The free entry festival featured an array of games, dance and rap battles where winners won prizes, power talks and entertainment from trending female artistes such as Akeine, Karole Kasita, Kataleya and Kandle, Recho Rey, Nina Roz, Laika, Aroma, Ava Peace, Jowy Landa, Jackie Chandiru and Lilian Mbabazi.
Amidst their performances, each artiste would drop in some advice to the girls in the crowd. Recho Rey told the girls that the most important weapon they can have is being financially independent and, therefore, they should strive to work hard. Kataleya and Kandle encouraged the girls to be confident and believe in themselves.
Ava Peace, who graduated from university last year, told the girls to stay in school and cautioned them against misusing the opportunity of education, because education will help them unleash their potential. Jackie Chandiru told them not to be discouraged by earlier failures in life using her life as testimony of falling down and getting up again.
Lilian Mbabazi and her band closed off the evening with a live performance of Dagala, Danger, Memories and Vitamin. She then invited Chandiru to join her for a performance of some of Blu 3’s hits; Kankyakyankye, Where You Are, Hitajji and Nsayuka Nawe.
Miss Uganda Natasha Nyonyozi reechoed the need for the education of the girl child because she believes an educated girl can stand up for herself in the community.
Away from the fun, the event served as a platform to raise funds for the Imara Women’s Centre, an initiative by FOWODE to anchor the
advancement of women’s rights in Uganda. The centre will be a women’s hub for reflection, learning, networking, healing, nurturing, self-care while promoting women’s creativity and innovation.
At the entrance, each attendee was asked to kindly drop some money even as low as Shs 1,000 in a glass box which is going towards the construction of the centre.
Patricia Munabi, the executive director of FOWODE, said they broke ground for the centre in 2022 on a 2.3-acre land in Kasangati and since then, they have been raising awareness about the center and gathering resources for its establishment. The centre is estimated to cost $7.8 million.
“The center will have a five-storied block that will include spaces that we can be able to rent out and generate income to inject into our work. We will have a library and a museum that speaks to women’s participation and contribution to development. It will have spaces
where young people can come innovate and incubate their ideas, and a residence where we will focus on wellness and self-care because what we have seen from our work with women in leadership is that it is important to rejuvenate, reflect and build connections in order to be able to continue with the work that they do,” she said.
inarticle} inarticle}