A non-governmental organization (NGO), Art for Health Naija, has championed the need for governments at all levels and individuals to engage the arts as a tool for health education.
Rose-Camile Aneke, the convener of the meeting, announced this yesterday while examining a mural painted at the Centre for Memories in Enugu state by the NGO as part of its efforts to raise awareness about disease outbreaks and risks.
She argued that one of the reasons Nigeria keeps battling disease outbreaks is as a result of the lack of sensitization about safety measures and prevention.
She made known that the centre was selected for the painting because it is frequented by visitors of both adults and children, highlighting that the murals will aid the passing of proper health information and change unhealthy habits.
“For everyone who walks into the centre looking at these images, they are picking one health information or the other,” she stated. “One of the murals shows a rat and bread which speaks to the lassa fever where rats are the carriers and teaches that we should not come in contact with items that have been contaminated by rats, another one tries to encourage vaccination in our communities,”.
Furthermore, she highlighted that art is a means of expression which helps to preserve information, hence the need to champion it, beyond media for raising health awareness.
The Director at the Centre for Memories, Iheanyi Igboko, stated that the paintings and their messages will help to teach children and their guardians who are regular visitors at the centre.
He said, “From the paintings in the mural, you will see that these are things that children can easily relate to as well as their caregivers and parents.”
