Written by 14:34 Allgemein

Concerned about my homeland

Interview: Anita John from Nigeria
English | German

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Nigeria is the country in Africa with the largest population. The situation in Nigeria has deteriorated dramatically in recent years: crime, hunger and violence are commonplace. Anita John who lives here in Wuppertal, reports in an interview.

Wupperleben: Anita, would you like to introduce yourself?
Anita J.: My name is Anita John, I come from Nigeria, from Benin City. I’ve been here in Germany for about 5 years.

Wupperleben: Have you got children?
Anita J.: Yes, my son is 9 years old.

Wupperleben: How are you in Germany?
Anita J.: For me, Germany is a country of great opportunities. For me it is important that I make something positive and constructive out of my life here.


Wupperleben: Have you still got family members in Nigeria?
Anita J.: Yes, also my mother and my sisters. My father and my only brother passed away not long ago.

Wupperleben: #EndSARS – this hashtag just went around the world. SARS does not stand for a virus, but for “Special Anti-Robbery Squad”. This “special unit against robbery” is notorious for torture, kidnappings, executions and rape. Now, a protest movement against them arose across the whole country. Although the SARS-unit is now to be disbanded, the protest against persistent police violence continues and shakes the country.
Anita, how is the situation in Nigeria at the moment?

Anita J.: Bloody, very bloody and violent, with many dead. The country is on the ground and there is violence. In addition, there was a lockdown due to Corona, which caused hunger in the country and only made things worse. The number of rapes increased immensely during this period. Several people died in the demonstrations.

Wupperleben: Many young people protest against the situation?
Anita J.: Yes, the majority are young people.

Wupperleben: Doesn’t that give hope?
Anita J.: I don’t know. I am skeptical about this government. Everything is so diabolical, brutal and evil. I am very scared. It’s extremely dangerous there right now.

Wupperleben: That is certainly difficult to bear from here in Germany. How do you deal with it here?
Anita J.: We had a demonstration in Wuppertal in November to draw attention to the horrendous deficiencies in Nigeria.

Wupperleben: You said ‘we’ – you are you in a group?
Anita J.: We have a small Women Empowerment Group of Nigerian women who support each other here in Wuppertal. It is difficult at the moment to meet us personally because of Corona, but we have video calls.

Wupperleben: Thank you for this interview!

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