Date:
Location:
"Getting Justice for the #EndSARS Movement, and the Future of Civil Resistance in Nigeria"
Speaker:
Obianuju Catherine Udeh (DJ Switch), Nigerian disk jockey, musician, and creative producer.
Contacts:
Jacob Olupona
Olupona@fas.harvard.edu
Darren Kew
Darren.kew@umb.edu
Co-sponsored by UMass Boston's Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development (CPDD).
This event is online only. Please click the "Read More" link for full instructions on how to attend this seminar.
Remote Access Information:
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Abstract:
After taking part in Nigeria’s #EndSARS protests in October 2020, popular entertainer Dj Switch and her colleagues caught global attention for their efforts to gain justice for victims after Nigerian security forces opened fire and sought to cover up the atrocities. She will discuss her ongoing efforts to shed public light on the #EndSARS events, and her thoughts on how such pro-democracy movements can be sustained and developed. After livestreaming the Nigerian army’s violent repression of peaceful protesters at Lekki Toll Gate in October 2020, DJ Switch has faced death threats, accusations of manufacturing video content, and calls for arrest. She intends to develop creative social media content to engage citizens in advocating for human rights and democracy in Nigeria, and to build an organization around #RenovateNigeria to hold trainings on democracy and human rights at the grassroots level. #RenovateNigeria is a social media campaign she launched on Instagram in June 2020 to call attention to the National Assembly’s misplaced budget priorities and corrupt practices.
Speaker Bio:
DJ Switch (Obianuju Catherine Udeh) is a Nigerian disk jockey, musician, and creative producer who has utilized her platform to increase public awareness of violence against peaceful protesters in the #EndSARS movement. An accomplished artist, she is the winner of several musical competitions, including the Redbull 3Style North/West Africa Regional Championship (2019), X Factor West Africa (2013), and STARQUEST (2008). In addition to her mainstream musical success, she has also gained recognition for using her music to draw attention to social and political issues in Nigeria, notably in the songs “Pray SOTE,” “Nigeria Unite,” and the parody “Don’t Cry for Me Nigeria.” Most recently, she was named “Culture Icon” of the year 2020 by Nigerian website YNaija, and was featured in Time magazine for her participation in the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria.
