Harare — A three-week visual arts exhibition showcasing works of women artists as part of the International Women's Day commemorations opened at the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe at the weekend.

Running under the theme, The Second Sex, the exhibition that will run until March 29 is meant to uplift women in Zimbabwe and give them an equal footing with their male counterparts in various sectors.

Gallery communications officer Tinashe Sibanda said the exhibition was meant to promote works and interest of women through different artworks.

"Handicrafts and sculptures that have a bearing to issues to do with women by women artistes will be on exhibition in an effort to encourage women to continue to work and be proud of their womanhood" she said.

The gallery has for years been holding to promote women through showcasing their work and celebrating their political and social achievements.

International Women's Day, commemorated on March 8 every year, has been observed since the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialised world that saw booming population growth and rise of radical ideologies.

It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.