Come join us for a special event at the Louis Hartlooper Complex in Utrecht! We will be screening the powerful documentary 'Restoring Dignity', followed by a meet & greet and drinks. Limited seating available, register early!
The Dutch Global Health Film Festival, in partnership with the Knowledge Center Global Health and Médecins Sans Frontières / Artsen zonder Grenzen, are delighted to invite you to a very special screening of 'Restoring Dignity', a documentary following the journey of noma survivors across Nigeria.
Noma is a gangrenous infection starting in the mouth caused by extreme poverty, malnutrition and poor hygiene. In December 2023, it was officially listed by the World Health Organisation as a neglected tropical disease with the support of 32 countries, including The Netherlands. In just two weeks, noma destroys the tissues of the face and might kill up to 90 percent of the people affected.
‘Restoring Dignity’ offers a glimpse into survivors’ lives and follows their struggles and achievements over the course of a year. Sakina is a little girl, Amina and Adamu are teenagers and Mulikat and Aliyu are adults who have lived for decades with the terrible physical and psychological consequences of noma. While they suffer from pain and discrimination, they are on a life-changing journey to overcome years of isolation.
The screening will be followed by an in-person Q&A session with Mulikat Okanlawon, an advocate featured in the film. Mulikat is herself a survivor of noma and she is still working today in the very same hospital where she was treated 20 years ago. She is the co-founder of Elysium, the first noma survivors’ association, and she was named by TIME as one of the 100 most influential people in health in 2024.
She will be joined by Claire Jeantet, award-winning filmmaker and director of ‘Restoring Dignity’, and Dr Mark Sherlock, Health Program Manager at MSF and long-time advocate for noma recognition and response. The conversation will be moderated by Prof Marianne van der Sande, professor of Public Health Epidemiology at ITM Antwerp and associate professor at Julius Centre Utrecht.
For more information, please watch the trailer of the film ‘Restoring Dignity’ and learn more about noma on the MSF noma website.
