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 shares her success story and notes that, aside from encouraging women, her main focus is to raise awareness on the health challenges of cervical cancer.
How did you get 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 the foetus grows in the uterus. It was a burden in my heart. So I sought knowledge from 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, even though 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 publishing?
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. Also, as a child, I had writing skills, 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 exchanged 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 up to me.
Despite the various challenges 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.
Women, despite their numerous contributions, are not always recognised or given their dues. What is your take on it?
Things have certainly improved for women but, at the top of both industry and government, the faces have remained 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; 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, evidence has shown that the number of women is actually on the decline.
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. These 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 federal, state and local levels, 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 beliefs of the male being a super hero, which are based on cultural limitations, more often than not, they are disadvantageous to women. There is a huge gap in the empowerment of Nigerian women as compared to their counterparts in other parts of Africa or Asia.
There are also legal barriers that undermine women’s rights 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 reason why empowering women is important to me. Around 35 per cent 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, many women work in the informal economy. They are involved in poorly paid jobs that equally put them at 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 economic independence to give them the lives they want to lead. If working on economic empowerment would stop unintended consequences and decrease 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 would also 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 economy 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 at childbirth, and more likely to send their children to school.