Kwara First Lady Seeks Further Collaboration With KADIFF To Propagate Women, Girls Issues

The First Lady of Kwara State, and Chair, Nigeria Governors Wife Forum (NGWF), Professor Olufolake Abdulrazaq has said the forum is looking to collaborate with the Kaduna Film Festival (KADIFF) in the production of short films addressing their key thematic areas of focus including gender equality, and sexual and gender-based violence.

Abdulrazaq who spoke at the screening of two award-winning films from KADIFF, Bring Me Flowers (Best Shirt Film), and Lula da Andalu (Best Indigenous Feature Film), at the Mexican Embassy in Abuja, said the aim of the collaboration is not just to promote issues of interest to women, girls, children and youths, but further the forum’s thematic areas, as well as spread some positive vibes.

She said by working with the forum, the festival is automatically connecting with the 36 states across the country, and further ensure easier persuasion of the private sector to support the festival.

“He (founder of KADIFF, Audu Israel Kashim) already has some sponsorship with some of the first ladies and some governors. I think, however, we will also be able to talk to the private sector and send them short snippets of our themes, and what we are trying to achieve, our sponsorship among other things to spur them to join this cause,” said Razaq.

Responding to the screening of the short film, Bring Me Flowers, the Ambassador of Mexico to Nigeria, His Excellency, Alfredo Miranda, said the film was not only ‘moving’ but touched on the issue Kidnapping, one which is a shared reality of both Nigeria and Mexico.

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He, however, noted that international cooperation for development shouldn’t focus on ‘copying is done in another country to adopt in another’ rather focus on opening channels of communication to learn what others are doing, and why they are successful.

“You cannot adopt Mexican experiences to Nigeria. It doesn’t work like that. The most important thing is to open channels of communication to different countries that are interested, and should be applied only taking into account one’s own experience. It is important to have good communication, to understand each other and to know what we can do and share best practices,” said the once Mexican Representative to UNESCO, for negotiation on the Protection and Promotion of Arts and Culture.

With such a background, the ambassador who understands the challenges of cultural and creative sector creators in the production, promotion as well as raising support for their works, felt the need to host the screening of both films as a means to “attract attention to the great work KADIFF is doing, in Abuja.”

Meanwhile, founder and executive director of KADIFF, Israel Audu Kashim urged government and the private to support the northern film industry, popularly known as Kannywood, in the projection and exportation of to cultures and creativity to the world.

He noted that while the Yoruba film industry is thriving with their films like Jagun Jagun, Death and the King’s Horseman, Anikulapo among others, indigenous Kannywood (Hausa) films, are behind, not for lack of talent but lack of support.

“We in the north do films like the Jagun Jagun. All we need is the technical and other forms of support necessary to do so,” concluded Kashim.