One Hundred people, including youths, attended the ArtVocay by Street Foundation Project in FESTAC Town, Lagos. The fest, at Amuwo Odofin council secretariat, featured plays, poetry, music, songs, and dance to entertain guests as well as graduation of 15 youths trained by the foundation.
The play, Help, is about a man, who took home his niece to live with him after her father’s death, only for her to be maltreated by his wife and abused by the brother’s daughter. The beatings the niece got from her uncle’s wife eventually led to her death.
This and a dance of six got applause from the audience.
Founder, Mrs Rita Ezenwa-Okoro, said their objective, using arts, is to create awareness on evils of house boys’ and girls’ syndrome as well as illegal child labour to enable the people report them to the appropriate quarters for treatment, adding every child should be well-treated.
She decried child labour as exemplified in the play, saying no culture should back it. She warned that it is wicked and illegal to maltreat a child.
Ezenwa-Okoro advised the people to join the advocacy to eliminate problems of child labour. ‘’Work with our partners to report them,’’ she said.
“When you see a child being maltreated and you speak up; you have done well. We need to speak up to protect our children. Many go through problems; we care about them.’’
Answering a question, she clarified that they were handling many cases in the sector.
Others condemned the practices, assuring of their support to the foundation. They lamented that child labour still thrives because of poverty, ignorance and tradition, among others.They suggested that the play should go viral on the social media to expose its hidden practices. They suggested that parents who gave out their children should monitor them.
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She thanked her partners who were represented by Vice President, ACPRIGHTS, Ngozi Arinze; Janet Homo of Davetop, Sementon Hunge of MAEJT and Programme manager, Freedom Fund, Mr. Ime Samuel Etukudo, for their support to them.
She expressed appreciation to the Director of Stage Play,Thegift Chikere; Director, of the project, Chekube Isaac and Chereographer, Uchechukwu Trois for a good show,
Consultant to the foundation, Ezenwa Okoro, noted that ‘’they do not joke with the issue of social justice for children’’, the reason they held the event and many others in the past. She announced that from Amuwo-Odofin, the foundation’s train would berth at Gbagada.
Those who received their certificates included Olusegun Charles, Omonigho, Raymond Mabel, Zuma Jacob, Okonta David Simeon, Ogboru Sofia, among others.
At the event was the representative of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Amuwo Odofin, Chief Superintendent of Police, Yetunde Okanlawon, Commander ManO’War, Amuwo Odofin, Babalola Solomon.