By PRISC SAM-DURU

Women from different parts of the country gathered at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Lagos, at the weekend, to mark the 2014 International Women’s Day with readings from poetry collections, short stories and  exciting excerpts from various female authors.

Designed to celebrate literary works by female writers, the Woman Rising Initiative which is in its fourth edition, is powered by The Life House, as part of activities celebrating the International Women’s Day through various aspects of the arts.

The event was sponsored by one of the fastest growing and most innovative telecommunications company in Nigeria, Etisalat as part of its commitment to supporting fiction and other forms of literary works in Africa.

After series of interesting readings from the participating female authors, Flash Fiction expert, Molara Wood, entertained the audience with a most outstanding presentation from some of her stories, which included “Fear Hill and Indigo”

Co-founder and curator for The Life House, Ugoma Adegoke, thanked Etisalat Nigeria for its support of arts and culture through the Woman Rising Initiative.

According to her, “the arts have the power to heal, delight, create joy and togetherness; offering a unique quality of life for our children and ourselves. As such, I am grateful to our main sponsors, Etisalat Nigeria, for their continued support in our drive to seek strategic and sustainable support of arts and culture in Nigeria.”

The Head of High Value Events and Sponsorships, Etisalat Nigeria, Ebi Atawodi, said that Etisalat was proud to sponsor the Woman Rising initiative; a 21st century cause celebrating the literary prowess in women.

Her words, “Etisalat Prize for Literature was designed to recognize and reward début writers of fiction in Africa, with the objective of discovering new creative talents and promoting the growing publishing industry on the continent. Sequel to the recently concluded Etisalat Prize for Literature, people asked how the Prize for Literature had three shortlisted female finalists.

I believe it is a testament to the literary ability of the African woman. The year 2013 was an interesting year for women in literature; and the emergence of three female finalists for the Etisalat prize for Literature further depicts the depth in creativity. Etisalat believes firmly in how art and culture foretell creative ideas and as such, is proud to be an active sponsor for the literary arts through the Woman Rising Initiative.”