7 female artists raise alarm on women's mental health

7 female artists raise alarm on women's mental health

By Prisca Sam-Duru

The Wheatbaker is proud to host the third edition of the all-female Standing Out exhibition
titled, UNMASKED, which is curated by SMO Contemporary Art and honors women across the globe.
Opening tomorrow, 11th March, UNMASKED presents the powerful and energized artwork of seven female artists who have strong links to
Lagos but come from different parts of Nigeria, Cameroon, the Gambia, India, and the United States: Nengi
Omuku, Djakou Kassi Nathalie, Somi Nwandu, Nyancho NwaNri, Koromone Koroye, Reha Shishodia and
Queen Nwaneri. The exhibition explores women’s mental health through 35 paintings, photographs, digital art,
ceramic sculptures, poetry & spoken word performance and a large multi-media string installation.
This year’s Standing Out exhibition departs a little from the highly publicized women’s issues such as lack of
access to education, gender based violence, and the need for economic equality, to delve in to the complex
world of women’s mental health which clearly impact their ability to fight for recognition and equality.
According to the World Health Organisation, over 7 million Nigerians suffer from depression and 4.8 million
Nigerians (2.7% of the population) suffer from anxiety disorders. World wide just 3% of total government
spending is for mental health.1 The UNMASKED exhibition is the brainchild of two emerging curators, Nneoma
Ilogu and Moni Oloke, who are both health professionals and have been focusing on art through their work at
SMO Contemporary Art.
“We believe that art is an important tool for advocacy and change in society,” the two curators explained during
the press preview. “We choose artists who have a strong message and presence, and could help to publicize
the need for society to focus on the mental well being of women.”
The exhibition explores complex questions of identity, breaking down stereotypes, and dealing with societal
pressures in the congested, over-populated mega-city of Lagos. The artists explore diverse emotional
mindscapes and question what lies behind the mask: how do we break down societal constructs on what it is
and what it takes to be a woman in a male dominated society? How do women explore and present their true
multi-layered selves, and inspire others to demand for justice, break through glass ceilings, avoid society’s
obsession with perfection, tear down walls of shame and guilt, and rip off these stifling emotional masks.
“UNMASKED is a bold and honest expose of what goes on within women’s mindscapes through the intricate
and emotionally charged work of these phenomenal artists,” said Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, Founder & Artistic
Director of SMO Contemporary Art, the Wheatbaker’s long standing art curator. “We are excited that the hotel
can advocate for better support for mental health in Nigeria by providing an important platform for these vital
issues to be addressed through art.”
UNMASKED runs from March 11th to May 4th, 2018 and is supported by Louis Guntrum, and the Wheatbaker

U.S .Commercial Service Extols Nigerian Business Community, Honors Partners

U.S .Commercial Service Extols Nigerian Business Community, Honors Partners

United States Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) of Commerce, Seward L. Jones expressed optimism about Nigeria’s economic prospects as the country moves out of recession. 

Hosting over 350 American and Nigerian firms at the U.S. Commercial Service’s annual Networking with the USA (NUSA) Appreciation Forum and International Partner Award Ceremony last week, Jones, who oversees the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, observed that the United States is confident that Nigeria’s economic outlook will remain positive, with further diversification from crude oil and increased fiscal transparency.

“We understand that the commodity super cycle and the precipitous drop in oil prices brought about a fiscal challenge for the Nigerian government, so we strongly support President Buhari’s drive to explore practical ways of fully diversifying the economy. Nigeria is the second largest destination in Africa for U.S. private direct investment, so we are ready and willing to support economic reform efforts.” Jones said.

In his remarks, U.S. Consul General, Mr. F. John Bray also affirmed the strong interest by U.S. firms in Nigeria. He noted that “President Trump’s Business Advisory Council for Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA) has made it clear that having success in the Nigerian market is foremost on their agendas.”

The NUSA forum is organized annually by the U.S. Commercial Service to honor Nigerian business owners who promote U.S. products and services and who have contributed significantly to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the U.S. Commercial Service in Nigeria - expansion of trade and investment between the United States and Nigeria.

Tales from 2017 Wole Soyinka Int’l Cultural Exchange

Tales from 2017 Wole Soyinka Int’l Cultural Exchange

By Prisca Sam-Duru

 


Events marking the 2017 edition of the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange, WSICE Project, ended recently in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The weeklong  programme commenced with the arrival on July 12, of the 83 finalists in the annual WSICE Secondary School Essay competition, who were made to write an essay on the topic: ’Intolerance; The Burden of our Moral and National Conscience’. Graced by the Nobel Laureate himself, who welcomed the finalists from 17 states, the students were mentored on the importance of TOLERANCE in human relationships, especially in the area of nation building. The Essay writing competition took place on July 13, and at the end, head of the jury Dr. Razinat Mohammed (an English Language lecturer with the University of Maiduguri announced Hawkins-Ogelle Emmanuel of Jomeg College, Umuahia,   Abia State as coming tops; Nwanga Solomon of St. Charles Secondary 
School, Nigercem, Ebonyi came 2nd while Aboloko Erica of Breakthrough Academy, Ogun State took the 3rd position. The 1st place winner was given a scholarship worth N100000 while the 2nd and 3rd place winners received N75000 and N50000 respectively. As part of the WSICE 2017, there was a performance of one of   Soyinka’s classic drama, ‘Death and The King’s Horseman’ at the JF Ade Ajayi Hall (formerly UNILAG Auditorium)  as directed by Bisi Adigun, Founder/Artistic Director of Ireland-based Arambe Productions. The production featured popular performers such as Tunji Sotiminrin, Wale  Obadeyi, Bukky Ogunnote and Tunde Onikoyi among others. After the highly emotional result announcement and presentation of prizes and certificates, the students were taken on a tour of Prof. Soyinka’s country home, otherwise called the Ijegba Forest Residence in Idi Aba. They were received by the former head of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan and an associate of Soyinka, Dr. Tunde Awosanmi, who also mentored them on the essence of the chosen life and lifestyle of the Nobel Laureate. He enjoined them to emulate the good, focused and disciplined life of Soyinka, and imbibe the spirit of humanism that defined his life and career. Awosanmi presented each of the 83 students with CD recording of Mandeland, a collection of poems by renowned poets selected from around the world in tribute to the legendary political activist/prisoner and former South African president, Nelson Mandela, but which were voiced by Soyinka himself. From the Ijegba Forest, the students were then taken on a tour of the famous Olumo Rock in Abeokuta. The creative workshop for the targeted 1000 Ogun State had students learning how to make accessories and book covers with Ankara fabrics and also print making using oil paint and glass. They also had workshops on storytelling, dance and acting. The students were very excited and eager to learn and at the end of the day came up with very beautiful crafts and print drawings. The events came to a climatic end with the staging of the dance-drama ”Obi at’Orogbo’ by the youthful-members of Footprints of David as devised by Seun Awobajo at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta.  

In honour of Stella Amaeyo Adedavoh … Her sister gets ready for killer diseases

In honour of Stella Amaeyo Adedavoh
… Her sister gets ready for killer diseases

 By Prisca Sam-Duru

 Dr Ama Adadevoh is the Deputy Chairman of DRASA Trust, which is the Dr Ameyo Stella Adedavoh (DRASA) Health Trust set up in memory of her late sister who was one of the doctors that helped contain the Ebola outbreak in Lagos and Nigeria in 2014. Tell us more about DRASA Health Trust? DRASA Health Trust was founded following the death of my sister, Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh    and ever since then, it has been making concerted efforts towards ensuring that history does not repeat itself. Stella Amaeyo Adedavoh The Health Trust is working to improve and advance healthcare in Nigeria, particularly in the area of infectious diseases. It was set up to bridge the gap between funding and resources as well as in other areas of greatest need within Nigeria’s health sector. This informed the reason for organising the recent conference in Lagos. The conference was tagged ‘Public Health: It starts with Me’ and it held in partnership with Quramo Publishers and DRASA Health Trust. The Panel Discussion took place as part of activities lined up to commemorate the 3rd year since Ebola entered Nigeria and to remember my sister, Dr Ameyo Adedavoh for her efforts at helping to contain the disease. It was initiated as part of DRASA’s efforts aimed at keeping our environment safe from contagious diseases. What was the core objective of the conference? 



Dr Ama Adadevoh

The conference has actually become a platform to have a discussion about the very important topic of preparedness. And by that I mean, we are very concerned about how prepared we are in the case of any outbreak because we know that there would be another outbreak at some point in the future. It doesn’t have to be Ebola, it could be Lassa fever, meningitis, Zika, there are so many things out there and we want to do our part to make sure that collectively, we’re prepared for what might come next. So the idea of the conference was to bring together stakeholders to have a discussion on what are the concerns and what are the solutions to these concerns going further. This was why we brought in speakers in the caliber of the Hon Commissioner Health Lagos State, Dr Jide Idris; Executive Director, Partnerships Public Health Scientific Affairs Merck & Co. Inc, Dr Joan Benson; Founder/CEO Merit HealthCare Ltd, Dr Lolu Ojo; Professor of Pathology, University of Pennyslavania, Dr Glenn Gaulton etc, in addition to a team of health personnel from US and Liberia. My take home from that conference is that it’s going to be a collective effort; we can’t sit back and wait for the government to do everything. The private sector and other entities need to engage and support the government and collectively, we can ensure that we can be ready for any eventuality. Is there a particular measure that can be taken to prevent any outbreak of disease in the country? There’s no one thing that anyone can say. But general infection control practices, policies, education of the public are very important. Also, health care workers have to be trained and the facilities have to be equipped. There are many factors that we need to work on to ensure that we are safe. From the look of things, hand sanitizer and hand washing exercise have disappeared with the Ebola, why is this so? I agree with you. At the time we were battling Ebola, there was a lot of fear. Also, there was enough public education on the importance of hand washing. So because people were afraid, they listened to the advice. Obviously there’s no longer Ebola and people have gone back to their old ways and this goes back to what I said earlier that we need a lot more public education, people must be made to understand the importance of hand washing whether or not there is an outbreak of disease. One of the things DRASA is doing is that we have a hand washing campaign. And as of today, we’ve reached over ten thousand students working with the ministry of education; we got permission to talk to them about the importance of hand washing. We do a demonstration on the proper technique to wash your hands and we make it very interactive by asking volunteers to come on stage and demonstrate and the kids are really excited. We teach them a song relating to hand washing. It’s been great and it’s having great impact on them. We are hoping that even a quarter of those kids go back to their communities and share this information, it would make a difference. We plan to expand the campaign to other areas such as the food industry. There’s been so much emphasis on private partnership, how exactly should this happen? Well, as you can see from the key recommendations from the conference,    we are already contributing immensely towards actualizing a safer environment for everyone. And we are still very ready to do more with the government.

US Consul General, Lagos, John Bray congratulates students

US Consul General, Lagos, John Bray congratulates students 

by Prisca Sam-Duru

US Consul General, Lagos, John Bray has congratulated students who have been selected to attend U.S. colleges and universities for the 2017-18 academic session. 

John Bray who spoke at a ceremony organised for the students in Lagos, disclosed that "Many of you in this room have received scholarships to attend prestigious universities like Howard University, Syracuse University, Drexel University, University of Wisconsin in Madison, University of Texas at Dallas, Wellesley College, and Rochester Institute of Technology to pursue a variety of majors, including engineering, public health, computer science, business, chemistry, and economics both at undergraduate and graduate levels.

I would like to recognize our EducationUSA Advising Center here in Lagos, which has helped thousands of young Nigerians achieve their dreams to study in the United States.  This year alone, students within the Lagos Consulate District have received numerous scholarships from several U.S. universities totaling over $2 million and more are still trickling in by the day through the wonderful work of our EducationUSA advisors.

Of particular importance to me today is that seven Nigerian students who received financial aid through our EducationUSA Opportunity Fund were granted full scholarships by various U.S. universities. These seven students had their up-front costs of obtaining U.S. admission, including testing, application fees, and airfare covered by the EducationUSA Opportunity Fund.  Five of them received funding for their Ph.D studies while the other two will be pursuing undergraduate studies in America. I am confident you will be the next generation of leaders and scholars, scientists and artists, ensuring the continuity of Nigeria’s remarkable input in the global community.

According to the latest Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report, Nigeria has experienced a remarkable increase in the number of students pursuing higher education in the United States.  About 10,674 Nigerians are studying at more than 730 colleges and universities in the United States, making Nigeria the leading source of African students in the United States. It is also noteworthy that Nigeria ranks as the 14th nation worldwide with the most students in the United States.

I am pleased to open this orientation program, which will give you some crucial information on studying in the United States.  Please take advantage of this opportunity that will prepare you to make the most of the U.S. educational experience.  You will receive a wide range of practical advice about U.S. culture and educational expectations to set you up for success, such as building positive relationships with professors and peers, time management, and balancing course workloads with a strong social and community life. 

As you depart for the U.S. in the next few days, remember that you are going to be representing your country to many people who may never have met an African or a Nigerian before.  I urge you to be exceptional ambassadors for Nigeria and to take seriously your responsibilities to be good citizens and scholars, just as I wish you great success in your chosen academic fields and a fulfilling experience in the United States of America."

U.S. Pledges Support for Digital Transformation of Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry

U.S. Pledges Support for Digital Transformation of Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry

The Foreign Commercial Service of the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, in collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Nigeria and its leading local partner, Manifold Computers, have introduced an innovative technology  Synergy and Aruba for use in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

Synergy and Aruba helps companies operating in the Nigerian oil and gas industry to increase the efficiency of operations, monitor people, manage resources, make real-time decisions, reduce risks, save costs, and increase flexibility, productivity and company bottom line.

Speaking during a public presentation of the technology product at an event in Lagos last week, United States Consul General F. John Bray renewed the U.S. government’s commitment to supporting trade and investment in Nigeria. He encouraged Nigerian oil and gas industry players to avail themselves of the innovative technology with a view to harnessing Nigeria’s abundant resources, improving their bottom-line and ultimately growing the economy.

“Nigeria presents tremendous long-term growth opportunities and the United States government remains committed to supporting American companies and local partners in deploying U.S. technology to help tackle some of the challenges the country is facing,” Consul General F. John Bray said at the event attended by leading oil and gas industry players, technology service providers, and senior government officials.

Acting Commercial Counselor of the U.S. Mission, Mr. Paul Bergman, highlighted Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s long term partnership with the American Commercial Service. According to him, the U.S. Commercial Service will continue to be at the fore-front of promoting trade and investment between America and Nigeria through the development and execution of mutually beneficial international trade policies and promotion strategies.

Country Managing Director, HPE Nigeria, Mr. Chukwuma Okpaka, noted that the high performance computing technology solution meets the modern exigencies of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria. Modeling and simulation applications, he added, will accelerate breakthroughs in oil and gas, science, medicine, technology, and energy sectors.

U.S. Special Envoy Holds Roundtable with Religious Leaders Fighting Corruption

U.S. Special Envoy Holds Roundtable with Religious Leaders Fighting Corruption

Acting United States Special Representative for Religion and Global Affairs Amy Lillis held a roundtable discussion on Thursday with members of the Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption (RLAC) working group.

The Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption (RLAC) working group was formed in 2016 by Muslim and Christian religious leaders with the primary goal of addressing how faith communities could take a leading role in anticorruption advocacy in Nigeria. The group has since developed partnerships with leading anticorruption voices in civil society in order to fight corruption at all levels in Nigeria.

During the meeting, Special Representative Lillis pledged the U.S. government’s continued support to the religious leaders as they work to find lasting solutions to stamp out the scourge of corruption.  

“The moral standing of religious leaders, and the capacity of religious institutions to reach a broad cross-section of Nigerian society, make RLAC’s work essential to the future of anticorruption advocacy,” Special Representative Lillis said.  “It is my pleasure to be here to support this next stage of the Religious Leader Anti-Corruption working group. Religious leaders are an essential component of the multi-faceted fight against corruption in this country.”

She explained that working against corruption is essential to many of the priorities of both the U.S. government and the religious leaders, including constructing peaceful, secure societies, and promoting prosperity.

At the event, the religious leaders discussed additional innovative options for bringing the principles of anticorruption to the grassroots. They resolved to disseminate anticorruption messaging through media outlets, sermons, and train-the-trainer workshops. 

The Department of State’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs was established in 2013 to strengthen the U.S. government’s efforts to assess religious dynamics and engage religious actors across a wide range of foreign policy priorities.