Ochanya is,
Ochanya is a girl,
young and fragile
once whole and agile
now carries herself in pieces
with care lest she rest in peace
Ochanya is a fortress
Betrayed by her protectors
Petrified in terror of her invaders
She weeps and fades away in silence
her essence seeps into nothingness
Ochanya will not speak
Because her voice was silenced
Mother does not believe her
Society calls her a liar
The traitors promise to kill her
If she ever, ever speaks of things
that should never be heard of
Ochanya believes that someday
This violence will become a tale
She will walk away and hide from the world, no…
She will become stronger
and murder her killer
A thousand times and more
One for every time he killed her spirit
One for every time he robbed her innocence
One for every time he rubbed his dirt on her, no..
She will fast and pray till God forgives her sins
she will hang dirty linen where they will be seen
Ochanya does not know
That silence costs her future
That she will not die for speaking
That she will not grow in silence
That she should not live in silence
She only knows
A world too busy to see her pain
Too broken to gather her pieces
Too blinded to see the truth about her
Too angry to show her compassion
Too selfish to fight for another
Ochanya is, Ochanya is
A stranger, a daughter,
a sister, a mother,
and she could be yours
Ochanya is,
Queen of ladies
Protect her crown
Fight for her…
Justice for her is victory for all.
For Ochanya Ogbanje (2005-2018), and for all victims of sexual assault.
-Esieboma Oghenerobo Joy
Precisely nice. I lend my voice to this campaign.