“The Oratory” is the story of Don Bosco in a Nigerian setting. The idea came from Fr Cyril Odia, a Nigerian Salesian who is currently Rector of the Salesian Community in Maynooth. The film is produced and directed by Nigeran Filmmaker Obi Emelonye with Fr Cyril as executive producer and Rich Lowe Ikenna in the lead role. The film portrays the story of Don Bosco in a contemporary Nigerian setting. It is entertaining, inspiring, challenging, gripping, formative, and educational – a must-see for anyone interested in the story of Don Bosco and anyone committed to the well-being of young people.
Lagos State in Nigeria has a population of approximately 22 million people. Unfortunately, the state harbours a huge percentage of the country’s poor people who migrate to the city for survival. Among these less privileged people there are marginalised and abandoned children, commonly known as street children. In a study carried out recently, it is estimated that more than 100,000 homeless children live on the streets of Lagos.
The Salesians of Don Bosco are very active in Youth Ministry. They studied the situation and responded to the demands of the time by establishing a Child Protection Centre for these abandoned children where they can be protected from serious dangers and given the necessary support to grow as ‘normal’ children. Safeguarding and protecting the rights of children remains a top priority of the Salesians, and the congregation has shown great interest in taking care of street children in Nigeria.
“The Oratory”, an initiative of the Nollywood Factory in collaboration with the Salesians of Don Bosco, is a movie that seeks to raise awareness among the public and key stakeholders of the plight of homeless and street children in Nigeria. The movie strives to remind all of us of our collective responsibility for abandoned and marginalised children on the streets and the urgent need to rescue street children and youth. Notably, the movie has not only drawn huge attention to the issue of street children in Nigeria, but also awareness of the work of the Salesians in the street children project in Lagos. The aim of this movie is to call for action and the realisation that the more young people there are living on the street, the more the threat to the security of all. The proceeds of the movie will go towards the running of the Child Protection Centre in Lagos.
If you would like to arrange the screening of the film, please contact Fr Cyril Odia at: cyrilodia @sdb.ie
You can support this initiative by donating online below.