Novels Based On Nigeria-Biafra War
Do you know about the Nigeria-Biafra war? Worry less, you can still learn this history by reading novels based on the Nigeria-Biafra War.
Well, if you don’t know novels based on the Nigeria-Biafra war, I will recommend most for you in this comprehensive guide.
Seven years after Nigeria gained its independence (1967), the country engaged in a war with its eastern region, which, at that time, was regarded as Biafra.
The Biafra people were made up of mostly Igbo, Ijaw, Efik, and Ibibio, and others that lived near the Igbo.
The war led 2 million civilians in the eastern region to their graves as it lasted for 30 months. To date, this period remains the darkest moment in the history of the country.
Well, since then, a lot of the country’s personalities have been bringing up hypotheses of what caused the war.
However, to know more about the Nigeria-Biafra war, you need to go deep down into the country’s history, starting from when she gained her independence, and to do this, you need to cover a lot of books, and this is why I will be recommending novels based on Nigeria-Biafra war for you in this comprehensive guide to give you a fun ride.
Novels Based On Nigeria-Biafra War
1. Never Again, by Flora Nwapa (1975) –
Being the first Nigerian notable novelist, Flora Nwapa tells the story of the war in her ‘Never Again’ novel.
She talked about how it was going in her hometown, Oguta. How they survive and everything within. Aside from being a Nigeria-Biafra novel, it is a masterpiece from Flora Nwapa.
2. Sunset In Biafra, by Elechi Amadi (1973) –
The novel, ‘Sunset in Biafra’ by Elechi Amadi is a non-fiction work whose contents are that of the civil war.
It is remarkable because it was written by a Biafra-related person. This shows the view of everything of a Biafran.
In Sunset in Biafra, Amadi represents the Igbo majority as an ambitious and overbearing group going to war against its mother nation, Nigeria, and ultimately dragging an unwilling “Eastern” minority into it.
3. Sunset At Dawn, by Chukwuemeka Ike (1976) –
Chukwuemeka Ike’s ‘Sunset at Dawn’ portrays the fate of inter-tribal marriages at its onset.
The novel tells the love story of Dr. Amilo Kanu, an indigenous Igbo person, and Fatima, a Hausa person, and how they grew in love and built their peace of mind.
4. The Nigerian Revolution And The Biafran War, by Alexander Madiebo (1980) –
Alexander Madiebo, a retired general of the Biafran Army and one of Biafran leader Odumegwu Ojukwu’s loyal men, probably deserves the space of giving an insider account of the war.
Alexander Madiebo combines several eyewitness accounts and reveals perspectives of the operations as of then intending to correct misleading information concerning the war published outside Africa.
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5. The Man Died, by Wole Soyinka (1971) –
In the year the Nigeria-Biafra war began, an author and political activist, Wole Soyinka, was arrested and jailed without a single trial by the Nigerian government for his criticism of her motives.
He spent 22 months under the government’s watch. Wole Soyinka wrote poems and notes criticizing the government.
‘The Man Died’ is a personal account of his arrest, the government’s several tries to tag him, and the mental effects of solitary confinement.
6. Destination Biafra, by Buchi Emecheta (1982) –
‘Destination Biafra’ by Buchi Emecheta introduces a fresh view of feminism. It is not surprising what the book has to offer. Of course, it is one of the 20th-century Biafra novels by a woman.
The note portrays Debbie Ogedembge, the Oxford-educated daughter of a corrupt Nigerian government minister, who joins the war on the side of Biafra, defying her parents’ wishes.
This note, furthermore, shows a conflict affecting all aspects of social life between tribes, times, and genders.
7. Because I Am Involved, by Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (1989) –
As a leader of the short-lived republic of Biafra, Odumegwu Ojukwu is controversial, beloved, and charismatic.
Ojukwu, in his note, explains the Political treatise that shows the failings of the nation.
However, it is an unapologetic reflection on his role in the war and discusses many ills that continue to strike the nation.
Conclusion
Since the Nigeria-Biafra war ended, the country has not faced any conflict; as such, it continues to pave the way for peace for its people.
The war probably should have wiped out the corrupt leaders, but unfortunately, there are many of them in the nation.