Eremipagamo Amabebe is a writer, researcher, and editor currently based in Germany and the United States. She is interested in topics where politics, culture, and media intersect – in the past she has received grants to research Nigeria's “Nollywood” film industry and Germany's contemporary political cinema. She received her bachelor's degree from Columbia University, after which she spent a year as a visiting scholar at Humboldt University in Berlin and completed her master's in International Relations. Follow her on twitter here.
Latest posts by Eremipagamo Amabebe
Nigeria: A debate on pedophilia, Sharia law, and the ‘two’ Nigerias
The headline is tabloid-esque: "Nigerian senator marries 13-year-old girl". It refers to 49-year-old Ahmad Sani Yerima, whose marriage a few weeks ago has drawn criticism from around the country, playing into the divide between the Muslim north and Christian south of Nigeria.
Nigeria: “Enough is Enough!” youth march on the capital
On Tuesday, March 16, thousands of Nigerians marched on the capital, Abuja, to show their frustration with the woes that continue to besiege the country. This sort of protest has not been a common feature of the Nigerian political scene, at least not in this decade, though the demonstration is one of several that have taken place this year.
Nigeria: Jos erupts in violence again
In Jos, conflict seems to recur in ever-narrowing cycles: deadly riots rocked the city in 1994, 2001, 2008, and, not even two months ago, in January 2010. The current conflict is said to have begun in reprisal for the destruction that occurred in January, and, like the previous riots, has been fought along sectarian lines.
Nigeria: After the President's return, bloggers question who's in charge
Only two weeks after Goodluck Jonathan's long-anticipated confirmation as Acting President, ailing President Yar'Adua was stealthily flown back to Abuja after more than two months abroad. For most observers, the President's return raised more questions than it answered.
Nigeria: After two leaderless months, a new Acting President
After weeks of political wrangling, the Nigerian Senate confirmed Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President. Many in the blogosphere saw the event as cause for celebration, but others saw reason for concern, pointing out that although Jonathan's assumption of power might be a political necessity, it is not explicitly endorsed by the Nigerian Constitution.
Nigeria: Bloggers discuss the massacre in Jos
On January 17th, violence erupted in the central Nigerian city of Jos. In the following hours, reports of the conflict spread as witnesses reported mobs armed with knives and machetes roving among burning houses, mosques, and churches. The conflict is ostensibly sectarian: Jos is a major city along Nigeria's “Middle Belt” – the fault line which divides the country's Christian-majority south from its Muslim-majority north.
Nigeria: Nigerian bloggers take on would-be bomber Umar Abdulmutallab
On December 25th, the world was taken by surprise when news broke that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian citizen, had nearly succeeded in detonating explosives on a Northwest Airlines flight between Amsterdam and Detroit. At first, many Nigerians reacted with shock and disbelief, some even doubting whether Abdulmutallab was truly a Nigerian.
After COP15 Copenhagen: Reactions from the African blogosphere
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen received broad media coverage. Many analysts have indicated that nations in Africa and the developing world stand to lose most heavily if global warming continues unchecked, yet the African blogosphere has been relatively quiet on the subject.
Nigeria: Bloggers debate Nigeria's negative image
It's well known that Nigeria has an image problem – 419 Internet scams, corruption, oil piracy in the Delta region – for many people, these are the associations that come to mind when Africa's most populous country is mentioned.
