Poet Advocates Need for Gender-Based Violence Awareness at Creativity Empowerment Summit
By Mustapha Salisu
The Open Arts Foundation, a Civil Society Organization committed to promoting arts and creative endeavours with support from the French Embassy in Nigeria hosted a Creativity Empowerment Summit for young girls in Kano as part of its efforts to commemorate this year’s ongoing 16 Days of Activism, a global campaign aimed at ending violence against women and girls.
The summit, held today at Atlas Training and Development Institute in Kano, brought together advocates, artists, and students to raise awareness about gender-based violence (GBV).
Speaking at the event, Hidaya Mahmood Muhammad, a poet, spoken word artist, and advocate for change, who curated the event expressed gratitude to the French Embassy for its support in funding the program. “The summit is focused on creating awareness about GBV through workshops and creative sessions. It’s an opportunity to amplify voices and impact change,” she said.
She emphasized the importance of starting advocacy at the grassroots level. “We believe raising awareness should begin with young girls. Educating them creates a ripple effect, spreading knowledge to others, including adults. Many young people lack awareness about GBV, so it’s crucial to start early,” Hidaya added.
While the workshops are tailored for girls, Hidaya clarified that the main summit activities, including a poetry slam, art exhibitions, and panel sessions, are inclusive of both genders. “This year’s theme, ‘United to End Violence Against Women and Girls,’ focuses on women, but our broader events involve male panelists, artists, and participants,” she noted.
She also used the platform to call on the Kano State Government and stakeholders to intensify efforts in addressing GBV. She highlighted barriers to education, such as societal biases against girls’ education, as a form of GBV that needs urgent attention.
“The government is making progress, as seen in initiatives like the Girl Child Education Summit earlier this year, but more needs to be done. Out-of-school children, including boys involved in street hawking and Almajiranci practices, must also be addressed,” she urged.
Prime Time News reports that Open Arts is an arts collective committed to promoting arts and creative endeavours. As a creative organization, it touches the expression of passion in the creative arts as part of its mission of making a positive difference in the lives of people in the community through work of arts.
