The London based Being a Man Festival is in its second year. The Southbank Centre’s answer to their own Women of the World Festival is a weekend of art, discussions, and performances that aims to “explore the challenges and pressures of masculine identity in the 21st century”.
In order to attract a crowd, the branding department has been let loose on Being a Man and Women of the World. The names have been abbreviated to BAM! and WOW! with the graphic design of an over-excited 70’s comic book.
Last year, the festival was criticized for either giving shelter to male entitlement or patronizing men with feminist propaganda. This year, Jude Kelly, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre rightly pointed out that the majority of that noise was missing. So what’s different this year? There isn’t the same hysteria. It may be that there are fewer ‘high-profile speakers’ or simply that it’s not The First Time. Maybe what’s left is a more considered forum.
