In April 2014, more than 276 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram. Despite the massacre two months earlier of over fifty school boys ascribed to Boko Haram, it was the Chibok abductions that propelled the then little-known group to global infamy, capturing the attention of the international community.
The hashtag #BringBackOurGirls saw high profile policymakers, celebrities and religious leaders shine a light on the abductions, calling for a sustained international effort to locate and free the ‘Chibok Girls’. The recently published book Bring Back Our Girls explores the promise and peril of ‘hashtag advocacy’ in an era where political priorities can be transformed by digital activism.
Seven years on from the abductions, many of the security challenges the Federal Government of Nigeria faced in the immediate aftermath of the kidnappings have worsened and abductions of school children by criminal gangs are taking place in other parts of the country. Whilst the attention of the international community may have shifted away from Nigeria, the human cost of insecurity continues to negatively impact the citizens of Africa’s most populous country.
At this event, speakers will discuss key themes in the book Bring Back Our Girls: The Astonishing Survival and Rescue of Nigeria’s Missing Schoolgirls, exploring the story of the Chibok abductions and the ever-growing influence and implications of digital activism on policymaking.
This event will also be broadcast live on the Chatham House Africa Programme’s Facebook page.
Participants
Joe Parkinson, Africa Bureau Chief, Wall Street Journal, Co-Author, Bring Back Our Girls
Drew Hinshaw, Senior Reporter, Wall Street Journal, Co-Author, Bring Back Our Girls
Discussant: Stephanie Busari, Supervising Editor, Africa, CNN
Chair: Dr Leena Koni Hoffmann, Associate Fellow, Africa Programme, Chatham House
