to experience these ancient body adornments, designed to nurture feminine expression, on Women's Day, 9 August from 1pm to 3pm at the Conscious Living Fair and on Saturday, 14 August at Malva Store, 234 Fox Street, Johannesburg.

Entrance is R500 per person for both events. For more information contact D0Express on 083 449 0256.