Titans of feminism celebrate 15 years of joyous galvanisation
Annie. Anoushska. Anna. Angela: four incredibly different women who led the night’s fabulous celebration of the Women of the World. 15 years in the making, tonight celebrated the work of Jude Kelly CBE and the way WOW Festival has shaped herself, and those around her. The Royal Albert Hall showcased an impressive roster of inspirational women who all shared their insights, talents and journeys with us along the way.
The atmosphere was joyous and festive from the start, with cheers, whoops, stomps and hugs abounding in the audience. It was truly an uplifting experience. Annie Lennox led the charge, discussing her recent diagnosis of neurodivergence in the form of ADHD, and how this has impacted her. She explored using her iconic masculine fashion style during her Eurythmics days as a method of demonstrating what “feminine” could mean. She was a total crowd-pleaser.
Next up was 11-time Grammy nominated musician Anoushka Shankar, who bravely delved into her own experience of abuse to raise awareness of the scale of it amongst women, at a time when it was thought abuse only happened to one type of woman. She then (perhaps with a bit of emotional whiplash) treated the audience to a mesmerizingly beautiful rendition on her sitar.
After the interval, a personal highlight for me was the amazing-but-brief fanfare by organist Anna Lapwood MBE. She is a star on the ascendant, having just announced a debut album that will no doubt lead many more women to take up music, and in particular the mighty organ- with Royal Albert Hall’s being absolutely majestic to witness in person.
Elsewhere amongst personal stories by Jude Kelly of her time at WOW, the space was interwoven with stories from those who have been impacted by its work. There were some very brief Q & A’s with actor Liz Carr discussing her work on the intersectionality between feminism and disability; broadcaster Sandi Toksvig discussing her work with Cambridge University and the work of Mappa Mundi to bring women’s history to the mainstream; musician Jordan Stephens and his work to ensure men everywhere have
better role models. Last but not least was Belize-born composer Erollyn Wallen, who discussed the importance of childhood encouragement and education in shaping her ambitions and attitudes.
The night though really belonged to one women and one woman only: Angela Davis. Philosopher, activist, icon. She commanded the majority of the second half of the show with her Alabama cadence and her thoughtful musings on many topics. She examined everything from the epistemology of the words feminist and woman. She touched upon black history and the importance of equality within the realm of intersectionality: feminism has to be for all women or none at all. Not even a vocal heckler could disrupt her- she instead spoke to them with dignity and asked them to take a seat and engage with the conversation rather than have them thrown out. She was vocal too, on the plight of Palestinian women- something that ensured rapturous applause from the audience- clearly she knew her crowd.
Perhaps a Ukrainian woman could have been given a platform tonight, too. I didn’t always agree with everything she poses (she has after all won the Lenin Peace Prize, which sounds like a contradiction in terms). However I am reminded of an earlier quote by Annie Lennox: “we can disagree but we don’t have to hate each other”.
Which leads me finally on to the crowd itself, predominately female of course, but incredibly diverse in terms of ages and ethnicities. I also appreciated that it was inclusive with two British Sign Language interpreters and closed captions on the screen in real time. Everywhere you looked during the lead up and interval, women were taking selfies, enjoying each other’s company and wishing each other a happy International Women’s Day. The vibe was so uplifting you couldn’t help but leave feeling challenged, hopeful and galvanized.