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A month of events that do justice to the role of women

040315 diadona2This morning in the plenary hall of the Formentera Council, Dolores Fernández, councillor of social welfare, early-childhood and youth services and Antònia Costa, vice president of the group Espai Dones, announced the events calendar that accompanies Sunday 8 March, recognised by the United Nations and across the globe as International Women's Day.

The first event takes place in La Mola. In the courtyard of the local schoolhouse and alongside Olimpiada Pagesa festivities, organisers will read a copy of the International Women's Day official manifesto. Speaking to the importance of the day, Councillor Fernández reflected: “We've still got a long way to go on this issue. There are still so many instances where the importance of women in society is not even acknowledged. This can hardly be considered even-handed development”.

Workshops and conferences

Antònia Costa trumpeted an activities programme that promised to keep participants busy the entire month of March. The Espai Dones vice president spoke about the common thread tying together the events: “Educating women and providing them with tools to understand our situation in the world today. Restoring power, dignity and respect. And having fun.” First up is a conference, “Women and Sports”, scheduled for 7:30pm on Friday 13 March at the Es Marès hotel. The event is also included as part of the Fòrum Salut, Educació i Família calendar of conferences, two of which have already taken place.

Tuesday 17 March at 7:30pm, psychologist Anna Costa will lead a workshop in the FiC plenary hall titled “10 foolproof ways to meet your goals” (“10 claus infal·libles per aconseguir els teus objectius”). As both Costa and Fernández were sure to stress, the activity – like all the others on the programme with the exception of the women's dinner – is open to women and men alike.

Next up on the calendar, on Friday 20 March: a double session of storytelling led by Encarna de las Heras. First, at 6:30pm, the Casal de Joves will be regaled with a story tailor-made for the island's younger audiences. Immediately after, de la Heras will switch gears and head over to the Day Centre for an 8pm tale intended for adults' eyes and ears only.

Introducing a FiC-backed programme entitled “Sextima”, Dolores Fernández commented on young people's need for “positive information” in a world all too saturated with media-skewed representations of sexuality. “Sextima”, explained Fernández, “is a programme that goes straight to the classroom to counter that trend by presenting positive images of women”.

Later that Friday is an annual event reserved for the women of the island. Meant to be both fun and festive, the Espai Dones-organised 'women's supper' will start at 10pm and reservations must be made in advance through the Espai Dones association (697 941 016).

Saturday 21 March in the conference hall of the Formentera Day Centre, an open house is scheduled for the Eivida school of intuition and life (Escola d'intuïció i vida Eivissa). The gathering aims to promote women's ability understand their own personal processes and achieve balance in their own energetic system.

Rounding out the calendar of events is an evening projection of the film “La Voz Dormida” on Friday 27 March (8pm) in the municipal cinema and, on Saturday, the VII Homage to the Elderly Women of Formentera. This final event, programmed for 28 March at 12 noon and once again taking place in the conference hall of the Day Centre, will take a look at the women of the island born in 1930.