Oghenefego Ofili, an indie filmmaker in Nigeria is set to release the trailer of her new documentary film on June 16th, 2020. This date is significant because it is the day set aside to mark Day of the African Child every year.
Blackie, Yamleg, Lefty (BYL) is a documentary film that addresses the challenges teenagers go through in developing a healthy self-esteem and how the family unit plays an integral role in their sense of self-worth.
In this documentary, Oghenefego Ofili uses her story as the foundation to highlight the struggles young people go through growing up and how this affects their sense of self-worth. In the first phase of this project, a survey was conducted to understand the contemporary teenager and the challenges they face in relation to their self-esteem. A total of 200 young people between age 12 and 20 years in three secondary schools in Lagos participated in the study.
Results showed that 41% of the surveyed population had low self-esteem. 58.5% felt they did not meet up with the standards of their friends, 35.3% reported they did not like a part of their appearance, while 40% felt their friends looked better than them.
Although this film tells Oghenefego’s story, it serves as a platform where others share their experiences as teenagers and how they navigated through peer pressure, body shaming and the feeling of being less than others.
The film features Dr Maymunah Kadiri, Nigeria’s topmost Psychiatrist and Mental Health Expert, Toyin Poju-Oyemade, Joy Obehi-Ayemhere and a host of other thought-leaders in their different spheres of influence. Asides Dr Maymunah Kadiri who provides expert opinion in this documentary, all sixteen interviewees shared personal stories of how they struggled with building a healthy self-esteem.
In a brief statement Oghenefego Ofili said “This documentary idea was birthed when I began to reflect on my days as a teenager, the challenges I faced growing up, how I felt about myself and the circumstances that shaped my assessment of self-worth. As I reflected, I noticed that the things other people said about me when I was a child had a huge impact on how I saw myself, and then influenced self-image. Although I was lucky to have pulled through peer pressure successfully, I am concerned about teenagers who might not be able to overcome negative peer pressure after enduring verbal, physical and emotional abuse as children.”
Oghenefego Ofili was nominated for Best Documentary at the Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) in 2018.
We look forward to seeing this documentary trailer scheduled for release on June 16th.
