Since 2020, nearly 160 all-male panels, also known as ‘manels,’ have been held in Myanmar for more than three years.
A photo exhibition named ‘Manel Exhibition’ will take place for three days, from March 5th to 7th, at Lan Din Café in Chiang Mai.
The exhibition is a collaborative effort between the Women’ League of Burma (WLB) and The Salween Institute (SI).
During the opening, the Secretary General of the Women’s League of Burma (WLB), Nan Moh Moh, explained in detail the guidelines, methods, and recommendations to avoid holding ‘Manels,’ while displaying photos and posters of such panels.
Nan Moh Moh said “ Today’s photo exhibition is not a panel discussion event, nor a “manel” discussion event. One of the special things about today is that some of the men participating in the photos in our exhibition came to the event themselves. We are not working to embarrass the men involved in this photo, but to show the organizations that are working and supporting the people. Our purpose is to ensure that women’s participation in panel discussions and debate is viewed as a key issue.”
The existence of men-only panels poses a significant obstacle to the development of pluralism and meaningful panels, which are crucial components of a democratic community. ”Manels” perpetuate patriarchy and gender-based discrimination by completely excluding women.
The exhibition features a collection of photos and posters of ‘manels,’ along with information about the organizations that held these panels and the donor organizations that supported them.
The exhibition also compiles the excuses and justifications provided by the organizers, participants, and supporters of these shameful “manels”.
Some of the justifications of “manels” are also noted in the exhibition, such as ‘During the revolution, we should prioritize the revolution. After the revolution, we can address these issues,” and “ Imposing such rules on the news media will have adverse effects. It would create chaos, if not only women but also disabled, elderly, and LGBT individuals are asked to provide interviews on topics that only men should discuss.”
“ If we think about the participation of women, when we plan to discuss the panels, we can think of women, and invite as many as possible. If a female invitee is busy, we can invite another woman. If we have a balance of men and women this would be natural and a man’s point of view and a woman’s point of view are not completely different. If the organizer can pay attention to these things, I think I hope that such Manel exhibitions will gradually decrease," Ko Aung Soe Min, who attended the exhibition, told Shan Herald.
Nan Moh Moh added that if women’s participation continues to be weak, the establishment of a federal union, which is being widely discussed, will not be possible.
The organizers of the Manel Exhibition clarified that the event is not intended to be a gathering of women to threaten men, but to combat patriarchy and collaboratively seek a comprehensive solution for gender equality.
