The Chibok Schoolgirls Incident Reflection

Throughout the semester, my group covered the history of Boko Haram and the Chibok schoolgirl incident, analyzed the international and domestic response towards the incident, and discussed the obstacles many released girls are facing as they attempt to reintegrate themselves back into society. Our first post included the necessary details and information for a reader to understand what the incident consisted of. It also delved into the historical background of both Boko Haram and Nigeria, that could further explain why this kidnapping occurred. We highlighted how the combination of colonialism and religious radicalism were key factors of Boko Haram’s actions. Our second post looked at the various ways the international and domestic communities tried to step in and aid the girls, including the most known means of awareness, the #BringBackOurGirls Movement. This post also discussed the importance of global media in covering incidents in nations such as Nigeria, where local reporters are threatened by these terrorist groups. Lastly, in our third post we talked about the various problems arising for the schoolgirls who have been released, as they face rejection and ostracism due to both cultural and universal factors relating to gender bias.

While researching for these blog posts, first we would identify which questions we would need to answer in relation to our topic. For example, we divided up summary research, history research, and international implications research between our group members, to ensure we were providing all the necessary information required of us. Each group member would have a different responsibility for research to disperse the researching somewhat equally. A group member was also assigned the responsibility of finding pictures, creating citations, and uploading the posts. For our first blog post, we did this quite well, and essentially each member had a research responsibility and we came together to discuss our findings and how we would organize the post. Working in a group influenced our approach in order to establish responsibilities to each member.

This project taught me about both the topic and the importance of effort in group work. It gave me insight on the Chibok schoolgirl incident as well as the dynamics of Boko Haram. The reason I chose this topic in the first place was because I felt I didn’t know enough about this group and this incident, and I’m glad to say that I feel much more educated on the subject after completing this assignment. I found analyzing the international and media response was especially interesting. I also thought the historical aspect of Boko Haram was essential in understanding the conflict and the group’s motives. Our posts only cover the bare minimum and I look forward to learning more about this issue in Nigeria. By working in a group, I learned that team effort is the most important aspect of group work. If not everyone is willing to pull their weight, it puts a strain on the group and the assignment that needs to be worked on. Its extremely important for each group member to contribute as much as they can and help their members when necessary.