WUNRN
INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN -
CURATING CHANGE - GENERATIONS - MAHNAZ AFKHAMI
"Making change happen involves
transition, from exclusion to inclusion, from inequality to equality...and from
tradition to adaptation. All of these have to do with passing the torch
from grandmothers to mothers to daughters..."
Generations of Women: Mahnaz's Selections
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I
loved the vitality of the women reflected in this series, which captures
granny-aged women divers on |
Generations
of Bhutanese Weavers I chose these images for their portrayal of how young Bhutanese women have engaged in weaving as a way of creating an economy of their own through traditional crafts. Go to the selection >> |
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Nikas’s photo series finds beauty in women of all ages – from seven to 106. By focusing on the joy, peace and energy that reflects the beauty of the women of various ages, Nikas helps us to reexamine our fixation on beauty as the exclusive domain of the young. Go to the selection >> |
Bayan’s essay describes the multinational, multicultural upbringing which many young people experience today and tells of how such a life expanded her outlook and enriched her vision of the possibilities life offers. Go to the selection >> |
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Although Sahar is facing a severe financial crisis as a soon-to-be college graduate, she is finding strength to face what comes from her mother’s and her grandmother’s stories of the struggles and successes of their education. Go to the selection >> |
When the family unit and women’s rights came under siege by the Algerian judicial system ruling of the Family Code in 1984, Algerian women of all generations came together to sing for justice. Go to the selection >> |
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Nishikura’s
video explores her search for identity and politics as young woman born from
two conflicting nations ( |
María María Acha uses the medium of posters to share women’s history publicly. Her mini-biographies of global feminists and women leaders are presented in comic-book style, allowing for women’s history to be accessible and entertaining. Go to the selection >> |
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I selected these drawings because of the variety of ways in which youth from around the world visualize what democracy means to them and the essential wisdom of how they picture democracy. Go to the selection >> |
Willis’s
poem is a touching tribute that details the life of a |
Curator's Statement: Mahnaz Afkhami on Generations
Writing stories
with my granddaughter opened me to her world of endless possibility. My
childhood world was one of small wonders and many limits; hers is open-ended.
We spend a lot of time opening windows into each of our worlds for one another.
We share a desire for change and the willingness to do what it takes.
An exciting part
of my work at Women’s Learning
Partnership (WLP) is daily contact with women and girls in Asia,
Africa, Latin America, and the
All of these have
to do with passing the torch from grandmothers to mothers to daughters. We
grandmothers that have lived lives that were slower, quieter, less connected,
and much more dependent on face-to-face contact have to look at the world
through the eyes of our daughters and granddaughters. For the next generation,
friends can be men and women you have never actually seen but who are in
constant contact, who live in all corners of the world, to whom knowledge comes
not only from schools and books but from seeing, hearing, and accessing the
world’s libraries and visual treasuries online.
In many places
where WLP works, the majority of the population is below the age of thirty.
Transitions happen almost automatically. The granddaughters teach us how to
reach out to their world. Older generations offer the depth of experience that
comes from a more leisurely relationship with time and space. In the
industrialized world, several generations are in the work force simultaneously.
The excitement comes from seeing the differences and the similarities of
inter-generational exchanges and the tensions, excitement, and humor that is
involved in this reciprocity between generations. This is how change happens
and how transitions come about. It has been an exciting experience choosing the
words, images and sounds that are aspects of the rich tapestry of generations
in the family, workplace, leisure, activism and individual self-reflection.
About Mahnaz Afkhami
Mahnaz Afkhami has been a leading advocate
of women's rights for more than three decades. She is founder and President of
the Women's Learning Partnership (WLP), an international organization that
empowers women by developing and using culturally appropriate curricula in
twenty languages to train women (currently in forty countries) to become
leaders by seeking and taking on decision making roles in politics, business,
and civil society. She serves on the boards and steering committees of several
international organizations, including the Women's Rights Division of Human
Rights Watch; the World Movement for Democracy; and chairs the Global Council
of the International Museum of Women. Prior to the Islamic revolution in