Saturday, 1 September 2018

NIGERIA: STORIES FROM THE NORTH-EAST

On the 29th of August 2018, the book: 'Ordinary Saviour: New stories from Nigeria's North-East' (Abubakar Ibrahim & Richard Alli eds) was presented to the public on the platform of Global Rights. In the comments by the editors of the book, I was struck by the following:

Stories by their very complex nature, are the essence of our experiences and perceptions. Before Boko Haram (BH), there were stories in the north-east. However, over the years, the dimension and scope of these stories have become amplified and more layered. Their nuances have become more intricate as numerous factors have come into play: imported fanaticism and weapons have met indigent people, who for years have remained at the basic level of existence. At the bottom of the BH conflict is indignation arising from years of neglect and poverty. The devastation brought by BH has re-written the narrative of north-east Nigeria...

The book, a collection of fictional essays on various aspects of the BH crisis, contained narratives by the contributing authors:

*'Family Tragedy' by Adamu Galadima
*'The Aftermath' by Nafisatu Mshelbila
*'Uncertain' by Mercy Bijimi
*'Being Human' by Mahammed Modu Maina
*'Home' by Minta Yusuf
*'Ordinary Saviour' by Suzanne Myada
*'Home on my Mind by Adaku Anosike
*'Identity Lost' by Chabiyada Eli

These fictional stories brought out in bold relief various aspects of the BH crisis: the plight of children fathered by BH members; the Policeman who becomes more humane on account of the fact that his daughter died because she was refused treatment by hospital staff while he, the father was on duty; the BH captive who pretended to 'love' one of those who serially raped her with the intention of  eventually laying siege and killing him while facilitating her escape...

The following were some of those in attendance:

*Juliet Kego - Social entrepreneur
*Eduardo Fernandez - Chief-of-Party, NERI
*John Onyeuku - Programme Director/DCOP, NERI
*Joel Hirst - Country Representative, OTI
*Abiodun Baiyewu - Country Representative, Global Rights
*Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa, Conflict Transformation Expert
*Lesley Agams - Lawyer

We need more of such stories from NE Nigeria that bring out in bold relief the human angle of the protracted crisis...

Related Links

*The journey of BH survivors   bit.ly/2YtVWOI
*View on Africa: Do Police need the Army's help?   youtube.com/watch?v=
*Violence in Nigeria's North-West: Rolling back the mayhem    https;//www.cisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/nigeria/288-violence-nigerias-north-west-rolling-back-mayhem/
*#BringBackOurBoys: Nigerians express outrage at kidnap of students from Government Science Secondary School (GSSS), Kankara, Katsina state    premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/430952-bringbackourboys-nigerians-express-outrage-at-kidnap-of-students/     #RescueKankaraBoys
*Analysis of the causes & consequences of kidnapping    https;//www.ajol.info/index.php/africarev/article/view/163979/153468
*NE Nigeria & its internally displaced families    cutt.ly/ekl4T91
*How to stop VE    youtu.be/RsquCXOiDII
*Children who were tortured and held captive in BH camps for over 5 years showed more intense levels of mental health issues than those held captive for a shorter time    cutt.ly/Ak5EX7s
*Insecurity in the Niger Delta: Emerging threats in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo & Rivers states by Judith Asuni et.al    aapw.org
*Road to radicalisation    nextierspd.com
*France and the spectral menace of Islamo-leftism    washingtonpost.com
*In the Sahel, terrorists are now sitting at the negotiation table    theafricareport.com


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