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NigerianSearchandRescue
By:SteveBreen
SanDiegoUnionTribune
5/11/14

ThecartoonistiscriticizingtheNigeriangovernmentofbeingnegligentinitssearchforthe276
girlskidnappedbytheterroristgroupBokoHaram.Theeventthatinspiredthecartoonisthe
kidnappingoftheNigerianschoolgirls.TheNigeriangovernment,representedbyitssearchandrescue
team,isdepictedascarelessintheirsearchforthegirls.Inthecartoontheartistssentimentis
representedbythetruckbeingparkedoutsideadonutshopinsteadofontheroadsearchingforthe
girls.Iagreewiththeartistsopinionthatthegovernmenthasbeenlaxinitssearch.TheNigerian
governmenthasahistoryofcarelessness,especiallyinitsnorthernareas.Whenthenewsfirstcameout
aboutthekidnapping,thegovernmentgavethepressdifferentnumbersofhowmanygirlshadbeen
taken.Lateron,itmadetheclaimthatithadhelpedsomeofthegirlsescaped,butitwasrevealedthat
thegirlsescapedontheirown.AdditionallywhensomeactivistswenttogomeettheNigerianfirstlady
aboutthekidnapping,theywerearrested.TheartististryingtoevokeangertowardstheNigerian
governmentsothattheywouldmakemoreofanefforttofindthegirls.Theartisthasliberalleanings
shownthroughhiseffortsofraisingawarenessforthegirls.
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BokoHaram
By:JonathanShapiro
TheTimes
5/15/14

ThecartoonistisstatingthatBokoHaramisthenotonlyoneoppressingthekidnappedgirls,
buttheNigeriangovernmenthasaswell.Theeventthatinspiredthecartoonisthekidnappingofthe
Nigerianschoolgirlsbytheterroristgroup,BokoHaram.Anotherwaytointerpretthecartoonis
perceivingtheNigeriangovernmentasanaccompliceinthekidnappingbynotmakingmoreofaneffort
tosearchforthegirls.InthecartoonagirlispresentedasprisonerbehindthebarsofNigeriawhile
havingthethreatofdeathbeheldoverherheadbyBokoHaram.Iagreewiththelatersentiment,but
notmuchwiththefirst.PriortothekidnappingtheNigeriangovernmenthasbeenignoringthemandhas
notinterferedwiththeireducationoranyotherpartoftheirlife.Whilethegovernmentcouldbe
consideredasanaccomplicebecausethiscouldhavebeenpreventedifthegovernmenthadmademore
ofacontinuousefforttostoppingBokoHaramsactions.Thecartoonististryingtoraiseawareness
aboutthegirlsandthegovernmentthanevokeemotionsfromtheaudience.Thecartoondepictsthe
artistasapersonwithliberalpoliticalleaningstowardsthisissuebecauseheisberatingtheNigerian
governmentandtryingtoraiseawarenessforthegirls.
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HashtagActivism
By:EricAllie
5/14/11
cagle.com

Thecartoonistiscriticizingthegeneralpublicfornottakingactionwhenitisneededthemost.
TheeventthatinspiredthecartoonisthekidnappingoftheNigerianschoolgirlsandthepublicityithas
receivedallovertheworld.Withtheriseinpublicityovervarioussocialnetworkingsites,therewasthe
creationofitsownhashtag,whichisusedpredominantlyinthecartoon.Theartistismakingthe
statementthatpeoplenowadaysbelievetheyarehelpingbyspreadingtheword,butaretotally
ignorantofwhatishappeningrightinfrontofthem.Inthecartoonthereisawomanbeingattackedand
peopleinanearbyapartmentbuildingawareoftheattack,butrefusingtohelpher.Insteadthese
peopleareontheirsocialnetworkingsites#DoingSomethingtohelppreventfutureattacks.Iagree
withthecartoonistssentimentthattherearesomepeople,notall,thatbelievethattheyareactivistby
makingonecomment,butnevertakinganyrealaction.Thecartoonrevealstheartistasacynicwho
believesthatthemajorityofthepopulationisdominatedbythekindsofpeoplehedepicts.Therelation
betweenthecartoonandtheNigerianaffair,isthatthepublicisjustmakingapassingcommentabout
theseschoolgirlsandnottakingactiontodosomethingtosavethem.Thecartoondepictstheartistwith
personalbiasesaboutapatheticpeoplecanbe.

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TheRealWaronWomen
By:GaryVarel
5/11/14
IndianapolisStar

Thecartoonistissayingthepublicandthegovernmentshouldfocusonthemoreextreme
injusticesbeingdonetowomenthanthesmalleronespeoplehavebeenfighting.Theeventthatinspired
thecartoonisthekidnappingtheNigerianschoolgirls.Inthecartoonasoldier,mostlikelyAbubakar
Shekau,theleaderoftheterroristgroup,isdepictedholdingBokoHaramsmanifesto.Inthecartoon
heisalsostatingthathesellswomen,representinghumantraffickers.Idonotagreewiththe
cartoonistssentimentbecause,thewaythecartoonispresented,makesitseemthathewantsthe
governmentsandpublicscompleteattentiontowardsthebiggerinjustices.Itwouldbebetteritthereis
awaytosparesomeattentiontothesmallerinjusticestowardswomeninourowncountrybecausewe
needtobeabletohelpourselvesbeforewecanhelpothers.Thecartoondepictstheartistasaperson
withconservativeleaningsbecauseheistryingtodivertattentionawaytotheprominentinjusticesof
othercountries.Theartististryingtoevokeangertowardstheperpetratorsofthetheseinjustices,like
AbubakarShekau.

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BokoHaram
By:BobEnglehart
5/7/14
HartfordCourant

Thecartoonististryingtocriticizetheterroristgroup,BokoHaram,ofbeingafraidofeducated
girls.ThecartoonisinspiredbythekidnappingoftheNigerianschoolgirls.Inthecartoontheartist
depictsafemalegraduateholdingherdiploma,representingeducatedfemales.Thenrightnexttoheris
asoldier,labelledasIslamistterrorists,callinghertheenemy.Theartististryingtoshowhowthe
soldiersareintimidatedbytheseschoolgirlsand,indesperation,decidedtokidnapthem.Idoagree
withtheartistssentimentbecauseoneofthereasonswhyBokoHaramwouldkidnapthegirlsisthat
theybelieveditwentagainsttheirreligiontohavegirlswhocouldthinkforthemselves.Theyareafraid
thattheycannotcontinuetheirdominationovertheseeducatedgirls,sotheylikethemtoremain
uneducated.Thatcartoondepictstheartistasapersonwithliberalleaningsbecausetheyare
advocatingthatgirlsshouldbegivenaeducationandtherightsthatcomewithit.Thecartoonis
intendedtobeironicbecauseitshowsaterrorist,withhisgunandbullets,consideringaneducated
womantheenemy,comparedtoentirenationstheyhavemadeastheirenemy.

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Nigeria
By:JoeHeller
5/7/14
GreenBayPressGazette

Thecartoonististryingtocriticizetheterroristgroup,BokoHaram,ofbeingignorantofthe
reactionitisevokingfromtheinternationalaudience.Theeventthatinspiredthecartoonisthe
kidnappingtheNigerianschoolgirls.BokoHaramsleaderAbubakarShekau,representingallNigerian
Islamistterrorists,isdepictedinthecartoonduringoneofhisspeeches.Anotherobjectidentifiedinthe
cartoonisaarmedmilitaryairplanelabelledU.S.andWorldReactionrepresentingtheinevitable
campaignbyvariouscountriestodestroytheIslamicextremistgroup.Idoagreewiththesentimentthat
BokoHaramisbeingignorantofbacklashthatwillcomeaftermakingashowofhowtheykidnapped
thegirls.Additionallythepublicitythegrouphasgarneredoverthepastfewweekswillonlyspuron
variouscountriestoeradicatethegroup.Thecartoondepictstheartistasapersonwithconservative
politicalleaningsbecauseofhispredictionandopinionthatmilitaryforcewillandshouldbeusedto
retrievethegirls.

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Asawhole,thecollectionofcartoons,istryingtoraiseawarenessforthekidnappedNigerian
schoolgirls.ThoughsomealsotriestocriticizeBokoHaramforkidnappingthegirls,theNigerian
governmentfortheirinactivity,orthepublicfortheiractivism.Thecartoonsdemonstratesthatthe
U.S.andtheinternationalcommunityagreewitheachotherthatthesegirlsneedstobereturnedhome
andthattheterroristgroupneedstobestopped,aviewthateverycartoonshared.Consideringthe
topic,itisvirtuallyimpossibletofindanewssourcethatwouldpromotethekidnappingand
imprisonmentoftheschoolgirls.
Thesecartoonsdidnotchangemyprioropinioninanyway,insteadtheyreinforcedmybelief
thatsomethingneedstobedonetoreturnthesegirls.Alternatively,Iwasabletocreatenewopinions
fromthesecartoons,suchasthatthepublicshouldstopraisingtheirawarenessontheirsocial
networkingsitesandact,protest,anythingthatcreatechangefaster.Myopinionissharedbythe
majoritysbecausemanypeoplearoundtheworldwantstoseetheschoolgirlshomesafelyratherthan
harmed.
Eventhoughthesecartoonsdoesaddressamoreobviouseventortopic,thecartoonistsusesit
asasteppingstonetoaddressasmallerissue.Forexampleinthefirstcartoon,NigerianSearchand
Rescue,thereisthebigsignnotifyingpeoplethatthegirlsaremissing,butofftothesideitalso
addressestheinefficiencyoftheNigeriangovernment.Thisactionthecartoonisttakessetsthemessage
andtoneofthecartoon.ForinstancetheHashtagActivismcartooniscynicalinitsdepictionofthe
publicasapatheticcreatures,whilethefirstcartoonwasscathinginitscriticismoftheNigerian
government.Asaresultofbeingpresentedtwoissuessimultaneously,Ilearnedaboutothertopicsthat
Ididntthinkwerecloselyrelatedtothekidnapping.IntheRealWaronWomen,Iwasnotexpecting
tobepresentedwithhumantraffickingalongsidewithterrorism.