International Women’s Rights Day: Alliance Française Port Harcourt Celebrates The ‘Badass’ Heroines

The Alliance Française, Port Harcourt on Monday presented An activity tagged “Badass” to mark the 2025 International Women’s Rights Day, with the theme “For All Women and Girls Rights, Equality and Empowerment.”

The event which was held at the Alliance Française main hall had no fewer than 83 children from three schools who participated in the exhibition which tell stories of 10 Modern Heroines.

A cross section of children that participated in the International women’s Rights Day Celebration at the Alliance Française, Port Harcourt.

According to the Director of the Alliance Française, Marina Lacal the event which started from March 8 to celebrate the International Women’s Rights Day would end this weekend.

She noted that the initiative highlighted the commitment of the Alliance Française to promoting gender equality, empowering women and encouraging young audiences to challenge stereotypes and reconsider the presentation of women in popular culture.

Mrs Lacal further explained that most of the comics hero (Ine)s stories depicted the male gender , such as the Superman, Spiderman and others. So the Alliance Française Port Harcourt thought it wise to came up with female related
Comics to celebrate the ‘Day.’

” We decided to put this together to enable the girl child relate with, a heroinic character that can inspire them as they make choices and decisions in life,” she added.

The Tide News reports that the word ‘Badass’
is referred to independent free- spirited characters who are not afraid to take risks, fail or ask for help in course of reaching their goals. They are bold, intelligent, independent, brave and determined to shape their destinies.

The exhibition which was a celebration of Strong Heroines, was inspired by the Hero(Ine)s project by the Lyon BD Festival and paid tribute to ten iconic female comic book characters that defied traditional stereotypes.

Through their stories, they inspired younger generations and showcased the diverse journeys of women.Objectives of the Exhibition Highlighted the evolution of female characters in comic books.Encouraged critical thinking among young audiences about gender equality and representation.while it created a platform for discussion on women’s rights, empowerment, and education.

Meanwhile, the event witnessed 83 children from six schools—Hopespring Foundation School, Cornerstone International School, Avidminds International School, Virgo Praedicanda International School, Pleroma International School, and Vine International School—participated in guided tours.

These tours included discussions on comics, gender equality, and the importance of strong female role models.During the tours, students also expanded their French vocabulary, learning adjectives to describe the heroines featured in the exhibition: Courageuse – Courageous, Ambitieuse – Ambitious, Empathique – Empathetic, Curieuse – Curious, Intelligente – Intelligent, Déterminée – Determined.

The climax of the event was the part where the , children had the opportunity to draw their own superheroine and choose their favorite French adjective to describe her. The drawings were added to an exhibition board, extending the exhibition’s reach.