Woman Rising, the annual celebration of women through Music, Arts and Networking returns on April 8 and 9, 2017 in a two-day extravaganza in its usual extension of the annual celebration of International Women’s Day.

Now in its seventh year, Woman Rising has evolved from a small 50-person gathering which debuted in 2011 to a comprehensive, far-reaching and impactful annual 2-day meeting of women across the creative and business spectrums alike – attracting over 500 women cumulatively.

The 2017 ensemble will feature Adunni Nefertiti (all-female acapella folk group), Kaline, amazing newcomers Evelle, Debbie and Sheillah, as well as the international guest percussionist Angela Paz Alhucema (Chile) and ChiGurl.

The two-day event will be hosted by award winning actress, Lala Akindoju across various venues allowing women and the men who love them to connect, empower and celebrate womanhood and the accomplishments of women in business, the humanities, philanthropy and the arts. The weekend will begin with Woman Rising’s landmark exclusive networking brunch and will be concluded with a grand and very critically acclaimed music concert featuring ALL WOMEN performers. The weekend will also feature a private fringe art salon – all focused on womanhood and creativity.

Ugoma Adegoke & Zebra Living, conveners of the event, in a statement, said: “we proudly present Woman Rising 2017, the 7th edition scheduled for Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th of April 2017. In a nutshell, Woman Rising our own way of celebrating International Women’s Day and women through the very powerful tools of Music & The Arts and Networking year after year. Our celebration format has infused various aspects of the arts (literature, visual art, dance, film) over the past 6 years and this year we are proud to continue in that tradition. We are planning an uplifting and connecting weekend featuring the most exciting female creatives, artists and artistes – for the enjoyment of the entire city (men and women alike). We continue to harness strategic partnerships and friendships with sponsors and artists to present a high quality and carefully curated and entertaining programme in 2017.”

“This year’s Woman Rising celebration will hold in April, slightly later than usual, but the conveners have noted that “The focus on and celebration of women is after all a year-long fact (and therefore not restricted to March) and we believe we can deliver the best experience and achieve better support from sponsors now, considering the economic woes we see across sectors and country. We need our sponsors and are prepared to walk with them in the challenging times and mould our needs to suit their capabilities,” she added.

Woman Rising 2017 is presented by Ugoma Adegoke & Zebra Living and supported by FBN Quest, Cointreau, The Wheatbaker, Strada Media, sabinews.com and The Guardian.