Biafra as a subject of history attract my attention easily, I guess this has to do with the complexities of the causes and the aftermath of the war, coupled with the activities during the war which I was unfortunate to have witnessed, and participated in at a vulnerable age of early adolescence.
I felt every vibe of the Biafra war, from whispers of rumors, through loud propaganda messages, to rumbling of tanks; From roaring of aircraft, rat-ta-tat of machine guns, to booming of bomb blasts. I remember also the sound of patriotic and solidarity songs, lamentation songs, and songs of prayer and dedication to God, I felt them all, I participated, and sang with my heart, and most time in tears.
I read many accounts of the war mostly written by leading dramatis personae of the conflict, mostly generals and other high ranking army officers, I also read a few accounts from ordinary innocent citizens caught in the web of war like me. The accounts by this later category I find more interesting simply because I could easily identify with them. being one who witnessed it, for was it not George F Kennan who wrote that "History is not what happened; History is what it felt like to be there when it happened".
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| The Author, Ticha Akuma Kalu Njoku |
ENYI BIAFRA is an extraordinary book of few words that spoke millions, or would I say sang millions.
It is an extraordinary book that in a few words and narratives captured an extraordinary activity of an era of collective anguish and uncertainty. An era of group anxiety and extreme psychological pressure.
Songs and music generally have often served as a source of solace in times of physical and psychological torment. Music and song therapy is an age long means of calming the mind in times of anxiety and uncertainty. The biblical story of David playing the harp to calm down the wrecked nerves of King Saul is a good example.
During the Nigeria-Biafra war, the Biafrans went through extreme physical and psychological trauma starting right from the pogrom, the massacre of innocent citizens of the Eastern region of Nigeria, which eventually lead to their quest to be independent. They were attacked for that reason and had to defend their lives.
The pains they went through was beyond description and they fought with bare hands, producing their own weapons due to blockade. They hung all their hope on providence, hoping that the heavenly powers will come to their aid since they were innocent of any aggression, so they sang patriotic songs to keep hope alive, they sang lamentation songs to express their losses, they sang songs of prayer and hope to appease God.
They believed every word, every line of these songs, for their survival depended on anything they could lay their hands on.
My good friend and compatriot, Ticha Akuma Kalu Njoku couldn't have captured this feeling better. He was part of it all, being a song leader in the Biafra army. He joined the army in July 1967 and rose to the rank of Sergeant.
At the end of the war, Johnston Akuma Kalu Njoku got his BA in Music from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, MA in historical Musicology from Michigan States University, and two Phds in ethno-musicology and Folklore from Indiana University. A combination of all these made it possible for him to give us the privilege of viewing Biafra from the perspective of regimental drill, duty songs, and cadences.
The book contains 35 songs, lyrics and musical notes inclusive. There is also a CD of recorded audio version of the songs.
The book can be found on the site of Smithsonian Institute through the link below
Dr Jhonston Akuma Kalu Njoku is a retired Professor at the Western Kentucky University where he taught courses in World Music, Folklore, Ethno-musicology, and People's and Cultures of Africa.
Apart from his academic position, Dr Njoku is also head of the Heritage Institute of Igbo World Assembly and is the main resource person for the Igbo Farm Village at the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia.
Other publications by the author
Before the Middle Passage: Igbo Slave Journeys to Old Calabar and Bonny” Repercussions of the Atlantic Slave Trade: The Interior of the Bight of Biafra and the African Diaspora, edited by Carolyn Brown and Paul Lovejoy. Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press (2011) 57-69.
Amamihe: The Basis of Igbo Culture and Character formation. Goldline and Jacobs Publishers, NJ, Canada, and Owerri, 2010.
“The Atlantic Slave Trade, Colonialism, Gender, and Class Transformations in the Bight of Biafra Hinterland” in Olaudah Equano and the World. Edited by Chima Korieh. Africa World Press, (2009), pp. 203-217.
“Civil Society Practices among the Igbo People of Nigeria,” in Comparative Perspective of Civil Society, edited by Robert Dibie. Lexington Books 2008, pp. 209-223
Oral tradition and the material culture of the Atlantic slave trade as historical source: evidence from the Bight of Biafra hinterland. In The Aftermath of Slavery: Transitions and Transformations in Southeastern Nigeria. Edited by Chima J. Korieh and Femi J. Kolapo. Trenton,
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