In a world where we awake to headlines and news reports screaming violence and mayhem is it possible to envision a different world? A world where we don’t reduce each other to stereotypes? Is it possible to build bridges rather than burn them? Is it possible to be inspired, get involved and take action? I certainly hope it is and I wanted to share information with you about an inititive that I am involved in and that give me this hope.
I have been part of the editorial team for Imagining Ourselves , an online global exhibit featuring art, photographs, essays and film by young women in their 20s and 30s answering the question, “What defines your generation?” for the past six months. I wrote my story on ‘Assisted Marriage’ in an attempt to change perceptions about arranged marriages in recent times. And now I want to reach out to ATP readers to you to invite you to tell your story for our upcoming theme War and Dialogue.
Our hope is to look beyond the headlines and explore how war affects the lives of young women both in conflict zones and outside them. Our aim is to focus on regions of political instability from all over the world; in particular, we would like to focus on the Kashmir issue-from both sides of the border. In trying to explore the political through personal experiences, the project wants to open up a discussion on the larger issues of stereotypes that we have of each other. We are trying to reach out to young women from both India and Pakistan (and in the Diaspora) to amplify their voices, talk about issues they face and focus on the issue from different perspectives.
Given the discussions and readership of this blog, I thought people here may be interested in our project and in contributing to our upcoming theme. If you have a story to tell, images to share, a voice that wants to be heard, please submit your work to the Imagining Ourselves exhibit.
Sadaf Siddique is Project Manager for Imagining Ourselves.
Nice to see that there are such initiatives. Maybe the theme should be war VS. dialogue.