Curtain Raising Event

When does the boat rock?

"Men have all the stakes,
Men have what it takes,
Men don't have heartbreaks,
Men are just drifting rakes,
No. Men are masculine fakes."
Anon

So, what does it take to be a 'melancholy manly man'? All the stakes? A conquering mentality? The 'alpha' patriarchal quest? Are all these roles that men take on because they are endowed with masculinity? Or are some of these just postures, and others forced and fake? Are these the same for all men? Or are they hierarchical? Do they not engender violence that ranges from physical and sexual to verbal and psychological abuse? Are men and boys just perpetrators of such violence, or also equally its victims? Will such violence ever end unless men and boys are made active agents in its prevention?

UNDP, UNIFEM and UNFPA in the Asia region has initiated a networking, consultation and programme formulation process for a regional programme on gender-based violence prevention. As a result of this process, an Asian regional joint programme is now being finalised for 2008-11. The expected result of the joint programme is a reduction in the incidence of men’s violence in Asian countries through a focus on the roles and responsibilities of men and boys in prevention. The programme will be launched over the 16 Days of Activism in 2007 in a curtain raising event in New Delhi, India (as well as additional locations across Asia by combining the launch with other planned events). Aakar, a Delhi based Trust is designing and coordinating the launch of the joint programme.

This curtain raising event is being hosted across various venues in December. Apart from policy discussions, it will include:

• The release of a demand by a thousand (maybe more!) children for a violence free world during the Panel. 7 Dec, 2007
• The panel preceded by four videos made by children from different economic.backgrounds on their experience and understanding of gender based violence. 7
  Dec, 2007
• After the Panel, a music concert by musicians from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal. 7 Dec, 2007
• The opening of an art exhibition on masculinities…curated and with a catalogue…the opening will have a solo performance by an experimental dancer who will interpret through his/her performance the works on display. 4 –14, Dec, 2007
• Reaching Men and Boys on GBV: A space with material developed on the theme of masculinities: the UNIFEM exhibition/blown up panels of the little book which are ready/other stuff from MASVAW and various other sources and a book sale on gender and allied areas. 3-5, December, 2007
• Inauguration of an international film festival of documentaries on masculinities. 3-5 December, 2007
• A literary evening of readings from south Asian poetry/literature on gender based violence/masculinities. Participants will include prominent writers and poets. A moderated reading with discussions and comments. 8 Dec, 2007
• A theatre performance on masculinities and gender based violence. 10 Dec, 2007