Famed women’s day demonstration Aurat March, held annually across Pakistani cities reveals its theme & poster for the year 2023. While the theme is specified as ‘Feminism in times of Crises’, the poster serves as a feminist response to these trying times, alluding to “a reimagining of Lahore, one where women’s public presence is celebrated, one full of care and joy.”
Elaborating on the 2023 theme, the independent collective posts “Pakistan is plagued with challenges on multiple fronts including security and safety crisis, economic crisis, climate crisis and a relentless crisis of gendered violence. These issues are deeply rooted in patriarchal systems. We demand a feminist response, one that centers experiences of those most affected. These responses must be democratic and equitable.”
Reimagining a different reality for the city of Lahore, where women’s public presence is celebrated and accepted with ‘care and joy’, AM has also released a utopian visual representation of Lahore through its official poster.
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The women’s collective explains “This collaborative poster may be seen as a point of departure towards an alternative future for Lahore. The project is itself a demonstration of bhenchara, and expresses our utopian vision of the landscapes that exist around us, that are hostile towards us, that prevent our bodies from inhabiting and belonging in public space. The potential of bodies in movement together, gathering, persisting, and flourishing, is to shape this alternative future, until it is a dreamscape no longer.”
The march is scheduled to be held on the 8th of March in cities across Pakistan including Lahore, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta and Karachi.
