As part of the activities marking the 16 Days if Activism, the Zonta Club of Lagos 1, Nigeria—in collaboration with AWANI Films and the Queens College Z Club—organized a screening of the thought-provoking documentary, Awani, in the Queens College Girls School, Yaba, Lagos.

More than 115 girls, four teachers and other guests viewed the documentary that examines the evolution of the role of Nigerian women, starting from pre-colonial Nigeria to the present day.

The documentary uses a blend of archival footage and expert commentary to make the case that the role women play is not due to any one individual or specific time period but a mixture of economic incidences and colonialism that shape political and social attitudes towards women. The documentary aims to simply answer the question, “how did we get here?” This was a particularly important question considering the high rate of violence against women and girls and the absence of adequate laws and policies that protect them.

Afterwards, during the interactive session, students asked questions about leadership and societal perceptions around gender equality, women leadership and challenges of patriarchy and gender-based violence in Nigeria. More than 70 percent of the girls in attendance signified their interest in joining the Z club in the school and were encouraged to sign up.

Participants were enlightened on Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women and girls’ campaign as well as other activities of the club. They were encouraged to be active members of the club and use the platform provided by Zonta to continue to challenge violence against women and girls in school, at home and within their communities.