UNESCO/UNITWIN Affiliate Unbound Visual Arts (UVA) recently opened an exhibit at the Harvard Allston Education Portal in Massachusetts. The exhibition is based on the "ancient Greek epic poems, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, which served as source material for some of the earliest themes in artwork." The exhibit will run through 23 December, and features the work of seven UVA artists. More information can be found on the UVA website.Inspired by this theme, the team at the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network anchored at Boston University's Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) Program took the opportunity to look at the roles of two heroines in the history of Burkina Faso through this 'epic' lens. The following storyboard shares their historic roles defending their territories, and all the while breaking down gender barriers.
The two heroines highlighted in this storyboard are Warrior Princess Yennega and Princess Guimbi Ouattara. Yennaga is known as the "Mother of the West African Nation of Burkina Faso" and for her brave leadership of troops in the 14th and 15th centuries. She figures in the Women of Vision Burkina series earlier on this website, and currently in an exhibition at the Harvard Education Portal.
Princess Guimbi Ouattara defended her city in the West of Burkina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She is revered in the region and is also designated as a Woman of Vision, Burkina Faso.
Both of these women exemplify the UNESCO priority theme of promoting gender equality, and notably disseminating positive images of women's roles and leadership. We hope that you too are inspired by their story, as well as those conveyed by the artists of the Harvard EPIC exhibit!
