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“Men and Love in Times of Conflict and Polarisation” Photography Exhibition Travels to the Netherlands

On 25 November 2024, we are opening our photography exhibition titled “Men and Love in Times of Conflict and Polarisation” at the Domplein in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The exhibition will be there for one week before moving to Amsterdam. This effort is part of our work to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

A black and white photo of young boys sitting closely together and looking intently at a man holding a rifle. The boys are seated at a wooden desk in a room with a wooden ceiling. The setting suggests a tense atmosphere.
Image credit: Pedram Pirnia
  • 2 min
WILPF International Secretariat
19 November 2024

On 25 November 2024, we are opening our photography exhibition titled “Men and Love in Times of Conflict and Polarisation” at the Domplein in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The exhibition will be there for one week before moving to Amsterdam. This effort is part of our work to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

A man plays guitar for children in a room with damaged walls. Text overlays include Men and Love in Times of Conflict and Polarisation and exhibition details for Utrecht and Amsterdam. Logos of sponsors are at the bottom.

This exhibition was produced by the Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace Initiative of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and features images submitted in response to two photography collaborations. The first focused on Militarised Masculinities and Alternatives and our second collaboration focused on Men and Love in Times of Conflict and Polarisation. 

The exhibition is a visual exploration exploring the relationships between men, masculinities, conflict, care, and love. Through it, we hope to spark reflections and conversations amongst policy makers, activists and ordinary citizens about the roles and responsibilities of men related to peace and gender justice and what we can do to increase their support. 

We hope these images offer a more nuanced portrayal of men as joyful and warm, caring and compassionate, loving and vulnerable, committed to peace and our planet, and ardent supporters of everyone’s ability to access all of their rights.

Partners

This exhibition is a collaboration between WILPF, PAX and the Embassy of Canada to the Netherlands. PAX is the largest peace organisation in the Netherlands and one of WILFP’s long-time partners. Canada is committed to protecting and advancing gender equality and stands with all women, men, girls, boys, and gender-diverse individuals in this essential pursuit. 

Other Exhibition Locations

This is a nomadic exhibition and before it came to the Netherlands, it was in Geneva, Switzerland and in different cities in Colombia and it will continue to move to different locations in the world including Lagos and London.

Register here for the exhibition

To explore our photography overview to see all the images selected for the Geneva exhibition and learn more about the event, click here.

To follow our exhibition as it travels around the world, visit WILPF’s calendar page.

In Dutch: Over de tentoonstelling

De fototentoonstelling Men and Love in Times of Conflict and Polarisation organiseren we samen met WILPF in het kader van de 16 Days of Activism tegen gendergerelateerd geweld. Na de officiële opening om 15:00 organiseren PAX en WILPF een discussiesessie van 15.30 tot 17.00 uur.

Het is belangrijk om de relatie tussen mannen, mannelijkheid, conflict, zorg en liefde te onderzoeken. Met de tentoonstelling willen we mannelijke stereotypen ter discussie stellen: agressief, stoïcijns, seksistisch, wapens verheerlijkend en oorlogszuchtig. Dit soort klassieke ideeën over mannelijkheid kan mannen en anderen beschadigen. Het is daarom belangrijk dat mannen zich niet laten beperken door heersende cliche’s, maar de kans krijgen zichzelf en hun plaats in de wereld opnieuw te definiëren.

We laten met deze foto’s een ander beeld zien: mannen zijn ook vreugdevol en warm, zorgzaam en medelevend, liefdevol en kwetsbaar, toegewijd aan vrede en onze planeet. Mannen willen ook dat iedereen gelijke rechten heeft en een menswaardig bestaan,

Zoek samen met ons naar manieren om mannen te steunen in hun strijd voor inclusieve vrede!

Registreer hier voor de tentoonstelling

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WILPF International Secretariat

WILPF International Secretariat, with offices in Geneva and New York, liaises with the International Board and the National Sections and Groups for the implementation of WILPF International Programme, resolutions and policies as adopted by the International Congress. Under the direction of the Secretary-General, the Secretariat also provides support in areas of advocacy, communications, and financial operations.

Berit Aasen

Europe Alternate Regional Representative

Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.