When female artists showed ‘A gift of blood’

The world celebrated Menstrual Hygiene Day last Tuesday and female artists in Nigeria lent their voice in the advocacy towards raising more awareness on the subject and ending its stigmatization. At the event organized by Periods and More Resources, WaterAid and Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FEAAN), 12 female artists exhibited no less than 40 […]

The world celebrated Menstrual Hygiene Day last Tuesday and female artists in Nigeria lent their voice in the advocacy towards raising more awareness on the subject and ending its stigmatization.

At the event organized by Periods and More Resources, WaterAid and Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FEAAN), 12 female artists exhibited no less than 40 works at Kulture Kode Hub, Abuja, at an exhibition entitled, ‘A gift of blood.’

In her remark, Periods and More Resources founder and initiator of the event, Nnenna Urom, said, the exposition was a first-of-its-kind in Africa, showcasing works in various mediums that directly and indirectly addresses menstruation.

She said, “We are turning to art because whereas words and debates turn into screaming matches of who can be the loudest, art serves as a powerful tool to make people introspect, spark conversations and broaden mindsets on stigmatised subjects.”

 The use of fine art, poetry, storytelling and documentary screening, focused on de-stigmatizing menstruation, were part of steps towards opening the doors to more conversations around “an often-hidden topic,” Urom said.

 President of FEAAN, Mrs. Chinze Ojobo who spoke to Daily Trust Sunday said, the exhibition is communicating to people how to handle menses using the arts. That is why we performance poetry, a documentary screening and we, the visual artists used our works to explain about menses and how it is important gift from God.”

Speaking about her piece ‘Who will I tell?’ Ojobo said, this is the plight of a lot of girls. Nobody gives them any education about menstruation and when it happens, they do not know what to do.”

This was a fact reflected in one of the girls featured in the documentary who had no clue what was happening to her when her period started. She said when it happened, she was afraid and didn’t know who to tell ad her my mother never told her about it. She said she was shocked to see blood and thought she was dying or there was something wrong happening to her.

Ojobo emphasized that it is important to talk to girls about menstrual health and hygiene so that they know about it and get it right from day one. We also need them to be able to open up and talk about it when they need to.

Ella Onyebe, exhibited abstract pieces depicting women. Explaining her works which focused on different aspects of women’s lives, she said, “at a certain age we have period, which is a sign of womanhood. The works exhibited are letting people know that you don’t reject a person because they have their period flow. They should be accepted and protected.”

Speaking on the fate which befalls some females at this time of the month, she said, “some go into hiding whenever their period comes because they are afraid.” This is why we are adding our voice to the call to stop stigmatization in period.

The exhibition featured works from artists like Doofan Kwaghool, Amarachi Odimba and Clara Aden, among others.