Padman Africa Takes Mandela’s Centenary Celebration to Kirikiri Female Prisons

Padman Africa, a social enterprise that has taken up the onus of giving menstrual talks to young school girls and also providing them with sanitary pads, will on July 24, take the celebration of Nelson Mandela Day on World Merit Day, to Kirikiri Female Prisons in Lagos. To honour the centennial of Madiba’s birth, the lecture theme worldwide will be “Renewing the Mandela Legacy and Promoting Active Citizenship in a Changing World”.

Also billed for the event is a fireside chat with Chiemelie Ezeobi, THISDAY Group Features Editor, who will be inducted into the Elite Humanitarian Hall of Fame.

The fireside chat would be moderated by a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow from Cameroon, Loretta Ntui.
Ezeobi is expected to speak on the lecture theme and work with Padman Africa to donate 100 Menstrual Hygiene Bags to female prison inmates to help curb period poverty.

According the Padman Africa, the Menstrual Hygiene Bags (Padman Africa Period Purse), which is to be shared by Ezeobi would be named after Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, the New MD for Arise News Channel, on behalf of SIMA Studios and the World Merit Team to mark World Merit Day.

On her selection for the centennial celebration in Lagos by Padman Africa, the founder, Mr. Chaste Inegbedion, said, “Ezeobi is no doubt a thorn on the flesh of some of Nigeria’s elite when it comes to reporting issues around crimes and working with relevant authorities in charge of combating violent extremism.

“To us, the 2018 recipient of the Prestigious United States International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP), is an example of what one person can do to make a difference.

“It was no surprise when she was recently announced by Thisday Newspapers as the Group Features Editor after her active service as the crime and defence correspondent.”

On the lecture he said, “The 2018 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, in partnership with the Motsepe Foundation, is to be delivered by former US President Barack Obama in Johannesburg on 17 July. The Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture is one of the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s flagship programmes to honour its founder, Nelson Mandela.

“Every year since 2003, global leaders have used the lecture to raise topical issues affecting South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world, focusing on creating conditions for bridging divides, working across ideological lines, and resisting oppression and inequality.”

While the lecture will take place on July 17, 2018, a day before Nelson Mandela International Day at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, the Lagos event will be held at the Kirikiri Female Prisons on the World Merit Day on July 24.

Speaking about the involvement of Padman Africa, Inegbedion said “it is imperative that as the world celebrates the Nelson Mandela International Day – the overarching objective which is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better and in doing so build a global movement for good.

“It is on this premise that we are collaborating with public spirited partners to put some west African nations on the map during this symbolic week with the Theme ’67 Minutes for Girls, For the Next 100 Years’ and also to help foster a renewed commitment in the South Africa-West African economic relationship.”

According to Inegbedion, there would be a reading session by Bayode Treasures-Olawunmi, who read for 122 hours non-stop for the Guinness World Record in the Longest Marathon Reading Aloud on one of Madiba’s Favourite books, Dare Not Linger, co-written by Nelson Mandela and South African writer Mandla Langa. He said, “Dare Not Linger draws on Mandela’s unfinished memoir, and narrates the story of his presidency in his own words. There would also be another reading session on Former Robben Island warder. Co-author of “Doing Life with Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend” by a surprise celebrity.

“For most of his life, Nelson Mandela fought for democracy and equality. His presidency was defined by his efforts to solidify the fragile democracy of South Africa and by his lessons on the politics of bridge-building over the politics of division. The Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture is a unique platform to drive debate on critical social issues in South Africa, Nigeria and around the world.

He said expected guests from this event would be representatives from the South Africa Embassy, South African Airways, South African Tourism, South African-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce, Standard Chartered Bank, CNBC Africa, DSTV, MTN, Lagos State Government, British Council, British High Commission, US Consulate, Mandela Washington Fellows, Facebook, Civil Societies and corporate Nigeria.