The United Nations Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Regional Director for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa; the European Union Ambassador, Samuela Isopi; the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall; as well as actors such as Bimbo Akintola, Kate Henshaw and Femi Branch; and a select audience drown from the international community comprising of country representatives and business executives were all guests at the private screening of Deafening Silence, a movie on gender-based violence.
The movie, which is currently showing in cinemas across Nigeria and beyond, is a result of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative that advocates for gender equality and women empowerment in Nigeria.
The Spotlight Initiative is said to align strongly with the Nigerian government’s gender priorities, as well as the European Union and United Nations’ Gender Action Points.
The movie, which is produced by the UNDP within the framework of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, leverages the power of storytelling to explore themes of gender equality, gender empowerment, and sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria. The film aims to foster deep and honest conversations around these critical issues, with the goal of incentivising social change.
Speaking at the event, the European Union Special Representative for the Sahel, Emanuela Claude Del Re, said, “Our aim is to protect victims, and make people understand that the victims are suffering from crims.
“The European Union has been funding projects to support women, especially as regards their rights and advancement. Nigeria also brings some things to the European Union, and I want to say that UNDP is particularly committed to supporting women projects.”
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