By Our Reporter

Uganda’s female comedians joined the rest of the world in celebrating International Women’s day as they staged a mega show dubbed “Arise Woman comedy jam” on Friday evening at Theatre La’bonita.

Hosted by stand-up comedian Agnes Akite and sponsored by Tusker Malt, the show was marked by bouts of laughter as different acts took to the stage to crack jokes on a range of topics mainly evolving about social issues.  Laced in humour, the show was also used to highlight some of  the different issues  that women in Uganda and around the world face in their day to day lives.

The evening’s line up included Titin, Kobusheshe, Leila Kachapizo, Dora, Richmouth, and The Fun Factory ladies who staged skits that had the crowd laughing out loud.

According to Agnes Akite,  “The Arise Woman Comedy Jam” is an annual event aimed at celebrating women through comedy. “We set up this event to celebrate women through comedy.  The Comedy Jam will continue to bring you the best hilarious production annually in celebration of women,” said Agnes Akite.

She further noted that part of the proceeds from the show will go towards supporting women who are running charity initiatives across the country. This year’s proceeds will go to supporting the “Home of Hope” in Jinja, which is equipping disadvantaged children with life skills.

The show ended at 11pm.

Urban TV presenter Kabs Haloha did kot let Women’s day pass without pouring his heart out. Kabs wrote warm messages for each of them. Amomg the appreciated women were his friends and family. See this.

“Women are the origins of life .

Today I wish the special women who have been pillars in my life a happy women’s day.

Mom :-you are not just an amazing mother but you are an inspirational woman and a reason why am alive, happy and prosperous today.

Kassami Sheba : You offered your support and always encouraged the little man and above all recognized and accepted my entrepreneurial self thank you for having been a great woman and a supportive friend.

Rahma Saeed Ally :- A great friend ,the one we sit down and joke about literally everything this lady brings joy to my strong heart and she literally often makes me feel a better person each and every day she keeps me feeling on top of my game.

Tina Wamala :- The only corporate cooperative woman I know. Tina is arguably the most relative woman in the world i can literally run to her at any time with my astounding ideas and she will pick my calls or even return them at any look on the phone.

She says she believes in me and that one day i will be a billionaire.

Malaika Laika Tenshi : The glamorous Malaika, fast thinker, principled and a big go getter she has been in my life with lots of ups and downs she has improved me with genuine support and positive criticism i can’t thank you enough but to only pray that you become the woman that you want to be may all your dreams come true.

Eddy Kenzo performs at the Girls Fest.

By Our Reporter

Friday was International Women’s Day, and to celebrate the day, Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU) hosted a mega festival dubbed “Girls Fest” which was held at the Lugogo Hockey Grounds. The  all-day event brought together young people, artistes, and women leaders among others to celebrate girl and women empowerment under the theme, “Gains from Equality”.

From board games to yard games to dance competitions to music performances, revelers who started streaming early in the morning were kept well entertained throughout the day.

Performances kicked off shortly after 2pm with some of Uganda’s top artistes including Eddy Kenzo, Spice Diana, Jackie Chandiru, Naava Grey, Lydia Jazmine, Geosteady, Navio and Beenie Gunter among others taking to the stage, much to the delight of the crowd who cheered on every act. There was also a showcase from international artists, Micheal Franti and SWrap.

To keep the audience engaged, the artiste performances were interluded with dance showcases and deejay sets which saw deejays like Kathy, Karo among others take over the turntables and had crowd dancing away to their favorite songs.

The Girls’ Festival provided a platform for partners to share their interventions, good practices and successes emerging from their work on gender equality. They exhibited products and services, discussing key topics like Gender Based Violence, Life skills, and male involvement in women empowerment.

Speaking at the Festival, Humphrey Nabimanya, the Founder & Team Leader of RAHU, highlighted the positive strides that have been made towards women and girl empowerment and called for continued championing of gender equality.

“Our hope for this Girls’ Festival, is that it will stimulate the much needed discussion on gender issues. This Girl Fest should serve as a reminder that we need to take a holistic approach to Women and Girl empowerment, including preventing violence against women and girls, protecting their sexual and reproductive health rights, improving girls’ access to education, and enabling women to participate in political processes.” Nabimanya said.