Pulse.ng : Traditional leader urges television series producers to tell impactful stories about teenagers

By Stella Kabruk

A traditional leader representing television community, Kaduna South LGA of the state, Philip Bitrus, on Sunday urged film producers to produce television series that would always have positive effect on teenagers.

Bitrus made this known at the premier of a television series titled ‘Journey to Bloom’ by the Sky Girls Initiative at the bridge back cinema house in Kaduna.

He said that the Sky Girls initiative is a welcome development that would inspire girls to be self reliant and financially independent.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the young teenage girls, inspired by the core values of the Sky Girls thronged the venue, hoping to learn more and get a feel of the series ahead of the commencement of broadcast on Africa Magic (Family Channel) on August 30.

Also speaking, a traditional ruler, Lawal Haruna, the Village Head in Barnawa Community, Kaduna South LGA, said he expected the drama, Journey To Bloom to have positive impact on teenage girls.

He said he was at the premiere because of the importance he attached to children.

Haruna praised the organisers for putting a colourful event.

Again, the Village Head of Romi in Chikun LGA of the state, Mr Joseph Bala, said that the drama series would help young girls to be passionate about building a brighter future.

Bala, represented by his son, Richard Joseph, commended the organisers for bringing together the Sky Girls.

The Director Female Education, Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Aisha Mohammed, said that she expected the ‘Journey To Bloom’ to inspire girls to be the best in whatever profession they find themselves.

Earlier, the Project Manager SkyNigeria, Kaduna State, handled by 7 Interactive and Good Business, Koni Bakka, explained that the drama is a teenage friendly series that talks about how adolescents navigate their lives.

She added that it shows how they interact with their peers, parents and those things that they may be going through which could be relatable to other young viewers as well.

“For instance, you know what adolescent comes with, menstruation. So for the girls, of course how their bodies are changing, for the boys and girls, the emotions with the opposite sex, things like that and also how to navigating them.

“The TV drama talks about the a young girl being moved from one society to another or one environment to another.

“Which makes it kind of difficult to adapt. Then her life begins to unfold, how she makes new friends and begins to live her life In whole new cities,” she explained.

Bakka further said the theme of the story was developed based on research, where after asking young girls if the storyline is relatable and the responses were positive, indicating that the storyline is what adolescents could relate to.

She said the drama is filled with suspense, where from one episode, one can’t tell how the next one would unfold.

“We are expecting people to be excited about the drama; we want people to enjoy it, we want people to say that this is relatable, we also want parents to say this has made my child,” she said.

According to her, the essence is to have positive impact on adolescent, which was why they needed feedback mechanisms.

Also, Benedicta Ogbian, the Account Director of Sky Girls Nigeria, said that Journey To Bloom is an educative series.

“I am sure some people will remember ‘I Need To Know’ some of us that grew up in the 90s, so Journey To Bloom is the one for now and this is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for an NGO called Sky Girls.

“For Sky Girls, we don’t see ourselves as an NGO, we see ourselves as a brand and we engage teenage girls in communication about aspect of life which has to do with gender empowerment, financial inclusion and sexual reproductive health,” Obiam said.

For gender empowerment, she explained that they teach girls how to be true to themselves by appreciating their uniqueness and not succumbing to peer pressure.

Also on financial, inclusion, she said they teach the girls being money smart, how to plan, save and budget.

“When you catch them young, they get better as they age. For sexual reproductive health, we talk to them about puberty, menstrual health,” Obiam said.

She noted that Journey To Bloom is a series that covers all the information, so as to make the life of girls better and teach them in a way that they can get to understand and experience it like in real life in a relative form.

She disclosed that airing the series would commence on Saturday August 30, on Africa Magic Family by 6:30pm.

She also said that in a week later, it would be on YouTube where one could watch not necessarily on Africa Magic.

“The premiere of the movie is in just two cities, Lagos and Kaduna, because Sky Girls is active in just two cities,” she said.

She however, assured that they planned to have cinema hangouts in communities and schools, where the girls would meet with some of the actors of the series.

She commended the turn out, saying “We expected only 140 guests comprising 70 stakeholders and equal number of Sky Girls but we are overwhelmed as over 200 people turned up at the venue, ” she said.