Dundee Women’s Festival returns this month with a packed programme celebrating and supporting women’s contribution to society, with a special focus this year on attracting female talent to the sciences.
Over the next week or so, a variety of events take place both across the city and online, with highlights including workshops on stand-up comedy and a talk hosted by Abertay Historical Society on pioneering Dundonian feminist and anti-slavery campaigner Frances Wright.
This comes with the eye-catching title The Red Harlot of Infidelity or Priestess of Beelzebub.
Illustrations for the brochure and posters have been designed by a Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art student, Kirremuir resident Ellen Forbes.
This edition of the festival also sees the long-awaited return to the city’s streets after two years of Dark Dundee’s irreverent but informative walking tours.
Fannies and Belters tours
Having been mothballed due to the pandemic, Louise Murphy and Stewart Heaton are back with a brand new historical journey.
Launching on March l7, Fannies and Belters is a Horrible Histories-style tour with plenty of drama and humour, including more on Wright and an attempt to blow up the city’s Dudhope Castle.
The pair warn this event is more suitable for adults, as it covers the suffragettes, slavery and sex scandals, while celebrating a few female firsts, Murphy explains.
“What makes our tours different, and this one in particular, is how we tell our tales,” she says.
“We like to skip the boring bits and tell the drama and the dark side of history, but have a laugh along the way as we think they should be both educational and entertaining.
“The stories in this tour are a bit tongue in cheek, very much like the title, so we recommend over-16s only.”
Elsewhere, organisers have chosen as a theme for 2022’s events Today’s Women Shape Tomorrow’s World, with an emphasis on how the younger generation can be inspired to get involved in subjects such as science, technology, engineering and maths – known as Stem for short.
Females are underrepresented in these areas, the festival’s chair Prue Watson points out, something that demands urgent change.
“The theme this year was chosen on the back of COP26 and the greater impact that climate change has on the lives of women,” she says.
“We recognised that women will take a leading role in developing low-level sustainable technologies and that they need to be encouraged to enter these careers.”
Several events are held in collaboration with the University of Dundee, including the city’s first Living Library.
This online event sees participants engage with a range of people from the institution with interesting stories or expertise to share.
The idea is that instead of taking a book from the shelves, you “borrow” 10 minutes of somebody’s time.
One of the organisers of Living Library is Dr Heather Doran, public engagement manager at the university’s Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science.
She says: “It is an opportunity for individuals to spark new conversations, connections and break down barriers about a wide variety of topics – the role of museums, law, computer science and gender studies. Expect to experience the unexpected!”
Soapbox Science
Younger people may benefit from a trip this Saturday to Dundee’s Waterfront Place, the space by the urban beach, to get close and personal with scientists keen to promote their fields.
Soapbox Science allows them to explain their work, sometimes through activities and demonstrations, as its co-organiser Dr Amy Cameron, public engagement and communications officer at the university’s School of Life Sciences, explains.
“We have amazing scientists taking part who will share their research on topics such as dentistry, anatomy, medicine and immunology,” she says.
“Events like this aim to show that there is not a specific type of person who does science. They are just like me and you. The one thing they all have in common is the passion for their work.
“The other important part is giving people free and equitable access to learning about the research taking place locally. We want the public to be proud of what is happening in their city and share that with others.”
Dundee Women’s Festival runs until March 20. See dundeewomensfestival.org.uk for details.
