Omodele
Ibitoye Ejeh-One Billion Rising coordinator, Nigeria. Executive director-IRISE
(Initiative to Resist Institutional Slavery and Exploitation)
We asked
young people what freedom meant to them individually, their answers were
amazing. On 14 February, 2023, One Billion Rising Nigeria organized rising
events with younger people, and young people from King Chucks Schools and
Altitude College, both situated in Lagos.
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 and globally 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 .
What is One
Billion Rising?
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.
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 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.
ONE BILLION
RISING GLOBAL CAMPAIGNS
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 OF 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
will 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 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!!
The 2023 campaign
spelt out its objectives which include rising to end violence against women and
girls; freedom to bodily autonomy, freedom to live in immunocompromised body,
rise for economic freedom, freedom for women and girls to leadership,
dismantling patriarchy, end sex for grades, and end violence towards the earth.
Like the
Earth that is nearing a calamitous end, right now women, girls and those
impacted by #GenderBasedViolence are in a STATE OF EMERGENCY. It is time to
Create the New Culture, a culture where we collectively share in commitment to
end all forms of violence and exploitations.
One Billion Rising
Nigeria calls attention to issue that need urgent attention and urge everyone
to create a culture of resistance towards all forms of oppressive systems,
policies and practices that further marginalises girls, women, marginalised persons and destroy the Earth.
Get involved
by supporting our work.
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