The Tribune

As the famous Eurythmics song says, sisters are doin' it for themselves...all around the world, and right here in the Bahamas.

Tomorrow, an event to highlight Bahamian women will take place at the National Art Gallery starting at 6pm. It is the next instalment of the Women's Wednesdays series which focuses on the experiences of women in the Bahamas which are specific to their identities, including gender, race, sexuality, age, and ability.

Held once per month, the event series draws women together to have conversations that bring their individual lives into focus while connecting to family, community, and national narratives.

Women's Wednesdays intentionally centers and prioritises women and girls, and is open to the public through in-person events, livestreams, and social media activity. It is a collaborative effort of Equality Bahamas and the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas to create a safe space for knowledge-building, idea-sharing, critical dialogue, and movement-building.

"We recognised the need for these conversations at last year's (Women's March) and expo where we invited experts and practitioners to share their knowledge and talk about the services they provide. People asked us if we could hold the expo monthly, and we decided to host Women's Wednesdays which is scaled down version," said founder Alicia Wallace.

For this month's edition of Women's Wednesdays, organisers have decided to concentrate on health and wellness.

"The holidays are behind us, resolutions have been made for many, and most of 2018 is ahead of us. It's a good time to talk about women's health and wellness, taking our whole beings into consideration," the organisers said.

The conversation will be guided by the following questions: What is the difference between health and wellness? What options exists for people who want to live and be well, but don't have much money? What everyday practices should we adopt to improve overall health and wellness? What should we be advocating for to make complete healthcare accessible for all women?

Ms Wallace said they will also concentrate on health issues that affect the whole woman, and this includes mental health. "Where do physical and mental health intersect" will be one of the topics which will be considered. Guest speakers will include Melissa Major of the Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative, fitness instructor Regina Smith and psychologist Dr Tamalia Hanchell.

"Women's Wednesdays is really like no other event, because we reserve so much time for Q&A, and invite those in attendance to share their knowledge and experience, and not just ask questions. The panellists are not there as experts, but as conversation starters," she said.

When asked if Bahamian women could make a greater a effort to support one another, Ms Wallace said: "There's always more we can do, as in most communities, to support one another, but we've definitely made a start. We're more conscious of the need to support one another in more intentional ways."

For February's instalment of Women's Wednesdays, Ms Wallace said they will take a closer look at what constitutes a healthy relationship.

For many women, she explained, it is difficult to recognise the signs of abuse when people do not talk about relationships and what they should look like. "And in a lot of cases we grow up in and around abusive relationships, and normalise the experiences," she said.

In March, with International Women's Day coming up, the event series will focus on women's rights. Women's Wednesdays will run right into May, with a break for the summer in June and July.

Ms Wallace encourages women of all ages and walks of life to attend the sessions.

"We get quite a range of people, from 20 to 60 (years old). Most people are in their 20s or 30s, but women of all ages get a lot out of the sessions, and the feedback has been fantastic," she said.

"We've seen a few men as well who were surprised by how much they learned, and how many things they'd never thought about, or realised women and girls experience on a regular basis. For some sessions, like the one on sexual health, women brought their daughters. So we know there is hunger for this kind of information, and to be a part of a community of women and girls."