Over the past week, some of the world’s leading gender equality activists have gathered in Kaohsiung for the World Conference of Women’s Shelters. This weekend, two of them will have public engagements in Taipei.
Tomorrow at 2:30pm, Eve Ensler, the American writer and activist best-known for her play The Vagina Monologues, will lead a discussion on her latest book, The Apology.
The memoir takes the form of an imagined letter to Ensler from her late father, who physically and sexually abused her as a child. It has been hailed as a “blueprint of contrition” for perpetrators.
Photo courtesy of The Garden of Hope Foundation
The discussion is hosted by The Garden of Hope Foundation, an NGO that runs women’s shelters, counseling programs and campaigns for gender equality. Admission is free, although donations are appreciated.
Tomorrow at 7pm, Nina Smart, an American sociologist, will give a talk exploring the role of female genital mutilation (FGM) in West African culture and solutions to end the practice.
After escaping FGM while growing up in Sierra Leone, Smart went on to write a memoir and found an NGO to raise awareness about the practice. Her talk is organized by the Taiwan Coalition Against Violence, and admission is NT$200.
Photo courtesy of The Garden of Hope Foundation
■ Eve Ensler’s book discussion is tomorrow, 2:30pm at the third floor auditorium of the Taipei City Youth Development Office, 17, Renai Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (臺北市仁愛路1段17號 ). Register at: reurl.cc/5gvl7G
■ Nina Smart’s talk is tomorrow, 7pm at Brilliant Time bookstore (燦爛時光), 1, Lane 135, Xingnan S Rd Sec 1, New Taipei City (新北市興南路一段135巷1號 )
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