NIGERIAN ACTRESS, HILDA DOBUBO, WEEPS ON HUNGER

HILDA DOBUBO

A POPULAR Nigerian actress and minority rights activist, Hilda Dokubo could not hold back her tears on Saturday, July 14, 2007 while speaking at a hunger-free Nigeria campaign.

The actress who was speaking at a global youth campaign against hunger, Activista held at the University of Jos, North Central Nigeria, told a crowd of students, youth activists and other performing artistes that they all need to come together to fight hunger in the oil rich nation.

"I do not know how you woke up this morning, but I know how over 30 million children did not sleep at all. I do not know if you have had some meals today, but I know how seven out of every ten children in my area of this country do not eat", said Dokubo.

The actress, who has been engaged in development works especially in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria, gave a graphic detail of the situation of poverty and hunger in the region.

"Seven out of ten children do not go to school. Whereas, 67 per cent of children elsewhere go to school, 70 per cent of children in my area do not go to school. The hospitals are simply inaccessible. Our roads are more of death traps."

Dokubo who is one of the most famous female faces in the film industry in Nigeria, became emotional at a stage in her speech and burst into tears.

Obo Effanga of ActionAid Nigeria and coordinator of Activista in Nigeria explained that "Activista is a global youth movement campaigning in ten countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America against hunger."

The movement he explained is "an initiative of ActionAid International to raise the awareness of youths all over the world to the realities of hunger. It is as well our way of raising the consciousness of the youths globally to the cause and effect of hunger."

"We want to tell the whole world that there is so much hunger in the world today. We are hungry and we are angry. This situation is unacceptable," Effanga said.

On the choice of music for the campaign, the international coordinator of ActionAid Activista, Brendan O'Donnell who was in Nigeria for the campaign explained that "music is one of the best ways to reach the youth

"They respond better to music. Besides, music is a universal language and is one of the best and perhaps the most popular medium for passing messages"

O'Donnell explaining the ActionAid definition of hunger said that "Hunger is not just when people do not have anything to eat. It also has to do with whether they have access to nutritious food. It is also about the quality of food they eat"

The Nigeria Activista had many artistes performing until late in the evening. Most of the artistes spoke and sang about hunger and the need to bring it to an end.