In an effort to remember and honor the Nigerian schoolgirls still missing ten years after their abduction by Islamist insurgents in Chibok, a film titled "Statues Also Breathe" was screened in Lagos.

Lagos

A film titled "Statues Also Breathe" was screened in Lagos as a tribute to the Nigerian schoolgirls who remain missing a decade after being abducted by Islamist insurgents in Chibok. The screening is an effort to commemorate and honor the lives and struggles of these girls, marking a somber anniversary since their tragic abduction.



Movie honors Nigerian Chibok girls 10 years on

This is the screening of a movie that remembers the Nigerian schoolgirls, 10 years after their abduction by Islamist insurgents in Chibok. 108 of the girls are still missing. The film documents the creation of terracotta sculptures representing each of them. The statues were crafted based on photographs of the girls, shared by their families. The art project serves as both a tribute and a reminder of the girls' absence and the ongoing struggle of their families and communities. It aims to revive attention towards their plight and serve as a healing process for those involved. Jemai Mute was one of the Chibok girls. She was rescued in 2017. Abductions at Nigerian schools were first carried out by jihadist group Boko Haram, which seized 276 students from a girls' school in Chibok in northeastern Borno state a decade ago. Since then, criminal gangs without ideological affiliation have adopted the tactic to obtain ransom money. With Nigeria's economy and poverty levels worsening, abductions have become an almost daily occurrence in recent years, tearing apart families and communities that must pull savings to pay ransoms. The government position is that security forces should secure the release of kidnapped victims without a dime paid for ransom. Paying to free hostages has been a crime in Nigeria since 2022 and carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years.

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Perth

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London

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State of Rio Grande do Sul

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Willetton

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Paris

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Arizona

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Washington

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Council of the City of Sydney

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