A play called ‘Hear Word’ will be staged in five West African cities, including Lagos, Benin and Abuja (Nigeria), Accra (Ghana) and Dakar (Senegal). The purpose of the play is to celebrate the 16 days against gender violence.
According to a note sent to Merrymakers, the play, organized by a non-profit organization, the iOpenEye Africa Foundation, “harnesses the power of performance art to challenge the status quo, and to empower and improve the independence, rights and status of women”. Over the past eight years, the initiative has held plays, women’s skills workshops, and open dialogue events that address factors that limit women’s safety, economic independence, leadership participation, and societal worth.
The initiative is supported by the Ford Foundation and also aims to build equitable communities by changing cultural norms and beliefs that perpetuate gender inequality and gender-based violence.
Elaborating on the inspiration behind the foundation, the producer of the play, Ifeoma Fafunwa, stated that it is a vision of a world where all citizens are informed, empowered, safe, equally valued and can contribute meaningfully to nation building, regardless of gender. ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.
The play featuring actors such as Ufuoma McDermott, Elvina Ibru, Zara Udofia-Ejoh, Debbie Ohiri, Oluchi Odii, Chika Elumelu, Mofe Okorodudu and Ejirooghene Asagba was watched live by over 100,000 viewers worldwide.
It will be held from November 19 in Benin City, Edo State to December 10, 2022 in Accra, Ghana.
