Following troubling reports from Delta’s Ozoro Festival, activists are urging a national review of traditions that humiliate and discriminate against women.
The Gender Mobile Initiative (GMI) has called for an urgent audit of cultural practices after videos from the Ozoro Festival showed acts that publicly shame women, particularly those perceived as infertile.
Team Lead Omowunmi Ogunrotimi stressed that culture should not excuse harm, saying practices like pouring sand on women are demeaning and violate human dignity. “Where traditions promote stigma, humiliation, or violence against women, they must be questioned and reformed,” she said.
GMI highlighted that such harmful norms are not limited to Delta but are seen across communities, perpetuating gender inequality and policing women’s bodies. The group called on community leaders and cultural custodians to engage in reform efforts, ensuring traditions uphold dignity, equality, and safety.
The Ozoro Festival, historically a platform for cultural expression among the Isoko people, has faced criticism for reinforcing stigma and discriminatory practices. GMI insists that culture should evolve to protect and uplift everyone, not perpetuate harm.
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