By Obaji Akpet
Efforts are rife by Mountain Cinema Nigeria to relive the legacies of the great Scottish missionary woman, Mary Mitchell Slessor, who lived in Africa and affected the abrogation of the barbaric killing of twins in the continent.
The movie and event organisation company, based in Cross River, announced plans to hold an annual event tagged ‘International Festival of Twins and Mary Slessor Day’ to commemorate the Amazon, through a statement to the media.
The statement indicates that the annual event which is expected to hold on January 10th through 13th, 2015, will be part of Mary Slessor’s centenary celebration currently being observed by the Presbyterian Church across the world.
Hinging on the importance of the event, the statement states in part “the life and times of Mary Mitchell Slessor, the great Scottish Amazon and martyr who liberated old Calabar, brought Christianity and modernism and stopped the killing of twins, year 2015 will mark exactly, 100 years of her death and it is remarkable that this day be celebrated in Calabar, her adopted hometown and where her remains lie till this day.
“It is interesting to note that the Cross River State Government has already made her house at Okoyong and her grave at Duke Town as heritage sites.
“We at Mountain Cinemas Nigeria believe that this indefatigable woman who braved all odds and brought light to the darkened parts of the African continent must be celebrated. This informs our decision to approach the Church of Scotland Mission, the root-church of the Presbyterian Church, for intervention and collaboration in staging a huge celebration of World Mary Slessor Day in commemoration of the centenary of her death,” the statement states further.
Part of the activities to mark the event include Calabar International Festival of Twins Celebration; Face of Mary Slessor International contest; World Mary Slessor Day carnival/road walk; Mary Slessor Quiz Competition; Mary Slessor Gospel Music Talent Hunt; Theatre Night in Honour of Mary Slessor; Twins Dinner/Award Night; Symposium; Site tour among others.
Already plans are being made to complete a documentary about Mary Slessor; while other plans are underway to produce an epic film about the life and times of the Scottish missionary icon.
Mary Mitchell Slessor, who lived between 1848 and died in 1915, was a great missionary woman, who left the confines of her strong Scottish background, undeterred and committed, to embark on a daring expedition into dangerous enclaves of Africa to affect lives with the gospel of Christ and eventually stopped the barbaric killing of twins.
Mary Slessor enjoys several recognitions including her statutes being raised at various locations in Calabar; she was also made vice consul in Okoyong in 1892 and awarded the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem; and currently appears on Scottish Clydesdale ten pound note.
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