By Prisca Sam-Duru & Vera Anyagafu

The 2015 International Women Day celebration which held at the Access Bank Head office, Victoria Island, Lagos, turned out to be a most entertaining programme, way out of what was expected prior to the event.

Organised by the Public Affairs Section of the US Consulate General, Lagos, in collaboration with Access Bank Plc. and Idea Builders Initiative, the event featured documentary films, a panel discussion and a theatrical performance aimed at increasing women’s civic, corporate and political engagement in Nigeria showcasing the theme: “Make It Happen.” Over 200 women participated in the program.

Nollywood Actress Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett and others show women the way in the drama, Hear Word

The documentary film featured the life and times of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to vie for president of the United States of America. The documentary titled Shirley Chisholm, Unbought and Unbossed, shows Chisholm at the Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn, NY, during her declaration of interest to run for the office of the president on January 27, 1972, where she said that she was candidate for the people.

“I stand before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States of America. I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women’s movement of this country, although I am a woman, and I am equally proud of that. I am not the candidate of any political bosses or fat cats or special interests…” She told the people.

A strong woman by all standards, Chisholm refused to bow to racial pressure or be bossed around by the many men in the congress when she was there. The documentary showed an instance where she was given an assignment to sit on the House Agriculture Committee and she rebelled.

She had affected lives in many ways by her campaign, which shows that ‘yes we can’.

Hear word, a spellbinding dramatic piece that dazzles and at the same time, sensitises all, on the need to respect the rights of women, was staged to the admiration of the audience.

The theatrical performance of Hear Word which was directed by Ifeoma Fafunwa and produced by iOpenEye, actually concluded the celebration. The play shared a true-life story of inequality and injustice largely undermining Nigerian women with the view to examining the causes and effects of the lack of female support and leadership in our society.

The enthralling drama which parades Nollywood A-list actresses; Joke Sylva, Taiwo Ajayi- Lycett, Iretiola Doyle, Bimbo Akintola, Ufuoma Ejenobor and a host of others, xrays the challenges of the typical Nigerian woman, while echoing the importance of empowering women and transforming the nation.

The staging of Hear Word which premièred last year in Lagos has proved explicitly that Ifeoma’s effort has metamorphosed into a play for both social advocacy for the emancipation of the woman as well as pure entertainment. It emphasises on issues ranging from denial of widowhood rights, domestic violence, rape, female genital mutilation, etc. The play also exposes diverse ways in which women are employed as militating factor against the progress of the women sector.

The program also featured a panel discussion with speakers, including: Toyosi Akerele, Olajumoke Adenowo, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Fela Durotoye, Amaechi Okobi and Ope Wemi-Jones, Access Bank executives.

One of the panelists, Akerele, who doubles as the CEO of Rise Network called on the older women in the society to mentor the younger ones, adding that the younger generation should submit themselves to such mentoring opportunities. For her part, Adenowo lamented that there were economic constraints negatively affecting women, discouraging then from taking the lead on the political scene. Renowned motivational speaker Durotoye gave remarks on gender inequality in the corporate environment, while Adesuwa insisted that women are at a vantage position to “Make it Happen” in the Nigerian situation.

The U.S. Consul General Jeffrey Hawkins opened the event with remarks focusing on women’s role as civic leaders and political actors. He noted that Nigeria will be better, if women are given more opportunities to participate in governance at all levels.

Hawkins described Chisholm as an inspiring political figure in the United States. He called on Prof. Comfort Sonaiyan, the female presidential candidate in the 2015 general elections, to be the Chisholm to Nigeria.