The power of the written word as an enabler of fresh vistas of ideas and expression, especially for children in marginalized communities was on display recently in Gosa Community. Located on the fringes of the ever busy Airport Road in Abuja, the sprawling capital of Nigeria, Gosa is burdened by the absence of basic amenities, which should make life in any human habitation less dreary. The untarred road leading to the rustic community welcomes visitors with its billows of dust. On this Saturday morning students, parents and guests of Satayaa Africa Foundation have gathered to listen to stories written by students attending various schools in the community. As gleaned from their creative writing published in an anthology titled; Hidden Treasures, the teenage authors focused on the diverse realities of their communities. Collectively, their writing bemoaned the absence of quality social services in the context of the governance deficit, which deprives the people of the basics that would have transformed and enriched their lives.
According to Adesuwa Iluobe, Secretary-General of Satayaa Africa Foundation, the project explores the realities of communities in Nigeria using the unique viewpoints of children. The foundation is big on the notion that children hold lots of knowledge and are eager to share the exciting ideas and stories they possess. Added to this is the conviction of the foundation that children are the best authors of stories about their own realities. In other words, the concept of children telling their own stories with all their innocence and purity of intent would galvanize action on critical social issues. Tagged the Stories After School Hours project, the initiative is being implemented in local communities to deepen the practice of democracy and good governance at the grassroots level.
Her words: “The authors started by going through a masterclass in February 2022, and continued classes the following seven months, during which they intricately put these stories together for your reading pleasure.” Providing further context on how the project advances the cause of democratic and accountable governance, the Satayaa Africa scribe noted that democracy everywhere has been finding it difficult to deliver dividends equally to every member of the society. “Women and children are often disproportionately affected by the government’s failures. One of our goals is to groom children to be advocates of change and provide critical efforts to make governance work for the people, as well as address the failures in government through creative writing.”
The reading of the stories by the students gave vent to critiques about the unmet developmental expectations of residents in suburban communities, which are close to the city center, but are removed from its comforts. However, beyond the dreary realities of the physical environment, a good number of the young authors focused on thematic issues, which go to the heart of the human development crisis, which assails Nigeria as a country. It was therefore no coincidence that the very first story in the anthology was preoccupied with the issue of child marriage. As narrated by 16 year old Chukwu Victor Chibueze, the story encapsulates the disturbing reality of parents, who decided to marry off their daughter as the final solution to their problem of hunger induced by poverty. Notwithstanding the fictional narrative of this thematic concern, the strong nexus between the story and what is happening in Nigeria is well documented with the recent Nigeria Bureau of Statistics report, which declared that 133.3 million Nigerians are living in multi-dimensional poverty.
Similarly, the riveting story written by 14-year Raymond Emmanuella titled the Lazy Girl and Her Mother took on a set of complex issues around child abuse including forced child begging, and child labor. The teenage author also deploys stream of consciousness narratives to navigate the vagaries of difficult relationships within the home, which are capable of making or marring a child’s potential in life. Emmanuella explores the challenges faced by children living with a step mothers when they lose one or both of their parents. In the story, Precious who lost her mother, is the obedient and diligent girl. Her wicked step mother pushed her out to look for food and money. She soon encounters extra-terrestrial realities, including talking trees and angels, which change her fortune for good because of her positive attitude and resilience. On the other hand, her step sister who lacks character meets her waterloo and has to face the consequences of her bad behavior.
Also in the anthology is the short story by Danladi Tansi titled; The Wicked And Greedy Girl. It alludes to the importance of responsible citizenship and collective responsibility in community, and ultimately, nation building. The story describes how the peace and tranquility of Asase village was disrupted by the daughter of the village chief Ada and her friends. They went about destroying community property and were caught and duly sent to prison. The moral of the story harped on the need to consider the well-being of others. On the whole, the stories in their purity and innocence provide deep insights about how much the teenagers understand the governance deficit affecting their communities and the entire country.
In curating such a fine collection of stories written by teenagers, there was unanimity among the guests who graced the reading sessions that Sataaya Africa Foundation has provided a solid platform for these young Nigerians to add their voice to those of others in the quest for good governance, and ultimately, a better society. Importantly, this phase of the innovative and highly impactful project got the buy in of frontline Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) like the Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) and the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG). Given the impact the project has made by giving expression to the voice of children in largely neglected communities, Stories After School Hours should get further support from all well-meaning individuals and organizations with an enduring interest in human capital development.
