Cyriacus Nnaji
February 14, 2023 One Billion Rising Nigeria organized rising events in Nigeria, especially for the young ones. Some of the young people were those from King Chucks Schools and Altitude College, both situated in Lagos State.
During the event young people were asked what freedom meant to them individually, and their answers were amazing.
Omodele Ibitoye Ejeh, the One Billion Rising Coordinator in Nigeria as well as the Executive Director, IRISE, an Initiative to resist Institutional Slavery and Exploitation used the opportunity to speak on the theme of this year’s event which is ‘Rise for Freedom, Create the New Culture’
She “To create a new culture that promotes young people’s freedom from all forms of oppressions and exploitations is everyone’s responsibility. One Billion Rising organises big rising events/campaigns in Nigeria to call attention to violence and all forms of oppressions against girls, women and marginalised persons. One Billion Rising in Nigeria works with Initiative to resist Institutional Slavery and Exploitation, IRISE and grassroots movements to reach women, girls, male allies and our local communities. The organisation will be taking its events to Kwara State in collaboration with the ministry of Arts and Culture, more physical and online events will be held in the country.”
Ejeh also spoke on what One Billion Rising stands for. She said “1 in 3 women across the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. That’s One Billion Women and Girls. Every February, we rise, in countries across the world, to show our local communities and the world what one billion looks like and shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors most often face. We rise through dance to express joy and community and celebrate the fact that we have not been defeated by this violence. We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness, one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable.”
She went further to state that One Billion Rising is the biggest mass action to end violence against women and girls around the world. “With coordinators and members in more than one hundred countries, OBR was born from the V-day movement founded by American writer V(Formerly Eve Ensler) author of the award winning play “Vagina Monologue.
“The campaign, which was launched on Valentine’s Day 2012, began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than One Billion Women and Girls.
Ejeh also spoke extensively on One Billion Rising Global Campaigns, and what the have done over time. Below is excerpt of what the group has done since 2013:
In 2013: People across the world came together to express their outrage, to strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women
2014: One Billion Rising for Justice focused on the issue of justice for all survivors of gender violence, and highlighted the impunity that lives at the intersection of poverty, racism, war, the plunder of the environment, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy.
2015: Millions of activists in over 200 countries gathered to Rise for REVOLUTION, to change the paradigm, demand accountability, justice and systematic CHANGE
2016: The theme of Revolution continues with a call to focus on marginalized women and to bring national and international focus to their issues
2017: The call escalated to Rising in Solidarity against the exploitation of women and girls. In so many regions of the world, women are abused in multiple ways across layers of exploitation and oppression.
2018: The theme of SOLIDARITY remained the focus of One Billion Rising 2018, with the call to “Rise, Resist, Unite!” As we came into a time defined by a fierce escalation of fascist, imperialist, neo-liberal attacks on the lives of people around the world, the OBR call to “Rise, Resist and Unite” became more resounding. And the most marginalized – working class, minority and women on the margins in every part of the globe – who experience the impact and are forced to confront these attacks on their welfare and rights and homes, once again led the risings
2019 introduced “RISING: From a Campaign to a Way of Life” and the OBR Manifesta.As we continued to Rise to end violence against women – it was imperative now for us to expand our understanding of women’s oppression and exploitation in the context of capitalism, colonization, racism, imperialism, environmental plunder and war. We have been compartmentalized and divided for too long. Our Rising must now connect our specific oppression to the common universal humanity that binds us all.
2020: Raise the Vibration, Rise for Revolution. This was a call to raise the vibration through action, art, connection, imagination and love.
2021: Rising Gardens are a defiant creative call for revival, restoration and transformation. They are, in many ways, a compassionate call for justice – because one of the greatest injustices of our time has been the destruction and eradication of Mother Earth, parallel to the ongoing and escalating gender-based violence.
2022: Rise for the Bodies for All Women, Girls & the Earth, created by the ONE BILLION RISING coordinators. Our 2022 call is to connect both in a deeper, more purposeful, political, transformative and yet also empowering, hopeful way. And to make this coming year a truly radical, bold, fearless escalation of artistic risings
2023: RISE FOR FREEDOM: This year we call on the world to Rise for Freedom. Freedom from Patriarchy and from all its progeny: capitalism, impunity, poverty, oppression, division, exploitation, shame, control, individualism, greed, violence…and in this Rising…Create the New Culture.
We are in the midst of a rising tide of right-wing nationalism, white supremacy, fascism, tyranny, #1BillionRising 2023 theme and campaign: #RiseForFreedom & to #CreateTheNewCulture. The campaign addresses the devastating consequences of the ongoing vicious systems of patriarchy, imperialism, capitalism and racism in the world today and the destructive battle for power fought over women’s bodies and the body of the earth.
Created by a community of 47 OBR coordinators located across the globe, this year’s campaign would celebrate 10 years of OBR and urge communities worldwide to utilize art and activism, creative resistance events and gatherings, both online and offline, to demand an end to violence against women, girls and the planet and to shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors most often face.
Events are taking place now and will continue through 22 April, #EarthDay. OBR creative resistance events will take various forms including artistic Rising and climate initiatives; new songs/anthems, poetry, documentary films, online discussions, panels & events; training with men; allies, flash mobs, and marches and more. OBR coordinators launched the theme in their communities during #16DaysOfActivism. One Billion Rising events also take place beyond the campaign periods based on the country coordinators schedule of events.
We urge individuals and organisations to take action to end violence against girls, women and mother Earth by supporting One Billion Rising events in Nigeria, to create a new culture of freedom and peaceful co-existence. OBR Nigeria celebrates 25 years of V-Day, and 10 years of One Billion Rising by calling attention and encouraging everyone to Rise For Freedom!! Create The New Culture!!
Rise against young people’s oppression, rise for peaceful co-existence, rise for freedom from gender based violence, freedom to bodily autonomy, freedom to live in an immunocompromised body, freedom for women and girls rights to leadership, rise for economic freedom, end sex for marksand dismantle patriarchy.
Like the earth that is nearing a calamitous end, right now women, girls and those imposed impacted by #genderbasedviolence are in a state of emergency. It is a time to create the new culture, a culture where we collectively sharein commitment to end all forms of violence and exploitations.
One Billion Rising Nigeria calls attention to issues that need urgent attention and urges everyone to create a culture of resistance towards all forms of oppressive systems, policies and practices that further marginalize girls, women marginalize persons and destroy the Earth.
