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“I believe film is a powerful tool for social change because people will not forget what they saw. Visual learning is very powerful to the human race.”
Miss Ayokunmi Ogunnaiya is a Changemaker and Educator based in Lagos, Nigeria. For the SIMA SDG Challenge, Miss Ayokunmi Ogunnaiya chose to screen the film Kayayo, The Living Shopping Baskets. Kayayo means “girl-carrier” in the Ga language. In the capital of Ghana, 10,000 girls from the ages of 6 work as real life shopping baskets — called Kayayo. Kayayo, The Living Shopping Baskets is about Bamunu, an 8-year old girl who hasn’t seen her family since she was sent away from home two years ago to work as a Kayayo to support her family. The film follows her incessant longing to get away from the harsh markets, her journey back home, and what awaits there. Through the film, Miss Ayokunmi Ogunnaiya encouraged the audience to connect with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
Why did you choose the SIMA Academy film Kayayo, The Living Shopping Baskets?
Seeing that poverty is a major challenge in Africa, discussing how to eradicate it from the individual’s view was key for me.
Can you tell us if and how this event changed the audience’s awareness of the subject matter?
They understood better that poverty is closer to us than we can imagine.
What were the main topics of discussion at the event?
— What is the impact of your policy to eradicate poverty?
— How are the NGOs fairing with the increase in poverty rate daily?
— What is your perspective on eradicating poverty in your community?
A lot of the audience were happy about the plan going on to solve problems and some signed up for volunteers for future events.
Please share a memorable moment during your event.
A panelist gave open support to members of the audience and another panelist said he will be supporting one of the partnering organizations in their future projects.
