Mines and Steel Minister Unveils Gender & Disability in Mining Communities Report
…Premieres social documentary, ‘The Other Women’
Nume Ekeghe
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, represented by Hasana Jummai Sha’aba has launched the two-parts report on Intersectionality, Gender and Disability produced by Pan African Creative agency, Arden and Newton BMC.
The minister, who applauded the efforts, of the agency noted that the ministry has contributed significantly to the course of women, and pledged support for women with disabilities.
The agency, through its social responsibility arm, The Good Partner with the funding support of one of the world’s largest donor organisations, Ford Foundation had embarked on an 18-month study on ‘Discrimination Against Women With Disabilities in Resouce-Producing Communities in Nigeria’ and ‘A critical discourse and narrative analysis of female disability representation in Nollywood and other cinemas’.
The report which was launched during the movie premiere of the social documentary, ‘The Other Women’ featured dignitaries such as the Programme Officer, Gender, Racial and Ethnic Justice, Olufunke Baruwa; Representative of the Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, Mr Ernest Igbuzor; Senior Program Officer, West Africa, Ford Foundation, Dabesaki Mac-Ikemenjima; Government Relations Professional & Research Consultant, Chuks Ofulue and the Project Lead and Creative Director, Arden & Newton, BMC., Perez Tigidam.
The Other Women is a social documentary that catalogues the firsthand experience of women living with disabilities in resource-producing communities in Nigeria. It captures the stories of their struggles, resilience, aspirations and achievements living in communities where they have to go beyond the ordinary to fit into social and commercial life.
According to the Project Lead and Creative Director of Arden & Newton, Perez Tigidam said, “As the world strives to create innovative socio-economic solutions that help make life and living a pleasant experience, society must provide equitable conditions for every member to have access to such experience.
“We believe that this film would put into visual perspective the reality of female disability in Nigeria and move policymakers and various stakeholders to drive legislative reforms that protect the rights of the disabled, enable social inclusion and ultimately create a better society for all,” he added.
The event also featured a panel session of development experts across gender and disability on ‘Investigating the intersectionality of Gender and Disability in Extractive Communities’.
The panel featured the Senior Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Persons with Disabilities, Adenike Oyetunde Lawal; Government Relations Professional & Research Consultant, Chuks Ofulue; Secretary, Women in Mining, Emily Offodile; Senior Program Officer, and West Africa, Ford Foundation, Debasaki Mac-Ikemenjima, and was moderated by Jennifer Nkem-Eneanya.
The panelist advocated the need for the implementation of the laws that protect and provide support for women and persons with disabilities. They added that it is important for the government, NGOs and other stakeholders to educate people in the society on disabilities as a step toward creating a mind shift against marginalization and stigmatisation.
The Senior Program Officer, West Africa, Ford Foundation, Dabesaki Mac-Ikemenjima urged people to humanize people with disabilities. According to him, “they are persons first, before anything else and their weaknesses and deficiencies don’t define them.”
He also encouraged people and organisations to commit their resources and time to help break the barriers that affect people with disabilities and help them achieve their dreams and aspirations.
