They Fueled our Anger: Untold
Stories of Occupy Nigeria
Background
In January 2012 the Federal Government
of Nigeria removed fuel subsidy in a manner that angered a lot of citizens
because of the hardship the singular act caused. Citizens protested and there
were consequences (personal, relationships, families and jobs) of the protests
across over 40 cities in Nigeria.
There were people who had grave personal
experiences during and after the protests. People were killed, arrested,
brutalized. Some relationships were broken; jobs were lost, families were
destroyed and many lives have not been the same again since the protest ended.
In the same vein, some people’s lives have also changed for the better after
Occupy Nigeria.
It has however become very imperative
for us to create lasting memories and a historical narrative of what transpired
in January. Some of the stories we have received from young people who
participated in the protests have been mind boggling, interesting and
fascinating. We need to document these stories for posterity. Therefore, we are
collecting essays of people who participated in occupy Nigeria into a compendium
that would be published in December, 2012. We must build a historical memory by
telling our story. If we don’t tell our story, no one will.
Format
Write an essay of not more than
500 words with your name and location. The essay should be in three parts.
Part one should tell us what you
did or what you were doing towards the buildup of Occupy Nigeria (It is not
compulsory to have a story related to Occupy Nigeria at the time).
Part two of your story should be
the role you played during Occupy Nigeria. What state/location were you
protesting? What did you do and how did you do what you did. The sacrifices and
contributions you made in sustaining the protests. What was your reaction when
the strike was called off by the NLC and military men and other security agents
were unleashed on the streets to end the protests?
Part three of your story should
be how the protests affected your life. Did you loose or gain anything after
the protests? Did you make new friends, did you loose old friends? Did it
affect your job? Would you like to be involved in another Occupy Nigeria? What
can be done to improve subsequent Occupy Nigeria?
Deadline for submission is 30th September, 2012
Or contact us on twitter @omojuwa or@martobono
