WOWxBBC: the first ever online Women Of The World Festival launches on Culture In Quarantine
Lamia Dabboussy
Executive Editor, BBC Arts
In only a couple of months, it seems, the UK has managed to reinvent how we engage in arts and culture. The ingenuity of makers, writers, players, thinkers and performers, along with the support and participation of readers, watchers and technologists has kept the arts alive.
We don’t want to go without our arts and culture fix, and, in times like these, we simply can’t do without; they’re just essential to our wellbeing
Orchestras have re-orchestrated - with 1s and 0s replacing rehearsal halls and concert theatres - and we’ll soon be enjoying, once again, live lunchtime concerts on BBC Radio 3 as this week we announced the return of live broadcasts from Wigmore Hall.
Sales of arts and craft materials have skyrocketed, with some retailers reporting they’re struggling to keep up with online demand. For those itching to get creative, last week we announced all the ways you can join in - from the Lockdown Orchestra to Live Drawing Live! (catch up here). And you can still try your hand at an origami frog, make a vase out of marzipan with Clare Twomey or learn some handy piano tips from the master of the keyboard Jools Holland. Keep an eye out for new masterclasses coming soon from acclaimed visual artists Es Devlin and Rana Begum.
Last weekend, as part of Culture In Quarantine, The Big Book Weekend brought together events from cancelled literary festivals across the UK for a virtual book festival like no other; not a replacement for the real thing, but something else all-together - a celebration of how our love of books and great writing can keep us connected, no matter where we are. You can still catch up on the sessions you might have missed here.
The WOWxBBC Festival
(Clockwise from top left) Emma Dabiri, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Liz Carr and Sandi Toksvig are all taking part in the WOWxBBC Festival
And this weekend (16 and 17 May), we are bringing a world-first festival collaboration to the BBC: Partnering with the Women of the World (WOW) Foundation, BBC Arts’ Culture In Quarantine will host the very first virtual WOW festival.
The WOWxBBC Festival will host events and talks spanning topics from history, health, sport, science and sexuality. We’ll be opening the online festival with an In Conversation with former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and WOW Foundation’s Founder and Director Jude Kelly.
Other highlights include Karen Blackett OBE on Bringing Up Boys - a panel discussion examining how to raise sons to contribute to a gender-equal world, writer Rebecca Solnit on hope in the time of Coronavirus, and Maxine Peake, Emma Dabiri and Sandi Toksvig on their favourite women from medical history whose stories have been erased. Sandi Toksvig will return to close the weekend on Sunday night with a Big Quiz along with Silent Witness actor Liz Carr and scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
Working together with an inspiring partner like the WOW Foundation is at the heart of what Culture in Quarantine is all about. The Festival’s programme not only responds to some of the most important global issues today, but also provides a bit of a practical guide to surviving lockdown, with sleep yoga and a unique how-to ‘hair in quarantine’ tutorial. And, as we all know, in the immortal words of Fleabag, ‘Hair. Is. Everything’. It’s truly a cultural festival for now.
