At the 2nd Amed Women, Labour and Culture-Arts Gathering, which brought women’s labour, production and solidarity together on a shared platform, women both made their work visible and gained new experiences through workshops, highlighting the strength of collective production.

On the second day of the 2nd Amed Women, Labour and Culture-Arts Gathering, organised by Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality at Dağkapı Square, women presented their handmade products to residents and took part in various workshops. Held under the leadership of the Department of Women’s Policies, the event placed women’s work in production and their solidarity at the centre.

40 stands opened

Women involved in a wide range of production areas, from textile workshops operating at five women’s life centres affiliated with the Department of Women’s Policies to medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation workshops, opened stands at the gathering. The event, which also included the municipalities of Silvan, Kulp, Lice, Bismil, Çınar and Çermik, featured 40 separate stands displaying handmade products produced by women. Women working from home, women-focused civil society organisations, women trade union members, women’s organisations and women working in the field of culture and arts came together to share their products with residents.

Workshops and production activities held

A range of workshops was also organised as part of the gathering, which brought together women’s labour, production, culture and arts. KESK held a Glass Painting Workshop; Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality’s Department of Climate and Zero Waste held the “From Waste to Production: Recycling Workshop with Women”; DİSMEK held a “Cold Porcelain Workshop”; and the Department of Women’s Policies held a “Cream-Making Workshop with Medicinal and Aromatic Plants”. Residents took part in production activities and enjoyed their time at the workshops, which attracted strong interest.

“We women came together under one roof”

Gülcan Selici, one of the women taking part in the event, said women had come together thanks to the opportunities provided by the municipality: “Through this service provided by our municipality, all women came together under one roof and learned many valuable things. We shared what we learned here with our community and received a very positive response. We want these kinds of events to continue. We have also been working on ceramics here and learned many wonderful things. I have been taking part in such events for 15 years and I have benefited greatly from them. I have a small workshop and I trained myself. There are no limits for me. I recommend this to everyone and invite women to take part in these events.”

“They are valuable experiences”

Berçem Nakçi said women both made their labour visible and gained new experiences through such gatherings: “At the women’s labour gathering, women display their work and come together. They sell products they have made with their own labour, including clothing and food. Workshops are held here regularly. We get to discover ourselves and see our own talents. These are valuable experiences and beautiful memories for us. I like women’s labour gatherings and try to take part whenever they are held.”

“I am here to show women’s labour”

Binnaz Güzel said she joined the event to make women’s labour and struggle visible: “I am here to show women’s labour. We are trying to do our best. We have had a very good time here for two days. We are spending enjoyable time together with friends. We thank them for organising such an event. At least we are able to receive recognition for the work we do.”

“We were very pleased with the participation in the festival”

Sinem Akyol, who works as a medicinal and aromatic plants specialist at Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, said they had been carrying out production activities with women over the past three months. Akyol said: “We organise training sessions and workshops with women. For the last three months in particular, we have been diversifying medicinal and aromatic plants together with six women at the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Production Workshop. We produce items such as vinegar, oil, cream and tinctures. We were very pleased with the participation in the festival. It makes us happy to see people turning towards nature, choosing natural cosmetic products and aiming to use them for health-related purposes. For us, it is very valuable that women’s labour is made visible and reaches wider audiences through this labour gathering. There is strong participation and demand.”

Gathering ends with concert

The Amed Women, Labour and Culture-Arts Gathering ended with a concert by artist Neslihan Ediş at Dağkapı Square, attended by many residents who joined in the halay.