Tobore Ovuorie has produced some documentary films to create awareness about HIV stigmatisation in the country and throw more light on helping Nigeria fulfil the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 4.
An investigative journalist, Ms. Ovuorie says the films will be screened on Thursday, April 18th, 2019 at the Civic Hive, Montgomery Avenue, Yaba, Lagos.
The opening film, she explains, is titled: ‘The Stigma.’
The SDG 3 is to ensure healthy lives for all at all ages, while SDG 4 targets inclusive and quality education for all and promotes lifelong learning.
The documentaries are birthed by a five-part investigative series on HIV in children of school age, which Ms. Ovuorie carried out in 2018.
In the multimedia expose published August last year in The Nation Newspaper, she uncovered schools, parents and even fellow children stigmatising and discriminating against kids living with HIV. Undercover across seven states in Nigeria, Ms. Ovuorie uncovered schools denying children living with HIV their fundamental human right of access to education. This, she says, when not curtailed, could lead to failure to attain SDG 4.
Ms. Ovuorie, who produced all films and directed two out of the lot, says all the films were shot with top-notch cinematographic technologies, such as drones, by Mr. Sammy Brado, a cinematographer with an eye for detail, while Mr. Oluwaseun Adeniyi directed some of them.
The free-to-attend event is from the stable of Tobore Ovuorie Productions and supported by HIV 360 degrees and Civic Hive.
Ms. Ovuorie says her work as a journalist and frequent interactions with persons living with HIV, inspired her to produce the films aimed at using creative arts to put an end to stigmatisation of persons living with the virus.
“Stigmatisation of people living with HIV is still huge and the level of sensitisation efforts being made to make this cease needs to be increased. People living with HIV are human beings; schools should stop denying children living with HIV admission into their schools, neither should they send them packing.
“They deserve the right to education. It is criminal in Nigeria, it is against the rule of law and even the court of heaven frowns at such,” Ms. Ovuorie says.
Speaking ahead of the film preview which would showcase other films such as ‘Why?’ and ‘Why look at me?’, Ms. Ovuorie says “people living with HIV should not be discriminated against nor pushed away. They should be loved and cared for to enable them live happy and longer lives”.
The freelance investigative journalist added that the affected persons should know centres where they can get help.
