Politics 9 Questions About Nigeria You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask - VOX

[Vunderkind]

One month after the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped 300 girls, international attention is broadening to larger issues in Nigeria, and how they relate to the crisis. For Nigerians and expert Nigeria-watchers, these connections are well-known. But you may find yourself wondering: why is this group fighting the government in the first place? What does the country's Christian-Muslim divide have to do with it? What about the oil? What's the backstory here, and what are the larger forces at work?

What follows are the most basic answers to your most basic questions. Giant, neon-lit disclaimer: these issues are complicated and contentious, and this is not an exhaustive or definitive account of Nigeria's history or its problems today. But it's a place to start.

Here are the questions:
1. What is Nigeria?
2. Nigeria is a country with so much. Why does it have all these problems?
3. Why is there tension between Nigeria's Christians and Muslims?
4. So this tension caused Islamic extremist groups like Boko Haram?
5. There's much more to Nigeria than just this. Can we take a music break?
6. What is Boko Haram?
7. But why would Boko Haram kidnap 300 girls?
8. I hear Nigeria has a lot of oil. Is that playing a role in the Boko Haram conflict?
9. I skipped to the bottom. What's going to happen next?

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Source: #VOX