The initiative aims to promote women’s health through art

The Vision Spring initiative highlighted the need to respect and protect women’s sexual and reproductive rights. This took place at the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Right Art Exhibition in Lagos. At the event, seven creative artists presented art that told stories about sexual and reproductive health and women’s rights.

Mary Udoh, program specialist, policy and advocacy at Vision Springs Initiatives, emphasized the need for people marginalized by laws and policies to have rights and be protected. “The event is about choices and body autonomy, where women have the right to make choices about themselves. What will be the next step for a girl who has experienced sexual and other violence?”

She noted that the Initiative also works to dispel and demystify the stigma surrounding women’s health. Udoh urged young girls to prioritize their health, knowing that sexual health is a human right and they are the ones who decide what happens or who has access to their bodies.

Vision Spring Initiatives art curator, Olasunkanmi Akisanmi, said the art exhibition shed light on how to care for the female reproductive system by combining advocacy with painting. He noted that there is insufficient information available about early pregnancy and sex, limiting people’s knowledge of how to protect themselves. He appealed to young girls to be brave, inquisitive and fearless, noting that such qualities would help them protect themselves.

One of the artists, Christopher Agom, said his play titled ‘The Tunes of Wisphers’ is a testament to the struggles women face in society and a clear call for people to lend their voices to curb the challenges women face.

The play depicted a teenage girl whose voice was suppressed and her sexual and reproductive rights restricted. Explaining the play, he said: “In the middle of a blue sky is a teenage girl wearing a mustard dress with ruffles around her chest, symbolizing the simplicity of a bygone era. Her chained hands symbolize the oppressive forces of government policy, religious dogmas, and society’s misconceptions. All this suppresses her voice and limits her reproductive rights.”