Ten Biafran children, fifty years later : The unforeseen consequences of emergency aid during the civil war in Nigeria
GRP ID Lecture and Photo Exhibition by Marie Louise Schipper, Journalist from the Netherlands
Wednesday 21 November, 2018
4.30pm - 6pm
PAIS Common Room, 3rd Floor, Social Sciences Building
Marie Louise Schipper is a well-known Dutch journalist, who currently writes culinary columns for the Netherlands' second daily newspaper, de Volkskrant. She writes about old and new trends in the field of losing weight and health, along with diets and scientific developments.
Marie Louise is most famously known for her book,"Goede bedoelingen, de onvoorziene gevolgen van internationale noodhulp" (Good Intentions, the unforeseen consequences of emergency aid) which was published in 2017. Marie Louise writes about the suffering of thousands of Nigerian children that awakened a lot of emotions in Europe in 1968. These children came from Biafra, the name of a rebellious province in the south. They were victims of the Nigeria-Biafra war and their fate was even seen on television, for the first time in history, with their photo’s also appearing in newspapers and magazines. Historians have estimated that 1-2 million people died during this time.
Specifically, Marie Louise's work focuses on ten Biafran children that were transferred to the Netherlands in 1968 to recover from the consequences of the war and receive medical aid. It was the first major relief action for Africa and there was immense media attention around it as well. Marie Louise reconstructed what has become of these children, which has resulted in an appalling reconstruction about Dutch involvement during a turning point in African history.
Marie Louise will be displaying photographs of these ten children during their stay in the Netherlands in a small exhibition on the day as well. So please do join us, for this absolutely exciting and insightful exhibition and lecture by registering your place below.
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