Achi news desk-
Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA), an organization formed to address the issues of gender inequality and discrimination, will be hosting the “Samabhav Art Festival” from May 10 at Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir., Bandra.
MAVA holds ‘travelling film festivals’, but this is their first event to also feature music, poetry, panel discussions and writing, in addition to cinema. MAVA was established in 1993 to encourage men and boys to address issues of gender inequality and gender-based violence against women. MAVA works to engage men as partners and stakeholders in addressing gender issues through cultural advocacy, direct intervention and youth education programs, said Harish Sadani, co-founder and chief representative of MAVA.
Events during the festival include a play ‘Rangaai’ by Trinetra Tiwari on May 10, a ‘Master Class’ on creative writing by Sudeep Pagedar on May 11, a workshop on ‘Gender in Cinema’ by Rashmi Lamba, Chairman of India Council, Jinnah Institute Davis Gender in Media and Deepa Gahlot, film critic and author, and an ‘Open Mic’ performance by Simar Singh of Unerase Poetry on May 12. Singer Neela Bhagwat will be featured in ‘Melodies Reimagined’ on May 11.
MAVA said it engages and guides young men in schools, colleges and communities in conversations around sexual health and gender-sensitive behavior through leadership-driven training and out-of-the-box methods, including interactive workshops, storytelling, songwriting, street theater, film festivals, youth blogs and other social media. Through partnerships with colleges, universities, women’s groups, community groups and mentors, the organization says it has reached more than 4,000 young men and adolescent boys over the past 13 years, spreading the message of respecting women and treating them with dignity and equality. “People work with women and girls to address issues of gender. We work on men and boys, specifically focusing on boys to address this issue,” Sedney said.
This is the 6th edition of ‘Sambahav Festival’, a ticketless, non-competitive event that has traveled to more than 20 cities and five rural districts. “Films are a very powerful tool to hold discussions on gender issues. This is a groundbreaking festival because there are film festivals that are organized by marginalized groups such as women and LGBT people. It’s a festival of heterosexual men who are not in the conversation, in short, privileged people,” Sedney added.
The festival will run until October. Entry to the events is by registration and free for students.
