WHY I WROTE THE BOOK - SURVIVING IN BIAFRA

It troubles me when I hear people suggest that the story of the Biafran war should not be discussed. Their reasoning is that discussion of the atrocities visited on Biafra by the federal troops, would reopen old wounds. When I hear such ill-informed advice, I usually respond with the age-old saying that those who shy away from history are doomed to repeat it. A close look at the state of affairs in Nigeria today, clearly shows that Nigeria has not learnt from the experience of that war. Most of the problems that led to that war are still prevalent in Nigeria today. Some of them include ethnic tensions, intertribal conflicts, fear of domination of one ethnic group by the other and nepotism. These were some of the problems that brought about the war in 1967 and as it stands today, these problems still linger. that led to that war with an aim to avoiding a repeat.
 
 It is with all the above in mind that I decided to tell the story of the Biafran war the way I witnessed it as a child of 7 years. It will act as a constant reminder to Nigerians in general, that the cost of that war in terms of human lives and property was enormous. The book is meant to keep that tragic experience in the forefront of Nigeria's national discourse to help prevent a repeat of events that led to that tragic episode in Nigeria's history.
 
 On the 7th of December 2001, United States of America commemorated the 60th anniversary of the bombing of the Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. As painful as that experience was, the US still chose to remember it, why? They used the occasion to honor those who lost their lives in the defense of America. Also, remembrance of what happened on that fateful day, helps ensure that measures are put in place to avoid a repeat. This is the hallmark of an advanced and civilized society; you forgive, but do not forget. The Biafran war, which took the lives of more than one million people, should not be an exception. The men, women and children who lost their lives as a result of that conflict, must not be forgotten neither should the harrowing experience of those who survived the war be swept under the carpet. It is the intent of this book, to ensure that we do not forget the horrors of those days while marching ahead in the quest for development and realization of a better Nigeria.

 Alfred O. Uzokwe.