Freedom by Design: Womena’s Decade of Impact

For the past ten years, Womena has been dedicated to amplifying the voices of women within the region and beyond, spotlighting countless stories along the way. Curated by Rythma Ekanayake, a Sri Lankan creative producer and writer based in the UAE, Freedom By Design premiered at Dubai Design Week 2024, the largest annual design festival in the Arab region. This immersive installation portrays Womena’s journey through a multi-sensory experience featuring four regional artists. By interweaving film, poetry, design, and self-expression, it explores the concept of freedom and what it means for women in the region.

“The installation and the incredible artists you showcase are nothing short of inspiring. Your dedication and passion for lifting up the feminine spirit don’t go unnoticed. Keep doing what you do – it’s making a real impact, and we’re so grateful for it!” – Freedom By Design Attendee

The experience begins with a seven-minute film that captures the soul of Womena’s journey, showcasing moments from interviews and filmed content collected over ten years. Through vivid imagery edited by Rowan Messelhy and captivating sound design by Hana Seifelnasr (Kilma), the film invites viewers to reflect on the essence of freedom and the strength of women in the region. It serves as an audio-visual tribute to resilience, creativity, and the power of collaborative storytelling.

An ode to reconnect with our roots, the film is screened on a hand-sewn panel made from the loofah plant, indigenous to the region. Designer Noor Taan, Founder of Life of Loofah, presents a unique collaboration featuring projection screens crafted from 350 loofah pieces harvested from Southern Lebanese farms, each telling a story of women’s strength. Accompanying the screens, loofah lamps act as ambient lights, deepening the viewer’s connection to the environment. The soft, warm glow of the lamps invites tranquility and introspection. Hailing from Lebanon, the loofah plant honors local heritage and communities, serving as a tribute to the resilient people and land that nurture it.

With “Pre-Exodus,” the viewer’s senses are engaged on a transformative level. This VR journey, created by Jordanian-Palestinian artist Solenne Tadros, delves into memory and displacement. Visitors step into the childhood bedroom of Solenne’s grandmother, Leila Khoury Nimry, who fled Haifa, Palestine, during the Nakba in 1948. This immersive reconstruction captures the intimate details of Leila’s final moments in her home—a window overlooking a church, a calendar from 1948, and even her early paintings. It is both a tribute to Leila’s story and a profound reflection on the lasting impact of displacement, offering a space to witness and comprehend the human cost of exile.

The exhibit then transitions into interactive poetry, where Cairo-based poet Amira Salah-Ahmed invites the audience to reimagine a single poetic line. By shifting the emphasis on different words, visitors discover unique meanings, reclaiming the poem as a personal expression of freedom and choice. Following this, they are invited to record their own take on the poem in a dedicated booth. This segment encourages reflective art that invites audience interpretation, engaging viewers as active contributors to the narrative.

 

“Thank you Womena for transforming this space into an experience I will never forget.” – Freedom By Design Attendee

The Freedom By Design journey concludes with a communal call for personal messages to our homelands. Visitors are prompted to write a letter to connect with the places and people that define them. These intimate individual letters reflect love, loss, and the hope for change. Together, they form a collective testament to what matters most—our connections to our identities and roots.

سنرجع يوماً إلى حيّنا و نعيد و نعيد و نعيد. فينا نفتح عيننا لما يرمو فيها تراب… نقلّون لسا شايفين

One day, we will return to our neighborhood and we will repeat, and repeat, and repeat. We will open our eyes when they throw dirt at it… We’ll tell them, “We can still see.”

وطني الحبيب، أكتب لك وأنا على بعد أميال كثيرة أحزن بشدة لعدم قدرتي على الرجوع لك كم أحبك واشتاق لك – ولكن الوطن الذي أشتاق له ، حقيقة لم يعد موجود إلا في ذاكرتي فقط فكل من مر عليك من رئساء ظلموك و ظلموني كتبوا علينا البعد ولكن يوماً ما سأعود والله أعلم

My beloved homeland, I write to you from many miles away, deeply saddened by my inability to return to you. Oh, how much I love you and miss you – but the country that I miss, in truth, no longer exists except in my memory. All the presidents who passed by you wronged you and me and they wrote distance upon us, but one day I will return, and God knows best.