I reflect the times that we’re in, the challenges we face, says ‘Mothers of Chibok’ documentarist, Benson

By Godwin Okondo

THE 2025 edition of iRep International Documentary Film Festival opened both lovers of films, especially the documentary film format, on Thursday, March 27, at Alliance Française, Ikoyi, Lagos. It drew a large gathering of filmmakers, scholars, media professionals, and policymakers to explore the power of documentary storytelling.

With ‘Freedom: Rights and Responsibility’, as theme, the festival explored the delicate balance between personal liberties—such as freedom of speech and artistic expression, autonomy, and economic aspirations—and the role of governments and institutions in regulating these rights for public safety and national security. It also tackled the growing concerns of misinformation and disinformation in an age where social media that accelerates the spread of narratives, often blurring the lines between fact and fiction.

Through a mix of screenings, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, the 4-day festival that ends tomorrow, Sunday, March 30, 2025 provides a platform for critical conversations about the responsibilities that come with freedoms in today’s increasingly interconnected world.

One of the films screened was Mothers of Chibok by Joel ‘Kachi Benson, a follow-up to his 2019 short film, Daughters of Chibok. The documentary follows four Nigerian mothers through a farming season as they cope with the lingering emotional and social impact of the Boko Haram abduction of their daughters. Through their stories, the film provides an intimate portrayal of their resilience, faith, and enduring hope despite years of suffering. Some of the mothers documented attended the premiere with their children, including Mama Yana, who has headed the Chibok community for over 11 years. The film sheds light on the emotional and social burdens carried by the mothers as they continue to navigate life after the abduction of their daughters.

Speaking on the availability of the film in cinemas, Benson said, “We are still having conversations. It’s such an important story that it cannot be restricted to just this room. At the time that it happened, it was a global story. It is still a global story when you zoom out of Chibok and just talk about issues around gender and all that. It’s a global story and it deserves to be somewhere and we hope that we can figure that out. Right now, it’s through the film festival. Conversations have been had, and by all means, if there is anyone in the room who has tye answers to the rooms where we can have this kind of conversation, we are very open to that.”

Benson also spoke about the cultural ambience of the production, the film’s theme song, its producer by one of the best music producers in the country and why it’s such an important part of the work’s creative flow.

“In terms of the music, those who know me know that music has always been a part of me, but I remember one time, I was in the farm with Mama Yana,” he told the enthusiastic film audience. “They always sing in the farm while working. It sort of breaks the drudgery of the work. I’m standing with my guys in the sun and I’m tired, and these women are hacking and singing. There’s this song that she sang, and I asked what it meant, and I said to myself that this song will be the theme song of this film, whenever we get there.

“So, Cobhams Asuquo did the music for the film. I reached out to him, and I said we’re making a second film and I need you to do the music. It’s interesting for some of us who know that Cobhams is visually impaired, and he’s making a soundtrack for us. It was an interesting process and I had faith, and I knew he was the one to make the music for the film, and as they say, the rest is history.”

Divisional Head, Conglomerates, Fidelity Bank Plc Nnenna Kayode-Lawal (left); filmaker Joel ‘Kachi Benson; lead protagonist in Mothers of Chibok Yana Galang; business consultant, leadership expert, politician, and motivational speaker Fela Durotoye… in Lagos PHOTO: LEKAN ADEDEJI

The docu-filmmaker also spoke about the story focusing only on mothers rather than fathers, noting, “The mothers of Chibok are the glue of the community, and we captured what we saw and experienced. Again, when I go into telling a story, I’m very intentional. From the beginning, I knew what I wanted to tell. This is a story about the strength and courage of a mother. The fathers are there, but for me, my focus is on the mothers. When you come into the church, mothers are the most colorfully dressed, they are the loudest, they are the ones singing. The men are there, but visually women are more interesting.”

Also reinforcing Benson’s creative insight was Mama Yana who said, “In Chibok, we are the power of the house, because the men left us to look after the children, the school fees and other things. This is how we live our life in Chibok. As you saw in the film, the men are playing cards, while the women are in the church.”

Benson also gave insight into his craft as a cinematographer, saying, “I had two directors of photography, and then I had three camera operators that worked with them very closely. So what we did was that in the first trip, we used that to set the visual language of the film, because we were going to make multiple trips and not everyone would be available. So, I had five guys that understood the visual language of the film, and the style. It’s a documentary, we shot over three years. We can’t keep anyone on a retainership. If something happens, like when we got the news that one of the girl had been found, and she was related to Lydia, and we had to make a quick trip. I was in Lagos when I got the call. The girl that was found was Lydia’s sister. What are the odds that she was connected to someone in the film? So, we had to quickly scramble and travel down to Maiduguri. We were in Maiduguri for two weeks waiting for a phone call before she’ll be able to see her sister.

He said he took time to embed himself and his crew into the psyche of Chibok community before filming. And by the time camera started rolling, it seemed liked a family affair, because he had gained the trust of the community and they weren’t seen as foreigners who’d come to invade their commuity.

“I started going to Chibok in 2018,” Benson revealed. “I’ve been to Chibok more times than I can count, and the intention was to build trust, because I genuinely care about these people and I really want to know their story. And so we spent weeks, months getting to know them before the camera ever came on. So, at that point, by the time we started filming, it felt as though a family member was filming them.

“It was an ethnographic approach we took, which is to embed ourself and just be there, and so we go there and spend a few weeks. There were times we went without a camera. We just go there and sit down with them and just talk and follow them to the farm.

“Making documentaries the way I like to make them is really a labour of love, and you just have to be committed to it. You can’t just pop in and pop out. The thing is that with a story like this, it’s very easy because of the risk factor and the cost. You can’t just pop in and pop out; if you do that, you don’t go beneath the surface. It’s in those ungathered moments that you begin to find stuff that happens.”

He also spoke about the factor of natural elements playing a part in the production, how he’d had to wait for rain to fall, so he could shoot, how exhuasting physically and financially it was, but a rewarding experience all the same.

According to him, “I remember the rainfall. We were waiting for rain for like three weeks. My money was running out, so I was just sending everyone back and I left one person. Two days later, he called me and said, ‘Oga, rain!’ I asked, ‘did you shoot it?’ and he said, ‘yes’. That’s how it is.”

Benson also revealed the inner agenda that drives his storytelling cinematic art, saying it’s about reflecting the times he lives and documenting it for posterity.

“The most important thing I’ve learnt as a storyteller is that you must always have an agenda,” he said. “I have an agenda, and it’s to reflect the times that we’re in. It’s also very important for me, that even as I reflect the challenges that we face as a people, we are also showing the strength of my people as well. I try to tell balanced stories. I feel like, just like every other form of art, it’s to reflect the times.”

A grateful Mama Yana comunicated Chibok’s appreciation to the filmmaker, Benson, who she said Chibok has adopted as their ‘son’ for the expository film work that will ensure Chibok and the tragedy that befell the community in 2014 is immortalised in a work of art that has the power to glo global.

“We from Chibok really appreciate everybody here in this hall, especially our son, Joel,” Mama Yana said. “This man is our son! Chibok’s son. We really appreciate him, how he showed us love. May God bless him. May God bless each and everybody here!”