Exclusive research demonstrates that more than 70% of women workers are involved in farming and husbandry, poultry or fisheries related works. But unfortunately female workers are not getting paid as much as male workers. Moreover, women’s hard work in this field are being neglected by our male chauvinistic society. Family of the women workers and the state didn’t take any apposite pace to label their diligence.
Thus, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, Oxfam and its food justice campaign GROW, in cooperation with Shadhona Cultural Circle brought a dance drama to the stage titled Pala Badoler Pala- Performing Change on March 6 at the Abdul Karim Sahityabisharad Auditorium of Bangla Academy.
The most interesting facet of the show was that the experimental dance drama was exclusively performed by real women farm workers who came from remote areas of the country. Amara K’jon Shilipgoshthee from Bagura worked together with these women farm workers to give the dance-drama a vivid flavour. The performance was based on the life stories of women farmers, their struggles and strengths, along with the motto to establish gender equally. Through the realistic performance, it is highlighted that a staggering seventy type of works are done by women in any major farming process.
Combining unique and enlightening performance acts and drama pieces, the dance drama raised some vital issues to the audience including the formation of a separate market for women farmers and equal price for their goods comparing to that of a male farmer’s, to introduce farmer cards for women, to support women farmer with accurate agro knowledge, to bring agro technology into women farmers’ hand and to establish right of owning land by these womenfolk.
Shirin Akhter, Member of Parliament and MB Akhter, Porgram Manager of Oxfam Bangladesh delivered the opening speech. Lubna Marium, general secretary of Shadhona Cultural Circle, also a key organiser of the event expressed the willingness to showcase this dance-drama at the farmer’s ground of a rural area as well as the southern plaza of the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban to capture the attention of lawmakers of the country.
