Brussels, 5 March 2012/ ACP: A children’s book and a film about a legendary Caribbean musician will be amongst several highlights of an evening dedicated to women, organised by the ACP Secretariat for International Women’s Day this Thursday 8 March.

Germany-based Belizean author Mali Cayetano (pictured) will present her recently published work titled “We are Free”, a story about three siblings who journey to the past and experience the history of their ancestors originating from Africa.

The documentary “Calypso Rose: The lioness in the jungle” will also be screened as part of the programme, a film based on the life and times of Calypso Rose, a celebrated Afro-Caribbean singer from Trinidad and Tobago.

“We truly believe in the empowerment of women, as critical players in development and the advancement of the world as we know it. The programme aims to highlight this, covering a range of fields, such as development issues, culture, music, art, and youth,” said ACP Assistant Secretary General and Head of Political and Humanitarian Affairs Michèle Dominique Raymond.

Keynote speakers scheduled in the programme include UN Women Director Dagmar Schumacher, Assistant Director General of the International Organisation for Migration Laura Thompson, UNESCO representative in Brussels Marie Paule Roudil and MEP Zita Gurmai.

“The Secretariat is also very proud of our ACP women leaders – besides our Ambassadors, the Chair of the Committee of Ambassadors is a woman (H.E Shirley Skerritt-Andrew of the Eastern Caribbean States), and two out of four of ACP Assistant Secretary Generals are women,” Raymond added.

The three longest serving women at the ACP Secretariat will also receive awards for dedicating the greater part of their lives to the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States.

Various stalls will be featured, topped off with a fashion show by young female African designers.

Download the full programme in PDF ( EN / FR ).

(Pictured: Author Mali Cayetano/ Photo by Channel 5 Belize)

– ACP Press