Date: May 21st, 2025.
Venue: FIGURE Workspace and Bookspace
The session began in earnest a few minutes after 5pm.
The event was moderated by IBK while Hairat served as the co-moderator.
IBK introduced the space as a place where individuals are encouraged to develop themselves with the books available and a place for political education.
The Open Mic began with attendees introducing themselves and participating in an exercise where they used the first letter of their name to come up with a word that best described their personality. This prepared the atmosphere for the conversations to come.
As usual, participants were urged to nominate topics for socio-politico-cultural discussions. The topics nominated were: ‘Are the goals of feminism attainable? Is equality among genders achievable?’ and ‘The application of the Shariah law on Islam apostates in Nigeria.’
Both topics were accepted for discussion by the audience because of their relevance to the present state of society.
How attainable are the goals of feminism?
Is equality among genders achievable?
Ifenaike raised these questions for discussion, and the majority of those present made their opinions known. He noted that the Yoruba structure does not have gender-specific pronouns and that it is a Western idea. He also talked about how the government and society have a semblance to the family, emphasizing that equality starts within the family.
Ayomide Levite remarked that he did not think that the goals of feminism were achievable if we viewed the issue from the Yoruba cultural lens. He believed that there had always been inequality among genders and it might be impossible to bridge that gap.
Commenting from the cultural angle also, Emmanuel Bada said that equality is not feasible in our present-day society due to significant cultural differences. However, he added that there might be a chance if we relegated the role of religion in the scheme of things.
Adding a twist to the session, Chidera asked if our foremothers complained about inequality.
In response to his question, Abibat commented that if we genuinely had asked our ‘foremothers’, they would have had stories to tell about the subjugation they experienced as women. She proffered that equal opportunities should be given to all genders.
Abibat further explained how weighty the situation is by citing examples of how many organisations shy away from paid maternity leave and how women sign agreements not to get pregnant during their early years in the force.
Gift made clarifications on how feminism is about allowing people to express themselves, irrespective of the gender they choose to be.
Meanwhile, Samuel said he believed that because we all have different viewpoints, individuals should not be boxed in stereotypes. He also added that our identities should be progressive and based on an objective value.
Also, Prudent stressed the importance of seeing people as humans first before considering what gender they identify as.
Kelechi asserted that ‘the personal is political’ in all (economic, political and cultural) points of view. He said that curiosity is one of the signs of intelligence and that we should always ask questions to break the shackles of the oppressive system.
IBK urged attendees to question societal structures – patriarchy, matriarchy, feminism, etc. He made an illustration of how the students’ Union executive positions in OAU are a microcosm of the gender inequality entrenched in the Nigerian system of government.
The application of the Shariah law on Islam apostates in Nigeria.
This issue was raised by Abibat in a bid to discuss the incident of a lady who was charged to a Shariah court for leaving the Islam religion. Abibat thinks the Shariah court should be scrapped in a country like Nigeria.
Owoh agreed with her submission, noting that huge problems arise when religion is placed on the same pedestal as the state.
Samuel said individuals should be allowed to choose whatever they want to identify as and the affiliations they would like to have without being punished for it.
Commenting on the issue, IBK said that, like gender, identity is also not homogeneous or static; it is fluid, and people’s opinions should be respected.
The open mic
The open mic session featured presentations from the majority of participants – from Kanyinsola, who presented a meta-fictional piece, to Ayomide Levite, whose work was infused with literal literary devices, and IBK, whose piece was inspired by a frustrated university student.
Chidera, Emmanuel Bada, Samuel and Ifenaike also graced the occasion with their wonderful works.
The Open Mic Session for Social Change delivered a blend of creativity and storytelling, providing an avenue for the audience to reflect on important societal issues. The programme ended with each contributor leaving the hub refreshed and looking forward to the next session.
