If you had stumbled into the Famewo Common Room at 9:42 p.m. on August 2, 2022, you might have been somewhat perplexed to see 17 female Brownites singing sappy love songs at each other whilst also wearing their pajamas. The hall’s male residents, who might not even have realized that such an event was being held, would have experienced a greater shock. The female Brownites in attendance would not have cared though, after all, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.
Ladies’ Night was a female-exclusive event slated as part of the Female Affairs Minister’s agenda for the tenure. The Female Affairs ministry, along with the Deputy Hall Chairperson, organized and hosted the event. According to reports, the night was filled with laughter and fun, just as the event flier had promised.
An anticipated movie show was one of the planned activities for the evening. Although the show was canceled due to unanticipated technical issues, there were other events to engage and entertain attendees. Female Brownites participated in activities like charades, Taboo, dancing competitions, and musical chairs. The games “Wind Blows” and “Chinese Whispers” seemed to be crowd favorites. Here is what Agnes Babawale of the MBBS 2K21 class had to say:
“At first, I thought it would be dry. You know how most social nights, people just stare at their phones and refuse to participate? But I was wrong! Everyone had fun. Our attention was fixed on what was going on. There were so many thoughtful ideas by the director.
One of my best social nights in ABH, not capping. I will surely attend more of this because it’s an experience I wish to have again. I learned about many games I didn’t even know existed, sang during karaoke till I lost my voice, and danced away the shege I saw in my Surgery 2 EOPT.
The refreshment really wowed me! I received zobo, popcorn, chocolate, and more without paying a dime!
Kudos to the team. I had a lovely night!”
At first, I thought it would be dry but I was wrong. Everyone had fun. It’s an experience I wish to have again.
–Agnes Babawale, MBBS 2K21
The night was not only fun and games though. Miss Jaachima Nwagbara, the first female president of the UIMSA, befittingly anchored a discussion about women empowering other women. She invited the audience to share instances where they had been discouraged by other women and to discuss their reactions. In order to refute the negative stereotype that women are their own worst enemies, they also described instances in which other women had helped them in their environments. After the discussion, the UIMSA gave suggestions on how female Brownites can support other women, both within and outside the hall.
Eunice Kayode of the BDS 2K21 class was eager to comment on this portion of the event stating, “The Ladies’ night was really interesting and strategic. It helped me wind down after a stressful posting and I met nice people too. Everyone interacted like they’ve been friends for ages even though most people are just interacting for the first time. The games were top notch and I was even more enlightened on Women helping women amid all the fun.
I enjoyed the Ladies’ night and I say a big thank you to the organizers.”
The Female Affairs minister, Miss Gbemisola Oderemi, remarked that the attendance was less than what she anticipated and prepared for. Only 35 people, approximately 8% of the female Brownite population attended the event. One Brownite, Favour Abiona of the MBBS 2K19 class expressed her regret at not attending the event saying “if I had known it was going to be that fun, I would have made time to attend.” Another Brownite, Deepa Alikah who intended to grace the event remarked that she missed the event because she had mixed up the dates and thought the event was for Saturday. Despite the low turnout, the minister declared the night’s event a success as her ministry’s goal of fostering camaraderie amongst female Brownites was met.
