Celebrating International Women's Day
Rokeya Rafique
Taking up cudgels for women
Culture Desk
Rokeya Rafique is a woman to reckon with. In addition to her role as executive director of the women's organisation Karmojibi Nari, she is active on the cultural front as TV and stage actress. Among her recent works are lead roles in plays such as Brand, Golab Jan and The Lesson. In addition she has directed a street play titled Khepa Paglar Pachal.Rokeya took time off from her busy schedule to talk on a subject that's on everyone's mind -- International Women's Day. Excerpts from the interview: "International Women's Day is a symbol of women's protest, existence and power as human beings. Women should come forward to observe this day and put forward their demands. For instance, Karmojibi Nari has stepped in after the fire in a garment factory in Chittagong on February 23 this year. Forty seven out of 56 workers who lost their lives were women. We are working on this issue as participants in the Workers Safety Forum and have held dialogues with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers Export Association (BGMEA). One of our achievements is that we have made women workers aware of their rights. "On the cultural front, we face a sad scenario. Though there are women in this field, they are not visible at the policy level. I firmly believe that in all the arts women should hold positions of authority. Also they could play a more diverse role in this sphere -- one need to look around to question why so few women are involved in light design, direction and design. The real change will only come about when more women come forward."
| 
