DSU celebrates International Women’s Day

By Courtney Stevens

Staff and students at De Montfort University are marking international women’s day (IWD) today(TUE,MARCH8) by hosting a number of events throughout the week.
IWD is part of women’s history month and aims to celebrate women and raise awareness of gender inequality.
The theme for this year’s IWD is #BreakTheBias which is about challenging gender bias, discrimination, and inequality in all areas of life.
Celebrations started yesterday with a body positivity mannequin which students could stick positive messages onto.
There was also placard making and a silent protest on the campus building steps to show solidarity with women across DMU and the world in general.
Other events include talks with inspirational women around breaking the bias, sexual health, and female perceptions of the workplace.
Bradie McDaid, the De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU) advice and well-being coordinator, said he had put a lot of thought into the day’s events.

“I think DSU tends to be as inclusive as possible, just under half of our students are female or female identifying,” he said.
“We want to make sure that DSU is a safe space for everybody and that all people deserved to be encouraged.
“Our female students are valid, they are important, and they deserve to be celebrated.”

VIDEO: The hidden voices of ‘Colored Girls’

By Rosie Vacciana-Browne 

On Wednesday evening the enterprise Serendipity, in partnership with Phoenix Cinema,  put on a showing of the film ‘For Colored Girls’ to honour the start of  International Women’s Month. 

The film is based on the play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf” by Ntozake Shange. 

Pawlet Brookes, the CEO and Artistic Director of Serendipity, set the enterprise up to showcase talent from black communities both at home and abroad.

Speaking about her choice to put on ‘For Colored Girls’ she said: “I think it’s really important to tell the stories of black women, they are the hidden voices and missing pieces of a lot of historical events. I feel that we are very visible but simultaneously invisible.”

Ms Brookes’ goal with Serendipity is to present communities from the black Caribbean and African diaspora with international and local projects that they can identify with and tell their untold stories.

Speaking about the enterprise she said: “(Serendipity) is for all communities but we should not just be having black projects in the ghettos.”

Following the showing of ‘For Colored Girls’ she and her Serendipity team were promoting their next venture, the festival ‘Let’s Dance International Frontiers (LDIF19)’.

LDIF19 will be in Leicester throughout April and May, with this year being the festival’s ninth and being inspired by the theme of ‘Black Dance: A Contemporary Voice.”

The festival will feature dancers from across the globe as well as local artists with a range of performances, networking events, workshops and films.

For more information on LDIF19 and Serendipity head to their website here: https://serendipity-uk.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

X Factor’s 5 After Midnight on stage in Leicester

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REPORTING TEAM: Alice Warner, Molly Barham, Tyler Arthur, Liam Smalley, Alex Murray, Alex Leadbitter, Ollie Heppenstall and Devanshi Lodhia 

X Factor boyband, 5 After Midnight, are in Leicester today for the finalists’ homecoming.

The three piece group is made up of Kieran Alleyne, 21, Jordan Lee, 20 and Nathan Lewis, 23, who formed the band just five weeks before auditioning for the X-Factor.

Kieran Alleyne, who was born and bred in Eyres Monsell, Leicester, has come home with fellow bandmates to perform at The Athena before their last show on The X Factor final.

The trio are singing in St Peter’s Square at 4pm, and will then move onto the Athena for a live performance at 7pm. 1,600 tickets for tonight’s concert at the Athena were free to the public on a first come first serve basis.

The high demand for the tickets show Leicester’s support for the group as all tickets were gone within two and half hours.

Leicester locals are confident that 5AM will win the competition

Georgia Mahy, 20, told us “I really hope they win because I love them, they are definitely my favourite.”

Lauren Marshall, 18, said that “I think they’re the best. They are very talented and I like their voices.”

Joshua Findley, 20, said “I hope that 5 after Midnight win the X-Factor, because I love their dancing.”

Leicester are hoping to keep its success streak running with another X Factor win.

The city has had some luck with Sam Bailey’s X Factor win in 2013 and the Foxes’ Premier League win last season.

The boys will be performing live on ITV this weekend from London’s Wembley Arena.

 

DMU to play their part in International Women’s Day

By Mel Hawes

Students will be given the opportunity to attend a lecture as part of De Montfort University’s recognition of International Women’s Day.

Guest speaker, Diana Nammi, is a former freedom fighter who will be sharing her experiences with students.

Diana-Nammi-Cropped-600x472This year the International Women’s Day is focusing on the slow development of equality for women in other countries.

Diana Nammi is also the founder of the Iranian and Kurdish
Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO). Her talk will focus on her own journey into women’s rights activism from Kurdistan to the UK.

Diana’s activism led to her fleeing Kurdistan as she faced persecution in the country that she lived in.

Her work with IKWRO has lead to the criminalisation of forced marriages in the UK.

The talk will take place tomorrow at 6-7 pm. To book your place email eventsoffice@dmu.ac.uk or call 0116 250 6031.