By Bianca Iboma

 

Tewa Onasanya is the Founder/Editor-in-Chief of Exquisite Magazine. She is also the brain behind Exquisite Magazine Walk Against Cancer(EMAC Walk) and ELOY Awards.

 In this interview with Daily Sun, Tewa shared her success story said that aside from encouraging women, her main focus is to raise awareness on the health challenges of cervical cancer.

 

Can you tell us what made you involved in the campaign against cervical cancer?

I got involved in this project when I became aware that cervical cancer starts in the cells lining the cervix where foetus grow in the body of uterus. It was a burden in my heart. So I sought knowledge from the doctors.

According the information I got from them, Human Papilloma Virus is the most important risk factor that causes cervical cancer.  A lot of Nigerians are not aware of this dangerous ailment. Although, it is preventable if it is detected early. I do this campaign every year for women because I want to help in preventing unnecessary deaths due to cervical cancer.

What is the idea behind Exquisite Magazine and how did you venture into publication?

The idea behind Exquisite Magazine was conceived while I was in England. I saw a lot of style magazines and got attracted to reading them. Although as a child, I had writing skill. I liked

to write.

My passion for writing grew as the years went by. Writing gives me a lot of fun. My foray into professional writing is filled with excitement. It is also challenging. While growing up, my friends and I usually exchange novels for reading in school.

But doing something different and refreshing for women of colour formed my vision for Exquisite life-style magazine.

How have you fared in the publishing business considering the numerous challenges?

 It takes a lot to thrive in the media business especially as an independent magazine marketer. When I started, I already had the idea of good content.Things like distribution, sales advertising and interface with printers were entirely to me.

Despite the various challenge associated with publishing, I have been able to build a brand though, not without rough edges.

I realised that in the media industry, nothing comes easy. With determination and doggedness, I have been able to hold my own. The beauty of it all is developing my skills, and providing quality content over the years

Publishing is a money guzzler. The challenges are quite enormous too.  I had issues with vendors who were destructive. Then, other external issues that could cripple the smooth running of the whole business process. The passion to produce a magazine is my driving force daily.

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Women have contributed a lot. Despite all these,  they are yet to be duly recognised. What is your take on it?

Things have certainly improved for women but at the top of both industry and government, the faces have  stubbornly remained that of males.There have been huge changes for women in terms of employment in the past decades, with women moving into paid employment outside the home.

To shore up women’s political representation in Nigeria, all hands must be on deck. Women’s role in legislation is  appropriate.  Women should be entitled to their rights without any form of discrimination.

It is true that progress in terms of gender equality has  been uneven, but there are arguments that women are taking over the world at work, but when you look at the statistics of employment, equal pay and political representation of men and women, you will see that women have not really got enough recognition that they ought to have.  In fact, evidences have shown that the number of women is actually on the decline

Empowering women varies globally. How can Nigerian women be empowered towards self reliance?

Women economic empowerment is not a quick fix.There are factors that can hinder women from participating economically. Women need to be given the opportunity to participate in national development. Nigerian women need to be equipped with the appropriate and relevant skills. This skills should be employable in order to enhance growth. That way, they can contribute their quota to national development.

Women should be included in the decision making process at all levels.Governments at all levels- federal, state and local, parents, and men in particular, should give women a chance so they can be part of development.They should  encourage them to be well educated, instead of relegating them to the background as second class citizens.

All those sentiments and belief of the male being super-hero which are based on cultural limitations, more often than not, are disadvantageous to women. There is a huge gap in the empowerment of the Nigerian women as compared to their counterparts in other parts of Africa or Asia

There are also legal barriers that undermine women’s right and self sufficiency. It is not only human rights agencies who should care about these limitations.Other agencies should equally take note.

Indeed, the private sector has increasingly recognised the growth and potentials afforded by our women’s economic participation.

Why is  empowering women important to you?

Violence against women is  a major  issue why empowering women is important to me. Around 35% of women in Nigeria are affected by violence and when women are perceived to be of a lower status in society, they will be more likely to face violence.

Also, so many women work in the informal economy. They are  involved in poorly paid jobs that equally put them in the risk of violence including sexual violence. The issue is how to get women in regularised jobs with better pay and enable them to support their families.

Women need them economic independence to give them the lives they want to lead. If working on economic empowerment would stop unintended consequences and decreased violence against them at home, that would be wonderful. The solution to that is to provide them with more economic independence so they can assert themselves and have the ability to leave very terrible situations.

Why should the girl child be empowered?

Educating girls is a very vital aspect of human development. This also would help in  improving the quality of  women’s life  across the globe. Some researches have shown that secondary school education can increase a girl’s future earning power by some percentage.  When you invest in girls, they are more likely to reinvest in their families and communities. This would in turn boost the economies and increase opportunities for everyone.

Sadly, in some interior places, girls of lower secondary school age are not enrolled in school due to unaffordable school fees, forced child marriage, lack of sanitary products when they reach puberty, and many other barriers. Empowering girls is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty.

Girls’ empowerment is integral to global development. The best way to empower women is through improved access to high quality education. Educated girls are less likely to marry early  against their will, less likely to die in childbirth, and more likely to send their children to school.