Biafra

The History and Legacy of the Secessionist Republic of Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Bill Hare

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

"[A] cardinal principle of British colonial policy [is] that the interests of a large native population shall not be subject to the will...of a small minority of educated and Europeanized natives." - Lord Frederick Lugard

Nigeria was the creation of a British businessman by the name of Sir George Taubman Goldie. The gifted son of a substantial Manx military officer and politician, Goldie was educated at the prestigious Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, after which he served briefly in the army before embarking on a journey of adventure to West Africa. The year was 1877, and the West African coast was sub-divided into the spheres of influence of various European trading concerns, and while some exploration of the interior had taken place, the European rush to claim the region had yet to begin in earnest.

Nigeria was an unpopular destination for European settlement, thanks to its punishing climate and proliferation of tropical disease, so it saw very little direct European influence. Europeans were posted to Nigeria or sought employment purely to satisfy the needs of administration, and, of course, the various Christian missionary organizations were led largely by whites. Christian missions, incidentally, succeeded spectacularly in the spreading of Christianity across the animist south, but they made absolutely no inroads in the Muslim north.

Nigeria was among the first African colonies to be groomed for independence, and upon its success as a free nation, Britain staked a great deal. The process was lengthy, bearing in mind both the intricate ethnic tapestry of the region and the relatively complex systems of government, involving a number of different permutations in the 15 years between the end of World War II and 1960, when independence was finally granted.

©2017 Charles River Editors (P)2017 Charles River Editors

Decent but biased

While this was a mostly factual account I’ve the events, it glazed over the deliberate hand the Europeans had in the war.

Unbiased account

Short , unbiased, straightforward read. Great but sad story of an unfortunate generation
The spirit of Biafra will live on

Exellent!!!

Great retelling of the nightmare of the Biafran war. Some words were mispronounced but all in all a worthy read and good background on the historical events that led to the conflict

Fairly accurate history

Though very short, this book is fairly accurate. I say so because I've read a lot about Biafra, my uncle was one of the more than 30 thousand Igbos killed in Northern Nigeria during the pogrom, and my parents suffered as Biafrans during the war that killed 20% of Biafrans. So it would be a disservice to oneself not to know one's history.

Aside from the Bias

Aside from the bias, to much of which I cannot speak, because I'm not an expert on the play by play of the Biafran war, the narration needs to be redone. It was SOOOO painful to listen to. Firstly, I have never heard a G pronounced so hard, as in IGGGbo, all throughout the book. Many other words made me cringe too, and I'm not even Nigerian. Chooooo! it was painful. Worst of all, the narrator attempts an accent whenever he quotes a historical figure!!! The book is short, concise, and may hold small value. If you can stomach the ignorance, it might give you an overview, or the western establishment narrative, in a nutshell. Much of the language seems carefully chosen to mock the intelligence of various figures, especially Igbo officers. Just redo this narration, and if you're considering buying this, you might reconsider to whom you're giving your money, but you might get something from it. I do like that it's short.