by Grace Anaja
In commemoration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, the 6th edition and 3rd virtual edition of Purple Ball was held on Saturday, March 25, 2023, hosted by Strong Enough Girls Empowerment Initiative (SEGEI) and Glamorous Mothers Development Initiative (GLAMODI) in partnership with Stand With A Girl Initiative (SWAG), Anneozeng Ogozi Aid Foundation, Shades of Us and Sustainable Impact Development Initiative (SID).
The theme for this year’s event was ‘Embrace Equity: Bridging the Economic, Political and Technology Gap for Nigerian Women‘. The keynote speaker was none other than Irene Ugbah, an Educator and a Gender Inclusion Strategist. The panel session had Elizabeth Williams, the Executive Director of Sustainable Impact Development Initiative (SID), Sadiya Ochekliye, a Human Rights Advocate and Funke Adeoye, a lawyer and a Social Entrepreneur. The discussions were centered on the unique challenges Nigerian women face and practical solutions to overcome them.
The event was packed with a lot of exciting, fun but most importantly learning activities. The dress code was glamorous with a touch of purple. Purple, one of the colours that symbolise International Women’s Day, signifies a lot of things; justice, dignity and loyalty to a cause, power and confidence, royalty and wealth, and so on. Participants from Nigeria, Zambia and the USA were adorned in their purple and touch of purple attires. They were indeed glamorous.
The event began with a slideshow of the ‘Sheroes of our Time’ spotlighting African women who are excelling in various spaces in Africa and around the world from politics and governance to business and finance, education, fashion, beauty and lifestyle, entertainment, family, advocacy, and activism. These women are and every single woman is worth celebrating.
As the participants kept trooping into the virtual space, everyone was asked to introduce themselves and interestingly, their favourite physical feature. Ranging from their lips, eyes, heads and even breasts, the participants appreciated their bodies as they explained the reason these were their favourite features.
Afterwards, a trivia session was held as some of the questions were asked about the history of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Stephanie Apel and Onyinye Edeh, the co-conveners, gave the welcome address, appreciating everyone for participating in the event, and the vision of Purple Ball which is to bring women together to celebrate trailblazers, some of whom are often not recognised, and to create an avenue for mentorship.
In her keynote address, Irene Ugbah expounded this year’s International Women’s Day campaign #EmbraceEquity as she explained the difference between equity and equality. In her words ‘Equity is fairness while equality is giving people the same thing‘. Embracing equity means understanding that people have different backgrounds and should be given what they need to achieve their goals. Furthermore, the economic gaps continue to widen as there is a higher percentage out of school girls. When girls do not acquire an education, their employment opportunities are limited and this restricts their value and contribution to development which affects the economy. With the political space in Nigeria, the percentage of women in elective positions has dropped drastically following the general elections in February. When there are fewer women in parliament in comparison to men, it will be harder for them to accept bills and policies that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. What is needed is affirmative action validated by the law where for instance, certain seats and positions are reserved for women.
Moreover, women have been at the forefront of technological innovations. In spite of this, the patriarchal system that exists limits them. Statistics reveal that there are more males in STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) than females. Girls should be encouraged, especially at primary and secondary school levels to acquire an education in STEM. They should also have role models in these fields that will inspire them to pursue careers in STEM.
The mentorship panel session was moderated by Seyi Bolaji, SWAG’s Communication Strategist, as the mentors spoke about their career journey, their motivation for engaging in advocacy and the importance of mentorship. Women need to stop hiding in the shadows and be confident of who they are and what they do, allowing their work to be seen. Some of the pointers to an effective and a beneficial mentorship experience are: communication and follow up after networking, leveraging but going beyond social media, informing mentors of one’s achievements and wins, nurturing the relationship, providing help or services when needed, and appreciating one’s mentor(s) with gifts. Mentorship is the solution to an individual’s career growth. It helps to save one from mistakes, to dream big, and be connected to the necessary networks and financial support. Though mentorship is about support, it is a two way street as the mentee also has a lot to offer. It is important to note that a mentor does not have to be a much older person. People of the same age group, colleagues and friends can serve as mentors.
Undoubtedly, women must learn to support one another and end the socialisation that they cannot be leaders or occupy leadership positions and execute their roles efficiently. The focus should be on women in the grassroots which requires a lot of funding.
Purple Ball 2023 will go down in history as one of the most memorable editions and it will not be forgotten in a long time.
You can always watch it on our YouTube channel. Click the link and enjoy the full experience.
