The history of women’s activisms in Sri Lanka is yet to be told. Men and male domination have silenced and eliminated women from the ‘official’ histories of the country and similarly around the world. But the memory of women’s activism remains in the stories told by great women like our grandmothers and elders that are not even mentioned in the subtexts of the official narratives of men and power. In celebration of 30 years of activism, Women and Media Collective, brings to you an exhibition of collective struggle by many women and women’s groups in an attempt to recover a small part of that untold and unwritten history.

Women in trade union and labor struggles Women have taken part in the Trade Union movement in Sri Lanka from its inception. Even though women have played an active role in trade union struggles their voices are still silent. The voices of women in the nurses struggles, Free Trade Zone, plantation and the fisheries sector is depicted through this exhibition. Profiles of prominent women trade union leaders and activists will also be on display at the exhibition.

Women photographers The Women and Media Collective’s (WMC) photography exhibition is designed to portray various moments in the lives of ‘Working Woman’ some of which most often go unnoticed. As WMC marks 30 years of activism to ensure the rights of women, the photography exhibition is a unique display of different perspectives of the working woman through the eyes of women. Curated by acclaimed artist Chandragupta Thenuwara and his team, the exhibition displays photographs of amateur and professional women photographers in the island.

Feminist film Festival The first feminist film festival was organized by the women and media collective in 2004 to celebrate International Women’s Day. WMC has been organizing this festival every year and in 2014 the 10th feminist film festival was organized in Colombo. The objective of organizing this festival was to give an opportunity to the audience to view films from a feminist perspective.

Short Film Competition The short film competition was one of the first short film competitions held in Sri Lanka with a gendered outlook. In 2009 this competition was initiated by Women and Media Collective on our 25th anniversary. The objective of this activity was to challenge the negative portrayal of women in Sri Lanka and to build a positive image.