16/09/2026
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, OYINBO'S LEAKED POSTCARD SPARKED NATION-WIDE OUTRAGE
In 1961 Margery Michelmore landed in Nigeria from the United States as a United Nations Peace Corps volunteer, they arrived for a week-long training at the University of Ibadan, Margery who was 22 at the time was a native of Foxboro, she graduated from Smith College, and later earned her master of arts degree from Columbia University.
During her stay she wrote a postcard to a friend back home that noted the country's "squalor and absolutely primitive living conditions." Before the postcard was mailed it was found by a leftist Nigerian student who, offended by its contents, proceeded to distribute copies of it all over campus. Crowds gathered; riots ensued. Peace Corps staff, fearing for Michelmore's safety, whisked her out of the country. But the Associated Press had already picked up the story, and it became front-page news around the world. In twenty-first-century parlance, the postcard had gone viral.
Below is the transcript of the postcard
Dear Bobbo: Don’t be furious at getting a postcard. I promise a letter next time. I wanted you to see the incredible and fascinating city we were in. With all the training we had, we really were not prepared for the squalor and absolutely primitive living conditions rampant both in the city and in the bush. We had no idea what “underdeveloped” meant. It really is a revelation and after we got over the initial horrified shock, a very rewarding experience. Everyone except us lives in the streets, cooks in the streets, sells in the streets, and even goes to the bathroom in the streets. Please write. Marge. P.S. We are excessively cut off from the rest of the world."
Mrs Margery M. Heffron at 73, died of cancer on Friday, Dec. 9, 2011, at her home.