Popular Nigerian poet and writer Lola Shoneyin has shared her own tale of sexual harassment in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Shoneyin who is the founder of the annual Ake Arts and Book Festival revealed how her dad’s friend who is a Deputy Vice-Chancellor of a Nigerian University harassed her in his office by hitting her breast.
“For months, I felt terrible shame,” she said as she narrated on social media.
Her reaction was prompted by the trendy investigative documentary by BBC Africa Eye, dubbed ‘Sex for Grades’, which exposed two senior lecturers in prominent universities in West Africa – the University of Lagos and the University of Ghana.
Since the documentary was released it has sparked outrage on social media as many Nigerians have been sharing their experiences of sexual harassment.
Shoneyin also took to Twitter to add her voice to the trending topic as she said she was terrified by the DVC’s action.
She, however, did not disclose the name of her abuser and the name of the university where the incident happened.
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Shoneyin wrote via her verified handle @lolashoneyin:
A DVC (also my dad’s friend) lunged at my breasts in his office. I froze from shock before flinging off his hand. For months, I felt terrible shame. Played the scene over in my mind to see what I could’ve done to invite such a violation. Nothing. I told my dad and he was furious!
— Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn (@lolashoneyin) October 7, 2019
She added:
My dad slapped his chest and said, ‘Omo re mi!’ (my own child in Remo). He felt so betrayed. To be honest, I told my parents because I felt a stomach-turning combination of shame and fear. I believed the man was capable of turning up at my door.
“It was very hard. And very embarrassing. There are loads of experiences that I didn’t share/ haven’t shared with them though. How many stories will I recount?
“A big part of my shame was that I froze from shock for about 3 seconds. I, therefore, had to live with the lingering sensation of this man’s palm on my breast for weeks. I felt so dirty. I wish I’d slapped him. I wish I’d screamed. But I didn’t. I was terrified.”
