Pro-women activities are, apart from various manifestations of art, the core of the program of this year’s edition of the Malta Festival. “Hi, Girls!” section is a series of talks about femininity and overcoming adversities, which are still little talked about in the public space. Talks on serious topics will inspire, workshops will strengthen the body and mind, and the Period Celebration Party will bring a lot of joy. Admission to all events in this program section is free.

The Kulczyk Foundation was established in 2013 on the initiative of Grażyna Kulczyk, Jan Kulczyk and Dominika Kulczyk. The Foundation fights against discrimination and inequalities affecting women and girls around the world and has so far implemented international aid projects in 66 countries on 6 continents. The Malta Festival 2024 will be an opportunity to celebrate 11 years of activities aimed at building a reality without gender-based restrictions, and the “Hi, Girls!” program fits this mission perfectly.

“Hi, Girls!” is an opportunity to speak out about issues that still remain taboo. The Period Celebration Party will reverse the narrative on menstruation. You should not be ashamed of your period, it can even be celebrated. The concept of cyclical events was an extension of a music video created by Berlin-based artist Monika Kozub. The song “P.E.R.I.O.D.” satirically portrayed the serious problem of period poverty and was honored with the award for best music video at the Toronto International Women Film Festival in 2022. The Kulczyk Foundation, as part of the Malta Festival, decided to continue the joyful narrative about menstruation, resulting in the Period Celebration Party. – “This topic, however serious, should also have a less serious version to reach a wide audience. Hence the event with music, costumes, and scenography. This opens the possibility for further discussion, education and activism,” Kozub emphasizes. So far, these events have been held in Berlin and London. Now, absolutely every person will be able to pay tribute to the life-giving red in the Poznań Pavilion – for example by wearing red clothes. The Serious Girls collective will be responsible for the music. The event is under the patronage of the Vagina Museum.

Knowledge is not only rewarding, it can also be delicious. This will be proven by the discussion panel “Kitchen as a cultural phenomenon”, led by Anda Rottenberg – art historian and curator, former director of the Zachęta Gallery in Warsaw and one of the most distinguished people for contemporary Polish modern art. Rottenberg, together with invited guests, will look at cuisine from an anthropological perspective. Food, despite being an integral part of every person’s life, is often overlooked in the sphere of sociology.

Another topic worth demythologizing is menopause. What is it basically? When does it start and when does it end? Does it have to be contrary to femininity? Does the passage of time only have to provoke fear and doubt? These are some of the questions that will be answered by psychologist Katarzyna Miller, sexologist Alicja Długołęcka, actress Katarzyna

Warnke and group trainer Anna Samsel, a specialist in this field.

Endometriosis is a disease that statistically affects every 10th woman of reproductive age. It is extremely painful, can be difficult to diagnose and is burdened with social stigma resulting from lack of sufficient education. Despite its frequent occurrence, society knows very little about it. In a conversation about this condition, awareness in this regard will be raised by: journalist Magda Łucyan, actresses and singers Maria Janczewska and Patricia Kazadi, activist Lucyna Jaworska-Wojtas and gynecologist Daniel Kruczyński.

Maria Janczewska will also co-conduct – together with the Italian opera singer Francesca Russo Ermolli – voice release workshops. Mezzo-soprano musicians will present techniques that can help relieve suffering. Janczewska herself found solace and panacea in singing while struggling with severe endometriosis. Katarina Hellström will make everyone aware of how much energy is hidden in a woman’s belly. Her workshop will help you find harmony – spiritual and physical. Malwina Mango will teach people willing to learn the basics of cerrada – an ancient technique of tying individual parts of the body with rebozo scarves. Once, it was used primarily with pregnant women, but now it has a much wider range of applications. Each festival morning you will be able to start with a hatha yoga session, which will begin at 8 a.m. at the Polish Dance Theater.

There is one more question that this year’s Malta will try to answer: “What a fashionable woman should know.” Katarzyna Kołeczek’s monodrama, directed by Agata Puszcz, is an accurate and daring satire on the social expectations that every woman must meet. It is a vision of a world in which there is no time for sleep, and the rhythm of each day is determined by the rush to perfection dictated by men, the media and consumerism.

Malta Festival 2024 will take place in Poznań on September 7-15. Tickets for selected events are now on sale. All events from the “Hi, Girls!” section are free. All necessary information can be found on the website malta-festival.pl.