This Young Nigerian Is Using Art To Spread Health Information

A big, bright and colourful health mural sits on the wall Inside the Centre for Memories- a repository for Igbo history and culture in Enugu, Eastern Nigeria. Some visitors to the centre, children and adults, are taking pictures, and others are viewing the images as they sip in the information.

“Antibiotics no be gift, don’t share with family and friends” an inscription read on one of the paintings. The mural focuses on different subjects including prevention of infectious diseases like Lassa fever, promoting culture of hand washing, vaccination and awareness of antimicrobial resistance.

The paintings were done by a group of artists at the behest of Chidera Rosecamille, a mental health advocate and founder of Art for Health Naija, an initiative using Art to spread health information.
Why mural?

Health mural at the Centre for Memories, Enugu

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a major flaw in Nigeria’s public health system, the lack of presentation of health information in ways that make it easy for the public to make informed decisions about what to do and what not to. There was limited information about the virus and its transmission mode so, it was easier for the public to be swayed by the prevalence of misinformation.

In March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) acknowledged that the new coronavirus pandemic was followed by an ‘infodemic’ and ‘tsunamis’ of misinformation and disinformation.

“The coronavirus outbreak and response has been accompanied by a massive over-abundance of information, some accurate and some not so accurate, making it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance about the virus,” the WHO said.

Art portrays the lack of access and affordability of healthcare services in a community

Making a move

In 2021, a year after the pandemic, Rosecamille thought of what to do, having realised that health information needed to be sent out innovatively to reach the respective audience.

She had pioneered, produced and co-presented a daily health program on Darling FM, a radio Station in Imo State for 5 years. Within this period, she held conversations with Omenka- an association of artists in Imo state Nigeria- which opened her eyes to what she could do with art.

“I wanted to do something different, to tell health stories in ways that make it easy for the public to understand and make decisions, “she said. “I thought of something fun, that young people would love to be a part of but that could also preserve and tell stories and art came to mind,”.

Camile explains the concept of Art for Health Naija during the exhibition

In 2021, she launched Art for Health Naija- with an art exhibition that lasted for 3 days at the Imo art village Mbari. It was themed Access to Health Care and aimed at drawing attention to the importance of affordable and accessible healthcare in our society.

Rosecamille is not an artist herself. However, she collaborates with artists to bring her ideas to life. Her love for art and paintings goes back to 2 decades ago when her mother bought an artwork for the living room. It was a painting that showed a woman in a village setting with a pot in her head.

“As I looked at the art every day, there was always a new interpretation, “that increased my love for art,” said Camille who is not an artist herself, but an art enthusiast, journalist and health advocate who works with artists to create health-related paintings.

Art depicting access to healthcare

Rosecamille’s initiative focuses on health in general but she picks a theme for each exhibition and murals. For instance, with the mural at the Centre for Memories Camille wants to break the chain of transmission to prevent more outbreaks and have a healthier society.

The Director of the Centre for Memories, Iheanyi Igboko said that with the paintings, visitors are taking in health information without being made to look like they are being forced to because the images register in their subconscious.

“Art is innovative, fun and relaxing, “he said. “From the paintings in the mural, you will see that these are things that children, particularly can easily relate to as well as their caregivers and parents,”.

Visitors watching the painting

No giving up

Rosecamille usually expects some sales during exhibitions for the artwork so that the funding can help the NGO in painting more murals across primary healthcare centres in the Southeast and also support them in providing care to underserved families in the region. But she hardly gets one.

“Sometimes, it gets discouraging because painting the murals costs money and I fund them from my pocket, “she said. “But I remain committed to the goal of using art to spread health information,”.

She said that the NGO plans more exhibitions and hopes to create more partnerships and foster collaborations to reduce the financial burden of delivering art for healthy Naija.