In the tragedy of the kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria one may think that the Nigerian government and Boko Haram are on different sides of the matter - with Boko Haram blighting the futures of the girls while the Nigerian government want to give them a better future. This would not be an accurate way to see the two sides in this matter. The main difference between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram in this case is that the Nigerian government is not the direct or immediate perpetrator of the abductions. It should now be clear to all that just as Boko Haram does not appear to care about these girls so too does the government of Nigeria have no interest in their well-being. This is clearly seen in how the Nigerian government was only dragged by international attention to take the matter seriously. In this callousness, the Nigerian government is similar to Boko Haram.
There is, however, another striking similarity between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government: their anti-Western discourses. As many have pointed out, Boko Haram means Western education is forbidden. Thus, the group is staunchly anti-Western and its goal is to erase all Western influence in Nigeria by taking over the state and turning it into an Islamic state. This anti-Western stance is also demonstrated by the Nigerian government and, in fact, by many governments in Africa. This anti-Western stance stems from the historically asymmetrical relations that has existed between Africa and the West. In this context, African intellectuals and politicians have often advocated for African agency, the fact that Africans should take charge of their destiny rather than bowing to Western machinations. The Nigerian government's initial rejection of help from America to deal with the current tragedy should be placed within this context. African political and intellectual elite do not want to often be seen as being controlled by the West, at least not in public. Negotiating Africa's public relations with the West is still a significant problem in African studies and polities. This relation has to be carefully negotiated if legitimate governments would seem different from terrorist groups like Boko Haram.
There is, however, another striking similarity between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government: their anti-Western discourses. As many have pointed out, Boko Haram means Western education is forbidden. Thus, the group is staunchly anti-Western and its goal is to erase all Western influence in Nigeria by taking over the state and turning it into an Islamic state. This anti-Western stance is also demonstrated by the Nigerian government and, in fact, by many governments in Africa. This anti-Western stance stems from the historically asymmetrical relations that has existed between Africa and the West. In this context, African intellectuals and politicians have often advocated for African agency, the fact that Africans should take charge of their destiny rather than bowing to Western machinations. The Nigerian government's initial rejection of help from America to deal with the current tragedy should be placed within this context. African political and intellectual elite do not want to often be seen as being controlled by the West, at least not in public. Negotiating Africa's public relations with the West is still a significant problem in African studies and polities. This relation has to be carefully negotiated if legitimate governments would seem different from terrorist groups like Boko Haram.
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