The Chibok Girls by Helon Habila review – a portrait of resilience

In this brief yet powerful book, novelist Helon Habila returns to Nigeria, the country of his birth, to explore the kidnapping in April 2014 of 276 girls from a secondary school in Chibok, in the north-eastern state of Borno. Although 21 girls were released in October 2016, most were never seen again. They were taken by the brutal jihadist group Boko Haram, whose anti-education leader boasted of turning them into “slaves”. Habila grew up in a Christian family but recalls Islam as a tolerant faith, one that was not puritanical and “was able to accommodate tradition and diversity”. He offers a revealing insight into how radicalism can take hold in a country in which corruption is rife, government dysfunctional and young people alienated. Journalists are discouraged but Habila manages to get into Chibok: “The sadness was palpable in the hot, motionless air.” He finds parents still suffering (one was found wandering in the forest calling for his daughter) and is impressed by the bravery of the girls who were able to escape. A memorable portrait of individual resilience in a divided, strife-torn nation.