Event reports
She effortlessly weaves together
stories, detailing atrocious experiences with
frankness, simplicity, and above all humanity.
She showcases the courage and resilience
of everyday people, painting a picture of
countries we usually only hear about through
a very imperialistic lens.
Uganda
This is the story of two people who were
abducted by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance
Army as teens. After fifteen-year-old Eunice
was abducted, she was forced to marry
nineteen-year-old Bosco. What happens to
these forced unions if the abductees escape
and why do so many of these couples choose
to stay together? How are the children
of these marriages affected? Okeowo also
explores the difficult relationships between
the former child soldiers and the communities
they may have been forced to harm.
Mauritania
Mauritania became the last country to
abolish slavery in 1981, but the government
did little to actually eradicate the practice.
Okeowo explains how slavery became such
an accepted part of Mauritanian society
and how demographic divisions contributed
to its endurance. This section focuses on
abolitionist Biram Dah Abeid’s fight to end
slavery in Mauritania, a crusade that has
put him and his family in peril. What makes
someone stand up for others, even at great
risk to themselves? In this story we learn
how slaveowners are able to enslave people
without chains and about the obstacles that
arise when adjusting to sudden freedom.
Somalia
Aisha received her first death threat
from terrorists when she was thirteen.
Her supposed crime? Playing basketball.
Somalia went from having one of the
best women’s basketball teams in the
region to a place where it’s unsafe for
women to play sports at all. This is the
story of young women who continue
to play the game they love despite the
risks.
These accounts of ordinary people
trying to live their lives freely are
both distressing and inspiring. Rebellion
doesn’t come without sacrifices and
many of these people endured death
threats, survived harrowing escapes,
and/or remained steadfast against
relentless outside pressure. In the face
of adversity, these people stand firm
in their beliefs and manage to preserve
their autonomy. The individuals may not
make the choices one would expect or
that are easy for outsiders to understand,
but they’re all doing the best they can to
live their lives of their own free will and/
or cultivate a society where everyone
can live freely.