15-Year-Old Nigerian Girl Shares Boko Haram Experience In New Novel

In celebration of the “International Day of the Girl Child”, 15-year-old Nigerian student, Aisha Mustapha, has launched a graphic novel about her traumatic experiences with Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria.

The young writer proves her prowess in story-telling while sharing her personal encounters in the piece.

From fleeing the terrorists to reuniting with her family and trying to further her education, Aisha pens down various ordeals she had, while lending a voice to young people affected by the crisis in the North.

The book was published to mark the International Day of the Girl Child, a day established by the United Nations in 2011 to “highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.”

Aisha’s talent for storytelling was previously highlighted in “Assembly”, a ‘by-girls-for-girls’ publication by the Malala Fund that brought Aisha’s graphic novel to life. 

Her words were illustrated by artist, Simone Martin-Newberry, who revealed that his drawings were carefully done in order to accentuate the emotions behind each word.

The artist said: “I was very moved by Aisha’s story, and really wanted to treat it sensitively and do it justice with my illustrations. My aim was to capture the real emotions and actions of the story, but also keep my artwork bright and colorful and full of pattern, to help reflect Aisha’s amazing youthful spirit.”

Check out excerpts from the piece below:

Read the full book here; https://assembly.malala.org/stories/aisha-graphic-novel

By: The Arubayi Keme