BIAFRA- A PHOTO VIEW

I've said one or two things about Biafra on these pages, however I need to clarify any doubts about certain facts before going into the meat of this post.

1. The war was an avoidable tragedy caused by the greed and egotism of the relevant characters and the lack of true statesmen within the Nigerian context;

2. The war showed (once again) the duplicity and cynicism of the so-called world powers, the UK inclusive;

3. I am not a modern day apologist for a new Biafra. Biafra was a creature of circumstance, those which do not exist- arguably- at this stage in time.

I would however like to share these photos with you. I was a mere baby at the time, but these photos give me an insight into what my parents experienced and the suffering of the people who lived within the territory of Biafra, as well as the raw courage and determination of a people fighting for their survival against incredible odds. Young men and women who gave their lives for a simple cause- the survival of their people, not for money or for fame. People who fought often with home made weapons and often times without food for several days, against a vastly better-armed enemy.

You will find a photo of Jimi Hendrix and Joan Baez supporting the Biafran cause, photos of civilians- including women and children, escaping, mourning and dead from the effects of bombardment by the courageous Nigerian Airforce - propelled by the Intrepid Egyptian and British mercenaries. Also a photo of the great Count Von Rosen fitting a Minicon Aircraft of the "Biafran Airforce". Raw courage and moral justification alone sadly do not win wars, life's a bitch and then you die right? Well say what you will, these guys held out for three whole years inspite of the far superior force of arms and resources, as well as the Genocide of hunger used by the Nigerian Government. The blood of these people will not be in vain, the full picture may not be put together for a number of years to come, but it will eventually. I found a letter sent to and posted on the website of the Nigerian Scientist- Professor Philip Emeagwali, which summarises what I've waffled on about here.

"I was a year perhaps when my father left to fight in the war..just a baby yet I still feel the aftermath 34 years later because my father never returned...I class myself as a war victim and my soul is lost and will remain lost until the wonderful reunion between my father and me happens... whether here in this life or in heaven...Thank you for your work and pictures they were my first link to the reality...Maybe one on the photos of those brave soldiers going to war had my father in who knows.. god moves in mysterious ways....All i know is I am proud of my Nigerian heritage....Godbless all those who died in the war may they rest in peace...."

Yours Sincerely,
Grace Mullen,
United Kingdom
January 9, 2000

Also a quote from an article- Nightmare in Biafra in the Sunday Times of London of 4th February 1968 at page 12

"I have seen things in Biafra this week which no man should have to see. Sights to search the heart and sicken the conscience I have seen children roasted alive, young girls torn in two by shrapnel, pregnant women eviscerated, and old men blown to fragments, I have seen these things and I have seen their cause: high-flying Russian Ilyushin jets operated by Federal Nigeria, dropping their bombs on civilian centres throughout Biafra ...

At Onitsha - the 300 strong congregation of the Apostolic Church decided to stay on while others fled and to pray for deliverance. Col. [Murtala] Mohammed's Second Division found them in the church, dragged them out, tied their hands behind their backs and executed them."