ORGANISERS praised the “honesty” of Bradford and its people as a festival reflecting some of the most pressing issues facing women today took place this weekend.

The Women of the World (WOW) Festival aims to celebrate the successes of women from all walks of life, as well as tackling hard-hitting topics such as domestic abuse, body identity, and honour-based violence.

As with its inaugural appearance in Bradford last year, the 2017 event and its line-up was shaped by women from the district, including teenagers known as the ‘Wowsers.’

A packed programme, organised by the Southbank Centre, took place at the Kala Sangam arts centre with many sessions being fully subscribed.

Among the variety of speakers on Saturday were online stars Hannah Witton and Grace Victory, who spoke on the Taking on the Trolls panel, and Harnaam Kaur, who wears a beard due to her polycystic ovary syndrome and was part of a panel talking about how women are defined by their hair.

Also in the programme was a session at Bradford Cathedral focusing on international activism, a workshop entitled ‘dating with disabilities’, and a performance by Dance United, a local dance group made up of survivors of domestic abuse.

On Sunday, speakers included Samayya Afzal from the Peace Museum delivering a session on colonialism and its impact on women, and author Reni Eddo-Lodge, who spoke about the links between class and race.

There was also a panel of women who spoke about their real-life experiences of honour abuse and forced marriage, a suffra-jitsu self-defence class, and a workshop by Joanne Armitage about making music on a laptop using code.

Prior to the festival, Bradford WOW programmers Laura Brooks and Saliha Rubani said: “We are both so proud of Bradford, its capacity for change, its rich cultural diversity, and its ability to surprise people.”

Speaking yesterday, Jack Lynch, the festival’s marketing and audience development officer, said: “This has been about putting people from Bradford on an equal footing with our authors and speakers.

“So many people have been given a spotlight to tell their stories.

“The event has really celebrated the diversity of Bradford and the discussions around themes like honour have been really moving.

“The youth aspect has been great, and one of the most popular sessions was organised by the Wowsers, entitled ‘I Am Perfect As Me’. They discussed themes such as mental health and body image and the workshop was actually oversubscribed, which was amazing.

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“The event will be coming back to Bradford next year, and we are so proud of the people here and the relationships we are nurturing.

“The festival reflects Bradford in that its a very honest and down-to-earth festival, with honest stories and discussions. It’s something we want to build on here year-on-year.”