Why Ummi Bukar’s ‘Uprooted’ film isn’t just another Boko Haram tale

A new documentary film spins the yarn of North-Eastern Nigerian women, and how the aftermath of Boko Haram insurgency is seeing them switch some roles with their husbands. When my invitation for the screening of Paged Initiatives ‘Uprooted’, by filmmaker Ummi Bukar arrived, one thought came to mind: it’s another ‘Boko Haram and its victims’ […]

A new documentary film spins the yarn of North-Eastern Nigerian women, and how the aftermath of Boko Haram insurgency is seeing them switch some roles with their husbands.

When my invitation for the screening of Paged Initiatives ‘Uprooted’, by filmmaker Ummi Bukar arrived, one thought came to mind: it’s another ‘Boko Haram and its victims’ story. I was wrong.  

Fast-forward to July 3, the D-day. Thought Pyramid Arts Centre was packed full, and after grabbing some bites and a drink, everyone settled for a jolly good time. Well, not quite, I quickly remembered I wasn’t there to watch ‘Wedding Party 3’ but a ‘Boko Haram and its victims’ film.  

I speak and understand the Hausa language, so getting the drift of the film wasn’t supposed to be a problem. But it was sometimes, particularly when the central characters spoke. This was when I quickly remembered to rely on the subtitles, and I wasn’t disappointed. Unlike many Nigerian-made productions, the translation was very good.

‘Uprooted’, directed by Ummi Bukar, Ilse Van Lamoen Isoun and edited by Ummi Yakubu, tells the stories of four women in Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria. It began from the point when the Boko Haram terrorist group’s beef was only with security forces, before the devastating war that changed civilians’ lives forever. 

The women, Halima Bukar, Ruth Stevens, Hadiza Mustapha and Zainab Hamidu were all typical rural Borno women. Some of them were in school and life evolved for them, from being single to married women.  

Then Boko Haram began to strike.

At a point, the women were separated from their husbands, and life meant living in Internally Displaced People’s camp. But instead of this being the death of their dreams it became the beginning. 

The four women all desired different things. Ruth had wanted to work, but her husband thought not. The other women faced similar challenges. Their lives revolved around their homes, taking care of their children and husbands. But the terrorists’ activities changed everything. This was where I knew I wasn’t watching another Boko Haram and its victims’ documentary.

The ‘Uprooted’ documentary shows how a time of war and hunger can change how people think or reason. What used to be ‘taboo’ becomes ingenuity, what once appeared to be abnormal turns productive. This is the story of Halima, Ruth, Hadiza, and Zainab.

These women later play significant roles in their societies. Mrs. Bukar becomes a successful kolanut and charcoal seller, Mrs. Stevens, a food seller, Mrs. Mustapha, an NGO volunteer, and Mrs. Hamidu, a member of the Civilian JTF. 

Their husbands now look beyond their wives’ genders as they themselves take on roles they formally saw as strictly for women. They take care of the children, sweep and clean the house, and most of all, they support their women like never before.  

‘Uprooted’ is supported by The Embassy of Netherlands and is set to be used for sensitisation and advocacy purposes across Nigeria, by building awareness and promoting acceptance of women’s changing gender roles among a variety of audiences.