Memorialisation can be such a slippery act, especially if it has got to do with the abduction of the Chibok school girls and messy handling of it. If they are not memorialized, it would amount to doing violence to history because it did happen. But to memorialise them is also to do violence to one’s soul or being because it involves imagining all sorts of scenarios unimaginable.
The good news is that the Brooklyn College at the City University of New York (CUNY) has overcome this dilemma and is putting up a well-advertised 10th Anniversary. The event has been scheduled for April 17th, 2024, by 6pm – 8pm (US time)
The chosen theme is “Remembering the Chibok Girls: A Decade of Resilience”. The flyer and invite has also indicated the venue to be Woody Tanger Auditorium, Brooklyn College Library, Brooklyn College, CUNY.
That evening, Dr Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, a leading civil society voice in Nigeria will deliver the Keynote Address while Prof Mojubaolu Okome, a US-based Nigerian scholar will serve as Chairperson and Panel Moderator.
In another elevated move, the organisers have compiled and attached a list of 91 names of the Chibok Girls who are still in Boko Haram captivity and they are asking ‘please pray for their rescue and reunification with their families’.
