It's been a very long minute. I had promised to be consistent here and deliver daily content about my photography, relationships, and life generally. Well, my health had other plans. I have not been feeling up to par, and that has affected my ability to create and share content. I'm back to optimum health now and I'm happy to resume posting on Hive.
Before my enforced break, I had drafted a post about my participation in this year's "World Epilepsy day". And for my return, I felt it was still necessary to share about it.
Epilepsy Awareness Day, also known as "Purple Day" was held globally on 26th March. I had the opportunity to witness one at Ilage Ajegunle Community, Lagos. The event was hosted by one of my "sisters" from an entrepreneurship and mentoring program I attended last year. I attended the event to support the cause and I also went with my camera and was able to document it.
Faith Steve @realdjelectra, a fighter, and conqueror of epilepsy, who became an advocate of Epilepsy Awareness decided to sensitize the public about this disease and also stand in solidarity with its victims.
In one of her interviews she said;
• Epilepsy is just a neurological condition and is neither contagious nor spiritual.
• Epilepsy does not kill, but ignorance does.
• Having Epilepsy is never the end of the world.
She recognizes the challenges faced by epileptic victims, and she partnered with several organizations including business owners for a movement to lead a voice in creating awareness about the condition and ending the stigmatization associated with it.
My Experience!
Locating the address was quite difficult for almost everyone including myself because the community, Ajegunle has been described as a "ghetto" area. It is a community that swims in the pool of neglect, tragicomedy, absurdities, and fame. It is a place known by many names – AJ City, Jungle, Ilu Isobo, etc. Ajegunle means different things to different folks. To some, it is a Lagos suburb that is notorious for its filthiness and criminal tendencies. To some, it is an undesired debacle amid a sprawling megacity. To others, it ranks as one of Nigeria’s most disturbing ghettos. Yet, some revere Ajegunle as the birthplace of football and music superstars, a town that occupies an ultimate pedestal on the Nigerian entertainment landscape.
With the help of Google Maps, I was able to find the nearest bus stop close to the location, I had to make a few calls to confirm the address again. Unfortunately, those I called were also close to my location and we were all waiting for miracles. The stress of getting to that location was a lot. It could have been worse if the event was happening on any other day of the week. Thank God it was on a day that the roads in Lagos are usually free; Sunday precisely. Most people would be in church, while some will be home with their families; no work/office. We overcame our difficulties with navigating the area and met at a rendezvous point. We were about six and someone suggested we hire a bike to direct us to the main location. We all agreed and it was really helpful.
Finally, we arrived at the location. It was really a ghetto community. Children with no clothes, some with torn clothes, young boys smoking, and the so-called touts were waiting for our arrival already to collect “owo ile” (this means money for space). Some gathered to help us arrange chairs and get things ready for the event. The children were happy to see us. Seeing all sorts of “Item 7” (foods, snacks, drinks, etc), they were all ready for us.
Music was going on, as the convener was a DJ, she came with her full music set and she gave us music back to back. The children were happy, dancing, and really anticipating the event to start.
More people joined us and we kicked off the event at exactly 2:00pm.
One of the attendees, Faith, started by sharing her experience of Epilepsy as a victim and a survivor of Epilepsy, she enlightened the people on what to do when a victim is attacked by the disease, and she also made them aware of the things that triggerred epilepsy. Her mother was present as well and she also shared her story of how she was led to fight with her daughter through the period. A doctor from the psychiatric hospital also gave her speech and had one on one conversations with three victims found in the community. Drugs were given to them and they were given appointments to see the doctors for free.
As soon as that was done, the victims were been interviewed by RaveTv (a radio station in Nigeria). In the course of the interview, we got to realize that two out of the victims haven’t visited a hospital since the disease started. They mentioned how embarrassing it was when people laugh at them and call them different names because they fall down always during the crisis. One of them even mentioned that he was 25 years, was born in that community and has had epilepsy for over 10 years of his life. I was shocked. The amazing part is the joy on their faces. One mentioned that he was excited and inspired by the awareness, he said he is not alone and he believes he can survive as well.
The whole interview was done and “item 7” was shared with everyone, with music we all danced and I was able to create these amazing photos from the event.
It was a wrap, we all left for home with joy in our hearts.
The goal of International Epilepsy Day is to raise awareness about epilepsy and reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with it. It also aims to promote access to treatment and resources for people with epilepsy and improve their overall quality of life. Together, we can make a difference and support those living with epilepsy.
For me, it was an amazing experience as I was also able to see My AWESOME sister from the Academy for Women Entrepreneurship (This community was one of the best and most amazing communities I was privileged to be part of in 2022; I will tell you about it soon)
#WorldEpilepsyDay #EndTheStigma
PS; I was confused about the community that this post fits into. While a great deal of it portrays it as a post suited for the photography community, my objective wasn't the photography. I'm still finding my way around Hive. I'd really love the support on how to go about it.