The Power of Women’s Storytelling
Far too often, patriarchal societies attempt to silence women’s voices. However, women have a long history of storytelling, and storytelling is a powerful tool for women to advocate for change.
Storytelling helps women build agency, claim power, and advocate for their rights. It can inspire and empower women to challenge the status quo by connecting them with their peers and enabling women to mentor those around them.
Storytelling is the” ultimate source of truth and power in the feminist and women's rights movement” (Womankind WorldWide 2023).
Validation and Empathy
Sharing personal stories allows women to validate each other's experiences, fostering empathy and understanding of the systemic issues they face.
Breaking Silence
Storytelling can challenge societal norms by bringing to light often silenced experiences of discrimination, harassment, and oppression.
Building Agency
By actively sharing their stories, women can reclaim their narrative and gain a sense of agency and power over their own lives.
Mobilization and Advocacy
Powerful narratives can galvanize support for feminist causes by compelling listeners to engage with the realities of women's lives and take action.
Through storytelling we can gain new perspectives, become more open-minded and compassionate, and gain insight into humanity.
Resource links
Principled and Revolutionary
An Ulster Museum exhibition by Hannah Starkey about Northern Ireland's Peace Women.
Translating Age
Translating Age explored the experiences of older migrant women in Northern Ireland, using arts-based approaches and co-research approaches, where the women created their own arts projects.
The Unsung HERoes Exhibition
The exhibition focuses on the untold stories of women within the political landscape (formal politics and at community level) and how they helped shape and achieve the peace process that culminated in the GFA.
The Voice of Migrant Women of Corrymeela Community
A project exploring the challenges faced by the migrant community, removing barriers to women claiming their rights, becoming active citizens and resolving their own problems.
Wall Museum Exhibition
A well-known interface between Bishop Street and the Fountain in Derry/Londonderry has had a temporary facelift with creative imagery and powerful quotes depicting local women’s experiences living near interfaces.
We Were There: Prisons Memory Archive
We Were There features the unique experiences of women in the predominantly male world of the Maze and Long Kesh during the conflict in Northern Ireland / the North of Ireland.
Women of the Borderlands
Twenty-five individual, in-depth, face-to-face, 'walking interviews' to explore women's relationship with the border during the Troubles and since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
Women Parliamentarians of Northern Ireland exhibition
The Assembly Commission proposed this important initiative to highlight the role of the women who have been elected since the passing of the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act in 1918.
Phenomenal Women: A Decade of Action
“The book is edited by Lynda Walker, Anne McVicker, Helen Crickard and Danielle Roberts as part of Reclaim the Agenda, a women’s rights collective."
Her Loyal Voice
Her Loyal Voice is a platform for the voices of loyalist women, where they can speak out, be heard and share their lived experiences of growing up and living in Northern Ireland.
Herstory
"Herstory is a multi-disciplinary storytelling platform that illuminates and celebrates female role-models."
I Once Knew a Girl (2010)
"I Once Knew a Girl" is a 13 min series of excerpts and highlights from the original Playhouse Theatre of Witness production in Northern Ireland that explores the untold stories of women affected by the Troubles.
Making the Future - Women in the Archive
Women in the Archives is a joint initiative between the Linen Hall Library and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland to uncover hidden women’s voices from their archives.
Peace Heroines by Herstory
“In the buildup to the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in 2023, Herstory partnered with the National Museums NI and Department of Foreign Affairs to create the Peace Heroines education programme”
Feminist History Film Archive
A film archive created this film archive on its 40th anniversary in 2023 to capture the history of the feminist movement in Northern Ireland.
A Century of Women
A collaboration between WOMEN’S TEC and Reclaim the Agenda to documenting the social, economic, cultural and political impact women have had in our society over the last century.
extraORDINARYwomen Collection and Oral Histories
Diverse women from across Northern Ireland recorded inspiring oral histories elucidating their lived experiences and capturing responses to contemporary issues affecting women in Northern Ireland.
Dear Diary Online Resource of Women's History
Dear Diary is an online resource featuring a unique timeline of history through the eyes of women between 1798-1981. A fascinating resource providing an insight into how historical events impacted everyday life.
Belfast Women’s Voice
This exciting podcast explores issues that matter to grassroots women in Belfast. The podcast is essential listening for anyone interested in a women’s perspective on what is happening now in Northern Ireland.
Women’s Empowerment Programmes – Where are the women?
A 3-week programme exploring through the Digital Film Archive, the lives and roles of women in Northern Ireland.
NI Screen Digital Film Archive
“Originally launched in November 2000 as part of the British Film Institute's Millennium Project, Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive (DFA) is a free public access resource.”