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DEVELOPMENT

Denmark sends help to Boko Haram victims

Committing 12.5 million kroner, Development Minister Mogens Jensen said that the world must not overlook the actions of Boko Haram in Nigeria, where the Islamic group is displaying "one of the ugliest" faces of extremism.

Published: 15 January 2015 13:53 CET
Updated: 15 January 2015 14:56 CET
Denmark sends help to Boko Haram victims
A man injured in a suicide blast is carried on a mattress by relatives in the northeast Nigerian town of Potiskum on Monday. Photo: AFP/Aminu Abubakar/Scanpix
Denmark’s development minister, Mogens Jensen, announced on Thursday that Denmark will contribute 12.5 million kroner ($2 million) to human rights organizations that are assisting the victims of the “madness” carried out by Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram in Nigeria. 
 
In recent weeks, the militants have reportedly attacked several Nigerian towns, almost completely wiping out two of them. Amnesty International has said that as many as 2,000 people have been killed in the attacks, while the Nigerian military puts the figure at 150. 
 

Even without the concrete numbers being confirmed, human rights groups agree that it is the deadliest Boko Haram attack in more than five years. 
 
“The victims of Boko Haram's attacks need help. We need to show solidarity with the affected families and contribute to them getting food, clothes, shelter and the ability to make it through this crisis” Jensen said in a press release. 
 
Jensen said that 6.2 million kroner would be contributed to the International Committee of the Red Cross efforts in northeast Nigeria, while the UN Refugee Agency would put 6.3 million kroner of a Danish-financed emergency help fund to use in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon. 
 
Jensen equated Boko Haram with terrorist groups al-Qaeda and the group alternately known as the Islamic State, Isis of IS. 
 
“We unfortunately see many different faces of extremism these days and Boko Haram's is one of the ugliest. The world’s eyes are naturally turned toward IS and the Islamic terror in Paris and the Middle East, but we must not forget what is happening in northern Nigeria and neighbour countries Cameroon, Chad and Niger,” Jensen said. 
 
Witnesses of Boko Haram’s rampage have told media that the terrorist went house to house, pulling people out of their homes and killing them in the streets.
 
The jihadist group gained international notoriety in April 2014 by kidnapping almost 300 young girls from the Nigerian town of Chibok. Boko Haram is thought to now be using some of those kidnapped girls as suicide bombers. Two suicide bombings over the weekend at Nigerian marketplaces killed at least 19 people. The bombs were reportedly carried by girls as young as ten years old. 

NIGERIA

My Swedish Career: ‘You need to win the hearts of the Swedish people to be able to succeed’

After moving from Nigeria to Sweden, Arinze Prosper Emegoakor struggled with adapting to life in Sweden while staying true to his cultural roots. Now he's starting a business with the aim of telling stories about his African culture and identity - through socks.

Published: 7 February 2020 09:35 CET
Updated: 7 February 2020 16:35 CET
My Swedish Career: 'You need to win the hearts of the Swedish people to be able to succeed'
Photo: Maria Stenström

Arinze had tried living in Sweden before returning in 2011, but it was only on his second stint in the country that he felt able to settle down.

“When I was 20 years old, I travelled to the Netherlands and met my ex-wife there who is Swedish”, he recalls. “I lived in Sweden for a short period, but I couldn't stay. It was too difficult for me to adapt to the environment. But I came back, and since 2011 I have been living here in Malmö.”

After joining a kickboxing-gym in the southern city and going out every night to build a social life, Arinze joined the Pan African Movement for Justice. The organization aims for equality for people of African descent in Sweden, and it was here that he found a purpose in his adopted country.

“I got involved in the Pan African Movement for Justice and became a board member of that organization. That provided me with a strong network of people that motivated and educated me. These people are doing something positive in society. That started my journey in Sweden,” he says.

After moving, Arinze remembers struggling with his identity and finding a balance between staying connected to his roots and adapting to his new environment.

“Being raised in Africa and having lived most of my life in the western world, there was a constant struggle about what I believed in and who I was”, he notes.

“The environment in which I was raised and the Swedish norms are very different in terms of how people express [themselves] and how they see things. I want to be a contributor to this society. I don't want to sit and observe. How do I do that and still keep to my core values? How do I adapt and not attract any unnecessary attention? Being an African man while also being a member of Swedish society was hard at first.”

It was all about finding a comfortable balance, something he now thinks he's achieved: “What I did was accept who I am and who I have become. Through my journeys and my stay in Sweden, I've become a hybrid of culture and identity.”

“I cannot completely behave or act like I was in Africa because of the culture and norms in Sweden. But I still have my original values. I mixed my values with the norms of Swedish society. That is the balance.”

During his childhood in Nigeria, Arinze spent a lot of time with his grandmother, who he credits with introducing him to the power of storytelling.

“I found that the people don't usually say 'do not steal' or 'do not lie', but people tell you stories”, he says. “In this story, the thief will get what he deserves. There's a powerful message there. Through storytelling, you take up these values automatically.”

His roots in the Nigerian Igbo culture inspired Arinze to start his own sustainable bamboo sock company called Akụko. And he has put the power of storytelling at the core of the company.

Through the colourful collection of socks, he hopes to start conversations and tell the story of his culture.

“Through storytelling, movement and style esthetics, we make people curious to find out more”, he says. “The design of my first collection is inspired by a musical instrument called ogene, which is a kind of gong. In my village, it is used to call for meetings. When people want to call for a meeting they tell the town crier, and he will go around to play the ogene to gather people.”

Akụko isn't the first business Arinze has started. He learned valuable lessons after starting up an entertainment company for Afrobeat music in 2014.

“We had shows in Malmö and Stockholm. It was fun, but we failed financially”, he says. “I started to wonder: why did we fail? I found that the Swedish people aren't easily impressed, especially when you're an outsider. You have to be humble and connect to them. Win the heart of the people, connect with the society and community around your brand. Go for value and the money will come.”

Arinze hopes that his work on his second business, and its roots in his native culture, will inspire more people of African descent to follow their goals and dreams. “

If they want to start their own business they should go for it”, he says.

“They need to see more people who are like them doing positive things. We can inspire the next generation to do so, be role models. I have documented the blueprint of my journey, and I'm ready to share it with anyone that needs tips about how to crowdfund or how to start up a business. People can always contact me for support on how to realize your their goals in Sweden.”
 

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