Standtall: Let's meet you? Chioma: I never know how to answer this question. My name is Chioma Ogwuegbu, I am female. My current occupation is travelling. I am travelling around Africa by road with my sister, Oluchi Ogwuegbu. We plan to visit 30 countries in Africa and we’re currently in our 5th country, The Gambia.
Standtall: What inspired this your decision to see Africa by road?
Chioma: It’s a mix of many things, my love for travelling, my desire to see Africa and my friend who is doing a similar trip around the world.
Standtall: How many months will this trip last for?
Chioma: The plan is to travel for 12 months, but from the look of things it might be a bit longer. We have visited 5 countries in 3 months, so if you do the maths, you’ll see that we need more than a year to do the trip.
The left image is from Burkina/ the right is from Senegal
Standtall: What have you learnt so far?
Chioma: This sounds like a cliché but it’s true, Africa’s greatest asset is her people.
Standtall: Any challenges?
Chioma: The main challenge has been crossing the borders; those immigrations officials have been trying to drive me crazy. If you’re going to do this trip, that’s one thing you have to be aware of but once you get past them, the whole adventure becomes worthwhile.
Standtall: How do you get funding for this trip
Chioma: The main funds have come from our savings, the rest has come from friends who believe in the dream and have been moved to donate. We have tried to show that it’s possible for young people to do this trip without having to rob the bank. Still, we welcome any donations and would like to have some kind of sponsorship.
Standtall: What's next after this trip?
Chioma: Another trip, this time with more people and all of them working with different media, i.e. film, photography, painting etc with the same message, Celebrate Africa. It’s going to be bigger than this one. We are also planning to start an African Travellers Network, where Africans interested in travelling can connect and support one another by providing basics like accommodation and a contact when you travel anywhere in Africa.
Image from Mali
Standtall: Can you share your ideology about life with us?
Chioma: Well I don’t know it’s really an ideology but I do believe that I am responsible for whatever happens to me and that I can create the life that I want. If I have a dream then I am going to do everything possible to live that dream. Nothing is impossible, just believe it and work towards it, it will be true for you. I also think that life is meant to be joyous and filledif with love and laughter, life is not hard.
Standtall: Where will you like to be in the next 5 yrs?
Chioma: Still travelling, still celebrating and still living life to the full.
Standtall: What’s your opinion about gender equality and women empowerment as part of MDGs goals?
Chioma: You know I worked in women’s development for 5 years so I am very partial to issues of gender equality. I believe that everybody has a right to be treated equally and that there should be an equal access to opportunities. I don’t even know why it’s an MDG, because you would think that everybody would just get it.
Standtall: Is Nigeria doing enough to attain this goal?
Chioma: Honestly, if you look at the efforts of civil society in Nigeria, and even the efforts of some individuals, you would say Nigeria is doing a lot. Then someone like Senator Ekaette comes along with her nudity bill and you begin to wonder if we’re still in the Iron Age. Our work is not done yet, everyone of us has a responsibility as Nigerians to ensure that women’s human rights are protected.
Standtall: Any last word?
Chioma: Thank you so much, Standtall for all your support and love, I am grateful to you and to many other people who have shown us so much support. When we decided to do this trip, it was just some silly girls dreaming but the overwhelming support has shown that we are on the right path. Thank you, thank you, thank you…
Standtall: You are welcome Chioma, you are a role model and an inspiration to us all
