On January 19, filmmakers, healthcare professionals, and creatives gathered for ÀJOSE: The Stories That Bind Us, a collaborative event aimed at addressing women’s reproductive health and bodily autonomy in Nigeria through storytelling.
Presented by Ajose Nigeria, the initiative used film screenings and moderated panels to examine how cultural silence and social stigma continue to impact medical outcomes for women.
The programme’s centrepiece was the screening of Silence Is Loud, a short film directed by Abba Makama. The film received strong audience engagement for its understated but emotionally resonant portrayal of unspoken realities surrounding women’s bodies, healthcare decisions, and family dynamics.
The event also featured preview screenings of two other major works in the presence of the creative teams:
Chika Okoli’s gripping documentary “Care or Control?” and the original animated series “Dr Majek and the Ghost”, produced by Magic Carpet.
The discussions that followed these screenings provided an opportunity to explore the themes of bodily autonomy and the tension between cultural norms and medical ethics, as seen through the unique vision of these creators.
Beyond the screen, attendees engaged with an immersive visual exhibition titled “Truths and Myths.” The installation juxtaposed common cultural beliefs regarding reproductive health with medically grounded facts, challenging the narratives many Nigerian women encounter throughout their lives.
Panel discussions, including the session “Care or Control,” brought together doctors and filmmakers to debate maternal mortality, medical ethics, and the social pressures that limit women’s agency in clinical settings.
“The conversations confirmed a readiness to speak more openly,” said the organizing team. “ÀJOSE demonstrated that film can hold space for difficult subjects without spectacle, allowing complexity, discomfort, and empathy to coexist.”
This event marks the start of a broader culture-led initiative by Ajose Nigeria. The films are scheduled for digital release on Zikoko’s platforms in February 2026.
