I am sure you heard about Expo 2020 held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Originally set to start in October 2020, but postponed one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is the greatest cultural show in the world dedicated to finding solutions to the challenges mankind is facing today in terms of sustainability, mobility and opportunity. It promises to offer visitors a journey inside the theme ?Connecting Minds and Creating the Future? through engaging and immersive activities and experiences. I had the opportunity to visit this world exposition and I can assure you it delivers!

After my visit I was very excited to write to you about one very special pavilion I explored: the Women?s Pavilion.

??????The reason I find it so relevant is because the Arab Muslim women in the Middle East still face substantial social and legal inequalities, and the fact that the first universal exibition held in an Arab country is dedicating a whole pavilion to Women was a bit of a surprise to me, in a good way, and it represents obviously an extraordinarily large step towards gender equality and women empowerment.

 

 

Located at the Sustainability District and under the exhibition titled ?New Perspectives?, in collaboration with the iconic luxury brand Cartier, the Women?s Pavilion intends to be a showcase of the remarkable women?s achievements across the globe that have driven forward economies and enhanced communities. Their positive contributions demonstrate that ?When women thrive, all of humanity thrives?.

 

 

The tour at the Women's Pavilion starts with a video-wall projection with children?s opinion on gender equality, making you imagine a more balanced world where it is not a gender norm that limits women?s potential.

After that, we are invited to enter a galaxy full of stars, representing the exceptional women, famous and unknown, that have opened up our horizons and changed the course of history, through their achievements, their vision, their courage. 

This room shows numerous examples of ideas, innovations, and solutions that women actually came up with to face every-day challenges and to make a better world for all of us, yet many remain unknown or forgotten. It pays homage to some notable women of our history such as the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the renowned artist Frida Kahlo, and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

 

The following gallery invites you to read interesting facts proving women?s contribution to business, education, hygiene, environment, politics, health, through the words of several personalities, like Dubai?s Sheikh, actors, geographers, etc.

 

 

Moving forward to the second floor, we can experience a multisensory exhibition created by actor/artist Mélanie Laurent and Emirati artists. Visitors can experience Virtual Reality (VR) video, The Invitation, showing ordinary women on their daily routines, working across a variety of fields, and changing the world for the better.

 

The exhibition concludes with a short montage-style film, titled Mother, sharing the intimate voices of women from around the world, while touching on the themes of both womanhood and motherhood.

The whole point of the Women?s Pavilion is to highlight the tremendous contributions women make to the world, and also the challenges they still face nowadays in regards to women?s rights and gender equality. It aims to raise global awareness and inspire dialogue, shatter gender misconceptions, and leave a lasting legacy of positive change for women worldwide. It is up to you to make a difference within your community and beyond!