Mothers of Chibok | Encounters SA International Doc Film Festival
13 PG
Feature
African

African Premiere

Mothers of Chibok Official Poster Poster
Film Poster

This tenderly directed film looks at the lives of the mothers whose children were abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Northern Nigeria. Although Boko Haram means ‘Western education is forbidden’, it’s effectively an injunction against any formal education. These women are defiant and will continue educating their remaining childrenโ€”regardless of the personal sacrifices it might require. The film follows them about their lives as they grow their cash crops, attend to the needs of their family, and wait, with constant hope, for the return of their kidnapped childrenโ€”along with the young children that they have been forced to bear. When, after much waiting, one of the kidnapped women is returned to her mother, the celebration of her return is muted by the questions that all the other women have about news of their still-missing children. Mothers of Chibok celebrates the warmth, strength, and resilience of these remarkable women. It is a testament to the love, devotion and self-sacrifice of mothers everywhere.

Supported by Al Jazeera Documentary Channel

Guests

Director: Joel Kachi Benson

Press Comments
The kidnapping of more than 200 girls from a school in northern Nigeria in 2014 by Islamic fundamentalist group Boko Haram grabbed international attention. A decade later, with more than half of the girls still not returned and the world’s attention long directed elsewhere, director Joel “Kachi” Benson’s tender and inspirational documentary examines the effects of this tragedy on a group of Chibok mothers who, while they hope for the return of their daughters, struggle to survive and ensure that their other children don’t lose hope in the value of education to offer them better lives. While the terrible and traumatic events of a decade before continue to hurt, the stories of these mothers offer a tribute to resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity and the courage that makes them not victims but heroes.
— Tymon Smith, Business Day (Friday, 13th June 2025)