Nan Moh Moh, Secretary General of the Women's League of Burma (WLB), underscored the need to criticize the presence of All-Male Panels (MANELs) that are obstructing the path towards Myanmar's spring revolution, a movement recognized worldwide for its pursuit of a federal democratic union.
"If there are more MANELs (all-Males) like this, it will distance us from our goals of achieving a federal democratic union, peaceful coexistence, and justice in the future. This is why we cannot accept such situations. We need to speak out and organize these exhibitions with the determination to work towards the elimination ," Nan Moh Moh stated during a panel discussion at a photo gallery.
A new photo exhibition on this theme has just opened in Bangkok. Jointly organized by three groups, the Women's League of Burma (WLB), Salween Institute for Public Policy, and SEA-Junction, this photo exhibition will be showcased on the fourth floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center (BACC) in Bangkok, Thailand, running from October 17th to 29th.
"We aim to highlight the importance of having a minimum of 30 percent women's participation in every decision-making process.The red dots on the poster represent this aspiration. We aim to prompt the question, 'Where are the Women?'" Ying Lao stated.
"When we talk about women's participation, we are not advocating for the removal of men from their roles. Instead, we are emphasizing the importance of having women's voices and viewpoints included alongside men in those contexts," said Nan Moh Moh.
She pointed out that while many women are actively engaged in the Spring Revolution across various locations and sectors, discussions specifically related to women often do not include the voices of the women actively working on the ground.
Regarding the poster for the second exhibition, when it was first shared on social media, it generated various questions, critical feedback, as well as threats and challenges.
"The posters featured in this exhibition comprise images that have been extensively circulated on Facebook, both nationally and globally. We believe we don't require formal permission, and that's why we didn't seek it. We also do not consider it ethically problematic, as permission was not sought," explained Ying Lao, the executive director of the Salween Institute for Public Policy, in a conversation with SHAN
She continued by emphasizing that the organizers of MANELs, the organizations providing technical and resource support to make such events happen, and the guest speakers leading discussions on these panels all share the responsibility of combating male chauvinism.
Regarding the poster for the second exhibition, when it was first shared on social media, it generated various questions, critical feedback, as well as threats and challenges.
Ying Lao also emphasized that there was no necessity to seek permission to showcase the leading figures from various sectors of the Spring Revolution in the exhibition poster. Additionally, she pointed out that there are no ethical concerns, as these images were extracted from posters of male-only discussion panels that were publicly displayed.
