arts & cultural experiences tis the Season: celebrating women in
macedonia
By Hana Truscott, MAK16
We ask ourselves,‘ Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’
Actually, who are you not to be? – Marianne Williamson 650 women from the Municipality of Novaci rung in March 8 th’ s International Day of the Woman in style, while dancing the Macedonian oro in the biggest restaurant hall in Bitola, leaving it reverberating with a liberating energy.
Our Mayor, Lazar Kotevski, helped host the event planned by my fabulous colleague at the Municipality of Novaci, Mirjana Kuzmanovska. Last years event at a smaller restaurant in Bitola drew over 400 women, packing the dance floor like a can of oro’ ing sardines. At several points, the dance came to a complete standstill as our chain of 400 oro’ ing women danced ourselves into the tightest spiral I’ ve ever seen.
With ever-growing interest from the local women, this year we booked a bigger dance hall and spread events out over several days. The main event on the eve of March 8th kicked off with a word of welcome from Mayor Kotevski. Within seconds of his speech ending, 650 women( and a few good men) rose up to dance and they didn’ t stop until the wee hours of the morning. It was truly a celebration that honored and lifted up the women of Novaci.
The following day( Friday March 8 th) Mayor Kotevski gave all 15 of his women employees the day off from work, even treating us to lunch. His acknowledgement of the gifts of his women colleagues is not reserved solely for this one holiday; it is
The Mayor of Novaci celebrating Photo courtesy of Elena Nikolov
evident in every day work at the Mu the talents of our women colleague employed at the Municipality of N management and administrators fo accounting. Our janitor is a woman, who applied for a Peace Corps Vol trator at the Municipality as well as school. She lives in Bitola, but wor people of Novaci. I’ m grateful to w talents of women are acknowledged
‘ Tis the season to celebrate, honor In February, the One Billion Rising m the globe on Valentine’ s Day calling and dance in the campaign to end reading for a firsthand account from in the Skopje event.
In March, not only was it Women’ s International Day of the Woman w Peace Corps Macedonia’ s Gender vided Macedonia’ s PCVs with a too to implement in their communities a sneak-peek at the Gender and Women’ s Day events implemented
The month of April included the fo Summit in New York City, featuring speakers, including Hillary Rodham frey, Eva Longoria, Angelina Jolie Verveer, America Ferrera, Dr. Ngo Courageous and intelligent women status quo in their countries, picki of war and shattering glass ceilings from the 2013 summit, go here http ticles / 2013 / 04 / 06 / women-in-the-wo and if you or your organizations are women and girls in Macedonia, go org / pages / get-on-the-map to Get O
As we kick off the month of May wi riages, let us continue to celebrate, us. For those women reading this, up, and to transform our brilliant se with you an article written by Tara website( http:// www. taramohr. com / 1 own transformation this past year, fabulous, talented, gorgeous woma all called to be.
16 – Pauza Magazine