clearer and could have led to more cohesive action , thus , a more efficient campaign overall .
IMPACT : When analysing # BringBackOurGirls extensively , it becomes evident the campaign ' s impact has been predominantly negative . As demonstrated , from the outset , the hashtag was successful , and the social media engagement brought the kidnapping to the public ’ s attention . Therefore , the short-term effects of the campaign were promising . In the long-term , however , the campaign ’ s impacts have either been limited or catastrophic . Over 100 girls have never been found ( BBC , 2021 ), yet they currently receive little to no coverage in the mainstream media or on social media ( Carter Olson , 2016 , pp . 783-784 ). Furthermore , Boko Haram is still kidnapping girls across Africa , with the terrorist group still being active in over 500 villages in just Niger State , seven years after the campaign started ( Seldin , 2021 ). Thus , if anything , the campaign only emboldened Boko Haram . For the first time , it brought them worldwide notoriety ( Parkinson and Hinshaw , 2021 , p . 153 ). Additionally , racist ideas and imperialist ideas permeated through the Bring Back Our Girls campaign . It framed the girls and Nigerian citizens more broadly as victims who needed Western protection . Specifically , it depended on white feminists using the harmful and dangerous stereotype of white people needing to protect defenseless African girls from brutal African men . Repeatedly , activists who spoke out against the campaign ' s harmful nature were disregarded , and the campaign also ignored the previous damage caused to Nigeria by colonisation . Finally , credit for the campaign was often given to the Global North and not the Nigerian citizens who had started it ( Maxfield , 2016 , pp . 890-892 ). Therefore , while the campaign ' s short-term impact was promising , the long-term impact has been the strengthening of Boko Haram , the perpetuation of dangerous stereotypes , and , ultimately , the failure to bring back the girls .
CONCLUSION : In conclusion , the # BringBackOurGirls campaign successfully raised public awareness of the kidnapping of the Chibok school girls . However , as demonstrated in this paper , this was not the campaign ' s main aim . The main aim was to rescue every girl that was kidnapped by the terrorist organisation Boko Haram . Through raising global awareness of the kidnapped girls , it led to the Boko Haram using the girls as bargaining chips ( Oriola , 2021 , p . 653 ). Thus , the campaign further endangered the girls it was attempting to rescue . It also reinforced racist ideas and imperialist ideas ( Maxfield , 2016 , pp . 890-892 ). Additionally , many argued that the campaign was ‘ slacktivism ’ and simply raised awareness of the issue ( Chiluwa and Ifukor , 2015 , p . 270 ). There was not a clear offline and active participation element for supporters , as the main call to action was to spread the # BringBackOurGirls hashtag . The nature of social media platforms also impacted the campaign , as misinformation spread to supporters . Thus , short campaign films may have been more successful . In the short term , this campaign had the potential to enforce the key human rights it aimed to protect . However , the campaign ' s vital issues were the lack of an established way to achieve the objective and the failure to capitalise on the escalating support by creating an offline participatory element . All these factors combine to create a cumulative effect that reduced the long-term impact of this campaign .
SCHOOL OF THE ARTS 2021 / 2022
53