The average teenage girl often sees a leadership position as a rare opportunity that does not necessarily belong to her. If it comes, fine, she will find a way to manoeuvre her roles. If it doesn’t, there is no need to demand it. And so she tends to cower when she is put up there. The Head Girl is not sure how to stand up to her people. The female labour prefect is not sure she is strong enough to occupy that position. The female sports prefect is mocked by boys for being “muscular” or “too thin to be a sports girl.” Her fears and doubts rise, and she is far from her full potential.
Little does she know that she is worthy of being in that space! There is so much in her, and it takes only dedication and time to bring it out. These were the lessons we aimed to teach the female student leaders from schools in Kuje and Gwagwalada area councils, Abuja.
On the 6th of October, in line with the first target of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 “End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere,” Dbegotin marked this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, using the new release movie, The Woman King, as a tool to enlighten, inspire and educate 100 female students across selected secondary schools about the possibilities of living above every form of gender stereotypes.
The Selected Schools
We chose 10 girls in leadership positions from each of the following schools:
A. Kuje Area Council
- Junior Secondary School, Shadadi
- Junior Secondary School, Kiyi
- Junior Secondary School, Godoji
- Junior Secondary School, Tupkechi
- Junior Secondary School, Chikukwu.
B. Gwagwalada Area Council:
- Junior Secondary School, Agwandodo
- Junior Secondary School, Sabongari
- Junior Secondary School, Phase 3
- Junior Secondary School, Old Kutunku
- Junior Secondary School, Hajj Camp.
This made a total of 100 girls, accompanied by a teacher from each school. The FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT-UBEB), was also well represented by Mrs. Alaku Rebecca.
Why The Woman King?
The Woman King tells the true-life story of the Agojie, an all-girls tribe of warriors. Together, they protected their people from slavery and war meted out by the African Kingdom of Dahomey (now located within the present-day Benin Republic) in the 1800s. Their commander, General Nanisca is a fierce and determined fighter, who stood up for her people against all odds and trained her team to be nothing short of the best.
We chose this movie as a tool to pass our message because it upholds the feminine gender. The storyline speaks of breaking barriers and stereotypes and communicates excellent values to the girl, such as:
- Determination
- Courage
- Problem-solving skills
- Working in unity
- Being excellent
- Discipline and hard work
- Standing up for what is true
- Seeking justice and reform for their fellow students, school and community
- Never giving up
- There is always a reward for excellence
The Programme of Events
We arranged for buses to convey the girls and their teachers from their schools and to the Venue, Genesis Cinema, Ceddi Plaza, FCT-Abuja. The group arrived at 10am, and we went into the movie hall immediately. To honour our country, we took the national anthem first. Then we took the Dbegotin creed, which contains positive affirmations for all. Grace Josiah, our Director of Programs, welcomed the girls with a brief introduction about the purpose of the event.
The movie began rolling by 10:30am. Popcorn and drinks were served as we watched. The girls were taken through a roller coaster of emotions all through the screening time. They chanted and cheered as the Agojie trained and won battles. Ooohs and ahhhs rang in the hall. Claps resounded. It seemed as though the movie shouldn’t come to an end.
Following the screening, we had Olamide Apejoye, a Public and Government Relations consultant, talk to the girls. She asked them if they enjoyed the movie, to which there was a loud YES! She highlighted the values that the movie communicates, and urged them to go their schools with the mindset that they can attain great heights!
Our Executive Director, Jeremiah Oseni, reiterated Olamide’s message by encouraging the girls to identify their strengths, work together and fight for positive change in their respective positions and schools. He assured them that the Dbegotin team would pay a visit to their school soon with resources and more activities for their growth. At that point, the Dbegotin team took a bow, leaving the girls with two chants to hold onto: “I am a warrior!” and “I am a woman king!”
What Next?
As Promised, team Dbegotin will visit the girls in their schools before the year runs out. We want to ensure that they exude the values we left with them, and grow to become braver versions of themselves. We want to ensure that they motivate other girls to be the best wherever they find themselves. We also hope to donate some resources like posters and exercise books that contain lessons learned from the movie. As one of our posters says, we want every girl to say YES to her dreams. Because like the Agojie warriors, she definitely can do it!
