In-depth Focus with

Funke Olokude

earned many recognitions. In 2020, she was named Top 40 under 40 for her continuous work influencing policies and practices across various sectors in Alberta. Recently, she was honoured with the coveted Rosalind Smith Professional Award by the National Black Coalition of Canada Society (NBCC) for her tireless work and advocacy for marginalized communities. Her contribution to the teaching and education space earned her a Jaye Fredrickson Award for Teaching Excellence Nomination in 2021 & 2022 and for her exemplary leadership, a Universal Women’s Network Woman of Inspiration 2022 Finalist as well as the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. Funke has recently been appointed President of the Nigerian Canadian Association of Edmonton.

Ribbon Rouge Foundation (RRF) is doing important work in Edmonton, raising awareness around HIV. With multiple events in 2023, RRF is leading meaningful conversations around HIV prevention. Their first event this year was at the Edmonton City Hall, and it was an innovative showcase - using the multiple dimensions of the creative arts to highlight complicated problems in antiracism.

Their first major event at the Commonwealth Recreational Centre, titled Afya Equity Hub, explored achieving equity in income, social support, employment and education for equity-seeking communi- ties. The project brought together individuals with and without lived experience and organizations to address the critical social determinants of health.

The Afya Equity Hub was also an information hub where key findings on research were shared with the community and partners. Recommendations were developed based on the ‘lived experiences, expectations and organizational encounters to improve and achieve health equity.’

The Executive Director of Ribbon Rouge Foundation is award-winning Funke Olokude. Olokude has

With over fifteen years of extensive experience in the social service industry working with diverse populations and sectors in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta and continuously promoting equity in policy and practice, Funke has created and executed several projects here in Alberta, including working on Early Intervention and Prevention strategies for children, youth, and their families to minimize risk factors.

She is currently working on health promotion using the Social Determinants of Health as a guide to increase well-being and outcomes for Albertans to improve quality of life that fosters higher chances at successful settlement for immigrants leading to optimal contribution of skills and assets. Funke’s experiences as a Board Director for several organizations, Principal Consultant, Senior Program Manager, Intercultural Family Resource Network Lead (Edmonton Region) and most recently, the Executive Director at Ribbon Rouge Foundation have granted her the opportunity to make decisions at the management and supervisory level, keeping the best interest of the individuals and families served in mind while considering the impact on the larger society. All her professional experience has been grounded in theoretical underpins and frameworks of having a Psychology (B.A. Honors) degree from York University, a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from the University of Calgary and a Master of Education Policy Studies – Adult, Community and Higher Education specialization at the University of Alberta.

Please tell me how you got into this field. Tell us a little bit about you.

I have worked in the social services field for about 17 years, providing direct management, research and policy support across various sectors. I first did work in the HIV space in 2009 through a research project looking at access to support for those who are impacted and affected by it in West Africa, specifically Nigeria.

What is the 5-year plan for Ribbon Rouge? Do you see an end to this silent epidemic in our lifetime?

I definitely see an end to this in our lifetime, but to bring an end to any issue is first to acknowledge its existence. I believe we must first de-mystify HIV and Sexually Transmitted Blood Borne Infections (STBBIs) in the African, Caribbean and Back communities.

Our understanding of HIV and STBBIs as a community leads to stigmas that make it hard for us to create the space to have holistic conversations that allow preventative measures where possible and early intervention as needed to thrive.

One of the ways in which Ribbon Rouge Foundation (RRF) is leading the way in prevention and early intervention is in the distribution of HIV self-test kits, an initiative funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). This initiative allows individuals to take the test in the comfort of their homes and get a result of their status within minutes. HIV self-test helps connect to care, support and treatment.

The research is overwhelming that there is an increase of 25% in ACB communities. Why do you think this is so? Are we doing enough to halt the spread of HIV?

African, Caribbean and Black people represent about 3.5 % of Canada’s total population yet account for an estimated 25 % of new HIV diagnoses. We need to find avenues as a community to begin having conversations about HIV and STBBIs to help us understand the ways in which our society is impacted by it so we can build strategies that work for us rather than import mainstream measures that clearly are not working for us. RRF is currently working to collect the relevant data and information for us to have interventions and strategies generated from the grassroots by us and for us.

In your work, which mindsets do you find most interesting and prohibitive in perpetuating stereotypes around HIV?

The fact that we have made HIV synonymous with sex is one of the biggest challenges to doing early intervention and prevention work in the HIV and STBBIs space. When we look at our attitudes toward sex and sexuality, we often do not have healthy and holistic conversations about them; there are very few spaces and people we feel free and comfortable bringing up this issue. Sometimes they may not have the most accurate information. There is discomfort around speaking freely about sex and sexuality in most ACB communities, which snowballs into the stereotypes and stigmas we encounter doing HIV research and work.

There are also other salient factors, such as narratives that we have held on to from the early 80s when HIV first broke versus what it means to live with HIV in present-day based on advancements that have been made in the treatment and management of it. In fact, majority of people do not know that it is only due to improvement in HIV research that strides in the COVID-19 vaccine was made possible.

How does income disparity and generational poverty feed into the spread of HIV in ACB communities?

When we look at the statistics, it shows that stigma is one of the greatest challenges in working around providing support for those impacted and affected by HIV and STBBIs, also in rolling out early intervention and prevention strategies. The stigma associated with HIV and STBBIs often leads to isolation and marginalization of those impacted and affected, further compounding access to adequate support.

Tell us more about audience reaction when you use theatre arts, song, and dance to communicate ACB communities’ struggles. Art is significant to the ACB community as most of the community have histories of oral communication. This was the way in which information was expressed and passed down, which makes the arts a great tool to connect with one another and tackle conversations that sometimes bring discomforts, such as HIV and STBBIs. We have found that individuals can express themselves often through the arts, and there are multiple forms of expression embedded within it that it is possible for everyone to find their

Funke Olokude

voice through one form or the other.

Are churches, mosques, and schools a part of your work? Yes, we could not do this work without the help of faith leaders, as they are the individuals people naturally go to in times of needing support. We have partnered with several faith organizations in our outreach strategies to provide awareness, training, information and support. We are open to collaborating with more organizations and would gladly connect as the opportunity arises.

What can our audience do to combat HIV? Should we be scared? There is no need to be scared; in fact, fear and early narratives of

HIV continue to be challenges in the work to combat the spread. Incredible strides and gains have been made in the treatment and management of HIV and STBBIs: in some cases, the virus could be controlled within six months. HIV treatment can make the viral load so low that a test may not be able to detect it.

We encourage everyone to get tested as needed, dependent on your situation, speak to your doctor or healthcare provider as what this could look like for you based on your situation. Self-test kits are available through RRF; whatever the next step would be for you, there are avenues to support you.

Find out more about Ribbon Rouge here: www.ribbonrouge.ca