How Creatives are Sustaining the Call for the Release of Kidnapped Chibok Girls

Throughout history, stories have served as a tool to raise awareness, spark revolution, and influence change – from the landmark 1987 TV series Eyes on the Prize that documented the Civil Rights Movement, to the book She Said, which captured the extent of the #MeToo movement. The Chibok girls’ kidnapping is no different. Artists, filmmakers and journalists both in Nigeria and outside of the country where it took place have used their craft to shine a light on what happened to the girls, who they were, and the ongoing struggle for their freedom, all with the aim of keeping their stories alive.

It’s been a decade since 276 girls were kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Borno state in Nigeria, sparking global outcry that included the campaign #BringBackOurGirls. While being transported, 57 girls escaped by jumping off the van, and in the months and years that followed, over 100 of them have escaped, been rescued or released through negotiations, but 100 of them remain in captivity.

Over the years there have been more campaigns, vigils, demonstrations and initiatives calling on the Nigerian government to bring back the abducted school girls, most of whom were between the ages of 14-18 at the time.

The Chibok girls’ abduction has undoubtedly impacted Nigerians and the world at large; the tragic event not only highlighted the vulnerability of young girls in conflict zones but also ignited a powerful response from the global community, from former First Lady Michelle Obama to Grammy-winner Alicia Keys.

The power of storytelling in the quest for justice

Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, a Nigerian novelist and journalist known for her extensive coverage of the abduction from 2014 till now, wrote Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree in 2018. A young adult social novel, it details the kidnapping and return of the Chibok girls and centers two characters who are forced to convert to Islam, or die.

“I usually describe Buried Beneath the BaobabTree as journalism masquerading as fiction,” Nwaubani tells OkayAfrica. “My novel is based on my interviews with dozens of women and girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram. I was careful to make it as factual as possible, including only details that the former captives shared with me about their lives and time in captivity.”

The Chibok girls are the most famous victims of Boko Haram’s kidnapping spree – an incident which was part of the group’s campaign of violence in the bid to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria. But in the course of Nwaubani’s reporting, she discovered that there were women and girls who had been kidnapped as long as a year before the Chibok kidnappings.

“I wanted my book to go beyond the Chibok girls and include the stories of these other victims who were not as famous,” says Nwaubani. “I wanted my book to be the voice of all women and girls kidnapped by Boko Haram. That is why my main character has no name; I chose to make her nameless so that she could be any and all the girls whose stories I wanted the world to hear through my writing.”

Isha Sesay, journalist and author of Beneath the Tamarind Tree, a gripping account of the Chibok abduction,says that she wrote her book because there were huge gaps between our understanding of what happened with the girls the night they were taken, and in the months that followed. “I also think there is all too often a willingness to cast aside stories of Black female pain and tragedy. This isn’t solely a story of tragedy, because the girls have emerged as survivors and are overcoming, but in that moment first and foremost it was a tragedy that their lives were interrupted by Boko Haram,” says Sesay, who is also CEO of OkayAfrica.

All too often, Sesay says, people shrug their shoulders and say, “terrible things happen to Black women,” “terrible things happen in Africa.” With Beneath the Tamarind Tree, she was trying to correct that narrative. “I want people to remember that these girls – now women, still matter. We should continue to use our voices to say ‘Bring Back Our Girls.’ We shouldn’t normalize and just accept what happened ten years ago. They shouldn’t be forgotten.”

A platform to tell their own story in their own words

Filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson, too, wanted to create a compelling understanding of the events that took place that April night. In Daughters of Chibok, a short documentary, he seeks to provide insights into the lives of the girls’ families. It centers the story of Yala Galang, mother of Rifkatu, one of the captured school girls, and features music from producer and musician Cohbams Asuquo. Daughters of Chibok has been recognized internationally, winning Best Virtual Reality at the Venice Film Festival in 2019.

For a long time after the events, Benson had wanted to meet the mothers and survivors of the incident, but he would not get the opportunity until four years later, in 2018, while working on a project in Nigeria’s northeast region. “When I got to Chibok, my very first interaction was with one of the mothers of the kidnapped girls,” he tells OkayAfrica. “Seeing the pain in her eyes as she spoke about her still missing daughter convinced me that I could not leave without telling this story. I felt I had a responsibility as a filmmaker to amplify the voices of these women who, even though it seemed like the world was no longer listening, were still crying out for their daughters.”

Virtual reality was Benson’s preferred medium with this story because it was important to “take his viewers” into Chibok, so they could “experience firsthand” what he had experienced while there. “There was some initial distrust from the community as to my intentions,” says Benson, “but I made it clear to them that for me, this was about portraying their story with honesty and dignity. I just wanted to give them a platform to tell their story in their own words.”

Social-impact storytelling is at the core of Benson’s work as a filmmaker. “I believe that film remains a powerful tool for raising awareness, and understanding issues in society. One of the most frequent feedback that we received after sharing Daughters of Chibok was ‘Thank you for reminding us about this story.’”

Benson believes that a story well told can galvanize people from empathy to action, and he’s seen this happen many times with the films that he’s done. “Today, Daughters of Chibok remains one of the most important film projects related to the infamous Chibok kidnappings, a constant reminder that the final chapter of that story will not be written until all the girls have been safely returned home.”

Sesay echoes this, believing that it’s incumbent on the Nigerian government to right this wrong, and bring the girls back home. “But everyone has a part to play, whether it’s someone sitting in a small town somewhere in the world with social media and a voice, using their platform to drive change.”

Global leaders, international governments, and decision makers also have their part to play. “When speaking to Nigerian leaders in this current administration, they must also make this a part of their conversations, because they have influence, they have a platform – they can bring that to bear,” says Sesay. “Everybody must center these girls again and show that the lives of women and girls, and the lives of Black women and girls, matter.”