The women I admire 2
I had struggled to write the second version of the women I admire.
The women were either too close to work or have major fear of a public mention and I suppose I was more concerned about my head not being chopped off. Hence I kept it down until the #BringBackOurGirls, otherwise known as #BBOG, drive started gaining tempo.
I’d read everything sent my way on this subject, whether a bbm, photo mention, a mothers’ or message from a group, just anything.
My admiration has grown by the hour for everywoman who have participated in the#BringBackOurGfirls campaign to whom I have added my own acronynm WUIP meaning Women United In Pain.
Forget what I’ve said about my younger brother and acronyms, I have come to embrace them, and even reluctantly see their benefits, as long as they aren’t used as did Idi Amin in the movie The Raid of Entebe.
The Bring Back Our Girls message has been on every woman’s display page in the past two weeks, on their chests as logos,on Facebook status, Twitter handles. It has been everywhere I turn and most especially in their hearts praying and protesting, in Lagos, Abuja, London, New York. It’s been commendable and we have had many participating, many praying and many cheering, to be honest I don’t know one woman who isn’t doing one of these.
We have had many messages calling for prayers, many poems, many prayers all towards getting these young Chibok girls back to their homes.
One of the most poignant of the poems I received was one signed off by an unknown author titled: ‘By Taking Our Girls, They Have Taken Our Future’
One cannot imagine what these young girls are going through…the pain, the fear, the hope or hopelessness they are feeling? I remembered how fearful I had been when I couldn’t find my youngest one for only a few minutes at a large bookshop during a holiday. When we eventually found ourselves, the look on his face was so touching, I shed a secret tear. A friend’s friend we sat beside at a PTS once regaled us with a story of how in his own words ‘he wept bitterly’ when his son got lost at JFK. He said his mind literally went crazy imagining all the things he had watched in crime and investigation channel.
He did eventually find the adventurous lad after about an hour of emotional torture. We all could not help but imagine what two weeks of this can do to anyone.
I can imagine how the mothers of these missing girls is passing through at the moment, the pain, the anguish of losing a child for two weeks. Ours only last for a couple of ours and it was so unbearable. Theirs must be a million times worse. That’s why each woman has amplified this message so loudly and caught the world’s attention.
Presidents, both local and international stars have all lent their voices. Forget those odd theories about women not supporting each other, you wait until they are united towards a common goal and in this case, pain, then you’d seen the other side of them. The part I admire deeply. The loyal, dependable,consistent and passionate side of us. That very side of us that get in harm’s way for the sake of our children.
I attended a gathering last week to pray for the girls of Chibok. One of the major prayer was that they’d be brought home safely to their parents and back to their lives. We prayed that not one girl will be left behind when they are rescued, half way through the prayers I opened my eyes and the passion on the faces of the praying women was incredible. The prayers were so intense that one would know immediately while sitting there that the answers to the prayers were already on its way here.
I have always marvelled at how dark the world was before the advent of the social media. Each time I lament about the challenges women face, I’m reminded by my mum that it’s been that way for a long time, only social media has amplified it. Social media it is that has brought positive social changes in many countries, starting from the Arab Spring all the way to the Chibok girls. I’m most grateful about these women’s demonstration. What a powerful force we are when we come together. I’m grateful that most women haven’t just sat on their arm chairs. They have come out to collectively say ‘No,Bring Back Our Girls’. These are the women I admire. These strong voices chanting “Bring Back Our Girls!” These ones united in pain.
Nkiru Olumide-Ojo