On Thursday,10th of November, 2022, Chude Jideonwo’s debut film, Awaiting Trial, screened at Africa International Film Festival, an annual week-long film festival hosted in Lagos, Nigeria. The movie screened at the Landmark Center and hosted guests for the festival who were all excited about the film.

Awaiting Trial is a documentary that explores both the #EndSARS protests and the ‘deeper illness’ they point to – the phenomenon in Nigeria’s communal justice system called ‘awaiting trial’ where people are arrested and detained indefinitely without charge.  The film follows the lives of 3 families – Iloanya, Onyemelue, and Yellowe caught by the injustice of the Nigerian Police and down held by its criminal justice system and features actors Falz, Mr Macaroni; activist Rinu Oduala; and Olumide Akpata,  former president of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Melody, an audience member at the screening, expressed her deep appreciation for the film. “It was very emotional and touching. I wish the government would do something about people still in prison for doing nothing. I also think that on our part, we have a role to play,” she said.

She added, “Just like Chude is doing; it is not a one-person thing. When you see something is wrong going on around, you should be able to stand up for the person instead of working by.”

Other viewers also lauded Chude Jideonwo for his thoughtfulness and boldness in airing these families’ stories and providing insight into the scourge of unwarranted arrests by the Nigerian Police Force, and the oppressive system that is Awaiting Trial. Otobong said, “Chude’s work is phenomenal, it’s investigative journalism, and beyond that, the things he’s talking about – the topic he’s addressing – are things that Nigerians see, and we need to escalate to the relevant authorities with the hope that change will happen.”

Present at the screening were lawyers at the Headfort foundation, a non-profit organization focused on providing free and easy access to justice to indigent and wrongly incarcerated inmates (who were also cast in the documentary) to answer questions from the audience on the subjects raised in the film.

Watch the theme song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJYixVkVPn0&t=1s

More information on the studio ‘Chude Jideonwo Presents’ is on studio.withchude.com

Open Country Mag, the pan-African magazine, recently published a review of Chude Jideonwo’s debut film, Awaiting Trial.

In the article, an in-depth analysis of both the subtle and loud but salient details in the documentary, the writer opined, “Jideonwo’s narration does well to provide cultural context for the pending justice for End SARS victims, including the Nigerian legal limbo called “awaiting trial,” from where the documentary took its name. That culture—of being arrested, sometimes for the flimsiest reasons, and spending months and years in jail without getting a hearing—is fed, he explains, by a long chain of subcultures: many Nigerians have a stigma of being arrested, which leads to their eagerness to bribe the police to avoid it, which leads to the police getting greedier, becoming emboldened to impunity, which leads right back to the police making random, baseless arrests.

“Awaiting Trial is a documentation of defiance.”

To read the full review, see here

The special series of targeted multimedia (video, audio, text, events) conversations hosted by Chude Jideonwo, #WithChude, has now added another portal to its platform. The portal, therapy.withchude.com, is a response to some of the feedback from the shows, asking for actionable steps in solving some of their problems.

We launched the learning and therapeutic portal in collaboration with licensed therapists, psychologists, social workers, healthcare workers, and other licensed therapists affiliated with Joy, Inc.

The portal kicks off with a 4-part curriculum on dealing with post-natal depression, and, at least, once every month, there will be at least one new therapy masterclass on the platform.

Over the next few months, the site will explore subjects like suicide, depression, domestic abuse, toxic religion, grief amongst others. “We won’t just be telling stories. “Moving forward, we will be trying to help people deal with depression, with thoughts of suicide, post-natal depression, emotional abuse, the entire spectrum of stories we tell, of issues we tackle,” Chude Jideonwo announced. The goal of the platform is to give people the practical tools they need to solve their personal problems.

“I am so glad that we could finally build this platform that goes beyond the story to actually help you live a more joyful life,” Jideonwo added on Instagram.

Interested participants can sign up on therapy.withchude.com and select the issue(s) that most concern them.

The human flourishing company, Joy, Inc. has been invited to contribute to the Lagos Mental Health Conference scheduled for January 18, 2022 in Lagos, Nigeria. The theme for the 2022 Conference is “Responding to the Mental Health needs of a 21st Century Megacity.”

Representing the company, the CEO and co-founder, Chude Jideonwo will serve as a panellist in the Panel Session discussing this: ‘Stigma around Mental Health, Mental Health Resilience and Social Support Systems for Mental Wellness.’

The conference is a forum of key Government Ministries and Agencies, Healthcare Professionals, Private Sector, Civil Society Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations designed as a platform to discuss prevailing issues in Mental Health. Identify opportunities and areas for collaboration, as well as professional networking in the Mental Health Sub-sector.

This conference is a sequel to a previously organized event in 2013 where the Governor of Lagos State, top Government functionaries from the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary, Private Sector Care Providers, Mental Health Professionals and Social Justice and Security Experts gathered to discuss, engage, and address the Mental and Social Needs of Lagos State. That event served as the springboard for the implementation of the State’s Mental Health Policy, drafting and enactment of the Lagos State Mental Health Law and strategic programs to improve access to mental health services in the State.

For more information, visit: www.lagosmind.org