“I lost my dearest friend to domestic violence in Port Harcourt.” — Stephanie ‘Calabar Chic’ Isuma.
Calabar Chic brought back memories that hurt deeply. She shared with me on #WithChude show how she kept run away from Port Hacourt. It was indeed a place of negative memories for her. She recalls that Port Hacourt remains where she was brutally raped, assaulted, and then lost her dear soul sister, who was beaten to death by her husband.
She has since then taken to her heels far away from Port Harcourt.
Coming to Lagos to thrive, Calabar Chic says she had to go through hard times, but she made up her mind unrepentantly never to return to Port Harcourt.
Calabar chic says:
Calabar Chic: As a 14 year old, I was sexually assaulted, brutalized, beaten, and a guy had his way with me.
I was just a teenager. So dealing with all that, I felt that this town has taken from me, coupled with the fact that I lost my friend, who was the only person I could confide in. I don’t have a sister, so that was like my sister, and she died because of domestic violence while I was in Port Harcourt.
Chude: How old were you then?
Calabar Chic: I had just started my youth service. This was around 2013/ 2014.
She was young, but she died at the hands of her husband. So, I felt that the town had really messed me up, then I ran to Lagos.
Chude: Did you have anyone in Lagos?
Calabar Chic: My elder brother at the time was in Lagos. I stayed for a while, and then I went back to Port Harcourt. I needed to go back home, and my parents kept calling me to come back because they felt I was doing nothing in Lagos. They wanted me to come back and get a job. I had never pictured myself working in an office or for anybody. I just love the creative space, and I just wanted to do something in that space. When they said come back home, I had nowhere to go, no accommodation, ah I saw Shege in this Lagos. I slept in offices, on the tables. I would lay a cloth on the table and sleep on it. In the morning, I will leave the office so they can resume for work.
Chude: You were doing this because you didn’t want to go back to the village?
Calabar Chi: I said ‘all die na die, I go dey here this Lagos. I’m not going back., so I stayed.
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