JALINGO, NIGERIA (BG) — As the world marks International Day of Education, the Taraba Human Rights Film Festival (TAHRIFF) in Northern Nigeria is leveraging its platform to highlight education as a critical human right and a powerful tool for community transformation.
This year’s global theme, “AI and Education: Preserving Human Agency in a World of Automation,” aligns with TAHRIFF’s vision of empowering individuals through education while safeguarding cultural heritage and creativity.
Northern Nigeria faces significant challenges in education, gender equality, healthcare, and poverty reduction.
Despite these issues, TAHRIFF, under the leadership of its director Moses V. Samuel, seeks to inspire dialogue and action through creative initiatives designed to amplify education’s role in human rights advocacy and community development.
In an exclusive interview, Samuel discussed how TAHRIFF uses storytelling, arts, and cultural engagement to promote transformative education, tackle societal barriers, and encourage sustainable development in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The inaugural TAHRIFF, scheduled for September 24–28, 2025, in Jalingo, Taraba State, is poised to become a cornerstone event in Northern Nigeria’s human rights advocacy landscape.
Rethinking Education: A Catalyst for Community Transformation
“Education in Northern Nigeria is often viewed as a means to obtain certificates for government or private jobs,” Samuel said the entire educational system needs a conceptual overhaul.
“Education should help discover and nurture each person’s creative potential, preparing them for productive roles that benefit their communities,” he added.
TAHRIFF’s 2025 theme, “Restoring Human Dignity, Projecting Indigenous Creativity,” emphasizes this transformative approach.
The festival will actively collaborate with students, schools, teachers, and administrators to promote educational initiatives that address human rights concerns and foster long-term regional development.
Creative Strategies for Change
To bring this vision to life, TAHRIFF has lined up several impactful projects. These include:
Cultural Dance and Drama Competitions for primary and secondary schools, tagged “My Heritage, My Rights.”
Essay Competitions for children aged 9 to 16, themed “Human Rights Advocacy in the Digital Era.”
Creative Heritage Tours targeting tertiary institutions, particularly theater, drama, arts, film, and media departments, to inspire content creation that aligns with the festival’s values.
“These activities aim to spark a shift in mindset and encourage the creation of narratives that foster progress and inspire solutions to the region’s challenges,” Samuel said, adding that by involving ministries of education, social justice organizations, civil society groups, teachers’ unions, and higher education boards, “we are building partnerships that can drive meaningful change.”
A Call for Action
Marking International Day of Education, Samuel called on stakeholders in Northern Nigeria’s education sector to move beyond policy declarations and embrace actionable, innovative solutions.
“My appeal is for stakeholders to invest in the future by ensuring the holistic implementation of concepts that include indigenous creativity in school curricula,” he said. “We must also explore how technologies like AI can preserve our heritage and cultural values, ensuring they are passed on to future generations.”
As TAHRIFF prepares to launch these initiatives, it demonstrates the importance of education as a means of personal advancement and as a collective tool for fostering human dignity, protecting cultural identity, and advancing social and economic progress in Northern Nigeria.
Through its focus on storytelling, arts, and Indigenous creativity, TAHRIFF aims to redefine education as a community-centered endeavor.
As the festival director aptly noted, “Education that truly matters uplifts human dignity, preserves our heritage, and propels us toward an enduring and progressive future.”
TAHRIFF’s efforts highlight that education is a right and a shared responsibility, capable of transforming lives and shaping brighter futures for generations.
TAHRIFF’s Festival Director, Moses V. Samuel, was interviewed by Punarimam Tenfxae Zakka.
