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APPRECIATION: A young father writes his One year old son: "If only my heart had a voice...."

'BIAFRA: History Without Mercy' - a preliminary note

By Chido Nwangwu, Special to USAfrica, USAfricaonline.com, PhotoWorks.TV, CLASSmagazine, IgboeEvents@yahoogroups.com, Nigeria360@yahoogroups.com and The Black Business Journal, Houston

http://www.usafricaonline.com/chidobiafra999.html

Houston, September 4, 1999: This brief, preliminary note is regarding some "discussions" on the Nigeria internet discussion group, naijanet, on the issue of the the civil war. I am also interested in the content and direction of some of the arguments, particularly as propagated and distorted by some Igbo haters on the listserv.

Second, to share some of the scope of my current work in the area, specifically, on the historiography of the Biafra-Nigeria war (1967-1970), especially its lessons for Nigerians, and other Africans.

In the book "BIAFRA: History Without Mercy", I will place in critical context, some of those naijanet touts and rudderless ahistorical nomads who disavow their connection(s), lingual, biological, cultural, shared existential realities, mores, traditions and other elemental foundations with the Igbo nation. They do so, they say privately, if only to make "some point about our independence from those Igbo people." It's really a sorry situation. In one of the chapters, I will deal with the uncouth rantings and bold banalities of internet charlatans and other individuals who distort the historiography of the Biafra-Nigeria war. There are others who zig and zag on the anthropology and ethnology of the Igbos, and of their own origin(s).

I will attempt some analyses of a few of the puerile prattles of the growing, excited army of e-mail tigers and html war commanders who have neither heard the boom of a mortar nor the zing of gunfire during the Biafra-Nigeria war. Some persons also need to be reminded that gloating over the civil war belies the Yakubu Gowon spirit of "no victor no vanquished."

It is also important to know that the ordinary soldiers from different communities in Nigeria (armed the ammunition and weapons from West European powers, partly Russia, and some Arab-centric countries especially Egypt) have their own views about the war published.

What about the forgotten soldiers of Biafra; any true rehabilitation? Next.

Why did Ojukwu tell me in July 1999 that "We (Biafrans) achieved our major goal for defending ourselves and fighting the war"?

Why and What was it?

I've interviewed Ojukwu on 3 different times, including over 5 hours in his home in Victoria Island, Lagos in 1989, and here in Houston; and I have interviewed a few other key non-Biafran army persons involved or affected by that war. Some of those will appear in "BIAFRA: History Without Mercy."

I will deal with the mountain of ILL-logical revisionisms about What and Why the Nigeria-Biafra war was fought. Who met what war aim(s)?

I commend those of you, here, for soldiering for historical accuracy and the truth, at the continuing pain of insults and prejudices.

It is certain that we must apply, where necessary, intellectual clarity as well as a contextual bare-knuckle engagement of some of the raw condensation of idiocy and ahistorical bunk advertised as opinion/history on the internet and some "newspapers" by Igbo haters and their patrons.

I have read such exchanges whenever I find the time for the naijanet listserv. It used to be more useful.

Our best, as Nigerians of different ethnic origin, will come regardless of the distractions of our new crop of internet war generals and ill-mannered wretches on the naijanet, and for that matter, elsewhere.

I will be glad to receive any additonal perspectives, comments/suggestions on the historiography of the war sent ONLY to this e-mail address: Biafra@USAfricaonline.com.

With good wishes and hopes for a better more peaceful millennium, I thank you.

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