This is NOT the article I promised to publish that outlines the reasons why the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag mattered and HOW it mattered specifically. That is still in the works, and I want to see if a major news outlet will publish it before I begin to circulate it. This article is part of my “comments on” series, but contains some of the same points I’ll be bringing up.
A lot of causes can use the same method that was employed to bring a news story to the forefront- I’m suspicious of ANYONE who tries to silence the movement by saying it doesn’t matter. But in some cases, such as in this article, it seems as if the main issue is a misunderstanding about what happens in response to a hashtag once it reaches trending awareness here in the States.
My Central Point About the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag
The “hijacking” of the hashtag is a problem, yes. But that doesn’t mean the #bringbackourgirls hashtag has failed, or that the problem isn’t being dealt with. Which frames my response to that article, below:
As a Nigerian living in America, I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding that results from geographical distance. If you follow the sequence of events as it happened here in DC for example, you can see why organizing around a hashtag helps push issues to the forefront that are not getting coverage in international news.
1- The hashtag was started in Nigeria by a Nigerian when the international news dropped the initial story.
2- That story was picked up by international media when people who ACTED on awareness gleaned by the hashtag.
There was no strategy at first, then some of us in DC and NYC figured out:
- that if we could raise enough hell in social,
- we could influence bloggers and celebrities,
- who could influence bloggers that are journalists (including those who cover celebrities),
- who could influence the journalists that cover international stories,
- who could put the truth that the girls that we not initially found, back on the news.
Meanwhile we could petition and pressure world leaders to help, and possibly help our brothers and sisters back home influence the Nigerian government to respond. None of us is interested in taking credit for that plan but know: it was planned.
3- No one, NO ONE in the US actually believes that a hashtag by itself actually does anything. That’s like saying a phone does something. What ORGANIZING around the hashtag did was a- spread the message b- get it to people who can and would DO something and c- keep the awareness of the issue alive.
The hashtag was just the organizing seed. We [successful when we] demanded that the world listen to you BECAUSE we were able to get influential people to listen. Because journalists pay attention to hashtags.
Do MOST of the people who actually use or follow the hashtag DO anything? No. But we need people who can or will only do that much to reach the minority of people who WILL and CAN act.
Yes I was born and live in America, and perhaps that makes me less central to this issue.
But I am part of the global Nigerian community, so I care what happens not just in Lagos or Abuja but about my homeland as a whole. Both my parents live in Nigeria, so does my sister. We can all come together and, led by people who actually reside in Nigeria, build a better future. But first we all have to come to an understanding before we lose this chance to pool our resources for a better future.