The Department of Tourism at Free-State is currently holding day 2 of Exhibitors as the country celebrate the Women month.
The ultimate end goal for exhibitors participating in Women’s Month events in the Free State such as the Free State Fashion Week Business & Fashion Fest is to drive economic empowerment and market access.
Rather than acting as a mere showcase, these exhibition platforms are designed as working environments to help women-owned small businesses thrive beyond temporary celebrations.
People with disabilities are specifically invited and included in the Free State exhibitions and events during Women’s Month to fulfill the mandate of intersectionality, equal economic inclusion, and active representation.
Under the 2026 Women’s Month theme, “Empowered Women Empower the Nation,” government departments (like the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities) and creative organizations in the Free State intentionally integrate disabled individuals for several key reasons:
The core theme of flagship events like the Free State Fashion Week Business Fest is “Breaking Barriers, Building Legacies.”
People living with disabilities often face double discrimination (both gender and physical biases).
Inviting them ensures that the “barriers” being broken include physical, social, and corporate hurdles, moving away from past exclusions.
Economic empowerment cannot be selective. The Free State Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) use these festive exhibitions to provide disabled women entrepreneurs and artisans direct access to financial grants, business development resources, and public markets.
It ensures they are active participants in building an inclusive economy, rather than passive observers.
Historically, women with disabilities have been marginalized or left invisible in mainstream media and fashion circles.
Incorporating them into high-profile Women’s Month exhibitions forces the public, buyers, and corporate sponsors to look past a medical diagnosis and see their raw talent, individuality, and commercial value.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
