Mothers of Chibok (F/F)

Dir. Joel Kachi Benson | USA | Australia | Nigeria | 88 min | 2024

This tenderly directed film looks at the lives of the mothers whose children were abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Northern Nigeria. Although Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden”, it’s effectively an injunction against any formal education. These women are defiant and will continue educating their remaining children – regardless of the personal sacrifices it might require. The film follows them about their lives as they grow their cash crops, attend to the needs of their family, and wait, with constant hope, for the return of their kidnapped children – along with the young children that they have been forced to bear. When, after much waiting, one of the kidnapped women is returned to her mother, the celebration of her return is muted by the questions that all the other women have about news of their still-missing children. Mothers of Chibok celebrates the warmth, strength, and resilience of these remarkable women. It is a testament to the love, devotion and self-sacrifice of mothers everywhere.