Have you or your family or friends been a victim of Boko Haram insurgency?
I was born in Borno State, but I moved to Abuja when I was a little girl. However, my extended family lives in different parts of Borno and Yobe states. They have all been victims of the conflict in one way or another. In fact, for many years, my entire village has been empty of its original occupants as they have all been forced out by the insurgents to live as internally displaced persons.
Briefly tell us about PAGED Initiative.
PAGED Initiative is a media non-profit, non-governmental organisation based and registered in Nigeria. Its mission is to foster inclusiveness and equity in every aspect of life in Nigeria, and to encourage women and men to work together towards achieving parity. We try to achieve gender parity using media tools. We work mostly in the grassroots. We also work with Nigerian media to ensure that media reports are conflict and gender sensitive. We do this by providing training for journalist and also serving as a link between journalists and people in the grassroots.
What inspired you to produce the documentary film ‘Uprooted’?
We realised that news from the conflict in the North East hardly has women’s voices. When women are featured in the news, it is usually about them and very often as victims. But, we are aware that women are not just helpless victims. Many of them have done many courageous things like helping the men to escape, leading their family to safety, as well as providing for their families in extremely difficult situations. We wanted the world to hear about this, and we also wanted the women to own their stories. We wanted to know how these women feel about the changes that occurred as a result of the conflict.
What is ‘Uprooted’ about?
‘Uprooted’ is a documentary film about four brave women who not only survive the conflict in the North East of Nigeria, but in the process, they found opportunities, like access to livelihoods and decision-making power that would have been hard to acquire prior to the conflict. ‘Uprooted’ leverages on the silver lining of an otherwise terrible situation.
Prior to ‘Uprooted’, do you know the four major women who featured in it? And, are you still in contact with them to know how they are faring?
We met all four women during the course of implementing the project ‘Uprooted’. We interviewed several women, but we selected the four women whose stories really complemented each other. They narrated their experiences from different perspectives of age, tribe, educational background and religion. For instance, the pace of gender change for the younger couples was different from the older ones; the stories of the Christians among them were different from those of the Muslims; and finally, the changes based on their level of education were also different. We are in constant communication with three of the women. However, we haven’t heard from Halima since making the film. She has moved to Bama with her family and does not have a mobile phone. We hope to visit her in Bama soon, though.
‘Uprooted’ shows that conflict and despair could inspire hope and self-discovery which, according to Nathaniel Bivan, makes it “not just another story about Boko Haram and its victims.” Do you see insurgency ending any time soon in the North East?
Conflict has a way of accelerating change. The Second World War led to the emancipation of women in Europe and USA. The same can be said of Africa—Liberia and Rwanda are classic examples. This is one of the reasons we decided on the ‘Uprooted’ project. We wanted to see what changes had happened in the North East in terms of gender roles. About whether insurgency would end soon in the North East, I wish I would say yes. I see the insurgency ending soon, but I am not an expert in this matter. So, I cannot say with any certainty.
Does PAGED Initiative work on projects that include girl-child education and poor-community women social and ICT empowerment? If you were the president of Nigeria, what would you do to ensure a gender-balanced government?
These are areas we will work on very soon. We hope to empower women with film-making skills so that they can really own their stories. To have a gender-balanced government, we need to be inclusive in all appointments. It is not enough to have a Ministry of Women Affairs (it is probably counterproductive to do). We need to ensure gender balance in all aspects of governance strategically in mainstream gender. Only then would we really be gender balanced.
How do you source for the funds you use in running and sustaining PAGED? Has the government been helpful in this regard?
PAGED Initiative is a new organisation. It is barely two years old. We have been funded by several bodies like the Embassy of Netherlands in Nigeria, Free Press Unlimited and Hafai. So far, we have not received any funding or assistance from the government.
What are you currently working on? If you were to make another documentary film, what would it be about?
I am currently working on several projects. What they all have in common is that they are all about giving a platform to grassroots voices, with a special focus on gender issues. We are also in the process of making several documentaries that focus on community needs, needs of people in the grassroots as well as joint problem solving.
Do you have other jobs apart from PAGED Initiative? What do you like doing at your leisure?
I work at PAGED full time—in fact, round the clock will be a better way to put it—as it takes a lot of time and effort to start and run an NGO in these climes. I often joke that I don’t have a social life, which is painfully true. However, I read a lot. Whenever I’m not working, you can find me reading. It’s not easy to find time to read, but I take advantage of pockets of time like while waiting for a flight or travelling, or just before bed.
What are the major challenges you face at PAGED Initiative?
Major challenges at PAGED were getting established and getting recognised in the sector where we work. It took some time for us to be recognised because we had big ambitions yet nobody knows about us. But, over time, we were able to let our work speak for us.
What advice do you have for young people, especially the female ones, who are aspiring to be like you?
For young people, I’ll say your dreams are valid. Work on them no matter what people say. If you believe in something, try and make it work. I’m not promising that it would work, but you’ll definitely learn something. For girls in northern Nigeria, it’s going to be extremely difficult to make an impact because so many forces are against you. They will call you crazy, abnormal, and even wayward. You will be mocked by the people you love, but I’ve found that success has a way of vindicating you. Just stay focussed and don’t compromise yourself. We have so many areas in Nigeria that are unexplored. Find something you’re passionate about.
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