Mukaila Ola
The European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria have hosted a private screening of the feature film “Deafening Silence” to advocate for gender equality and women empowerment in Nigeria.
The film which is a result of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative aligns with the government of Nigeria’s gender priorities as well as the European Union’s and the United Nations’ Gender Action Points. empowerment, and combating SGBV and Violence Against Women (VAW).
“Deafening Silence” produced by the UNDP within the framework of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, leverages the power of storytelling to explore themes of Gender Equality.
The intervention is on gender equality, women’s Gender Empowerment, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Nigeria. The film aims to foster deep and honest conversations around these critical issues, with the goal of incentivizing social change.
The film seeks to raise awareness and inspire action to combat GBV, promoting a society where gender equality and empowerment are fundamental values.Speaking during the private screening, Samuela Isopi, European Union
Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said: “Art is a powerful tool to promote behavioural change, fight stigma and create awareness around negative social norms. “It is therefore my hope that this film will contribute to promoting gender equality and prevent g gender-based violence in Nigeria and build a more inclusive society”.
In her remarks, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, Resident Representative of UNDP Nigeria, stated that “Deafening Silence is more than a film”, stressing that “it is a comprehensive communication, media and visibility intervention designed to challenge biased gender norms and inspire transformative conversations.”
She further added, “It harnesses the power of storytelling, communication, and mainstream media to catalyse societal change and promote gender equality.
”On his part, a former Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, sought protection for women in other aspects of their lives.”Our budget at the federal and state levels does not reflect the aspirations of women in the rural communities where we have over 60 per cent population,” he said.
The former minister also said most of the food consumed in Nigeria was being produced by women in the rural areas, stressing that when government policies exclude the rural areas, women are automatically excluded.In Nigeria, the spotlight initiative was implemented in five states: Sokoto, Cross River, Lagos, Adamawa, and Ebonyi, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and ended in December 2023.