Dear Sir,
Please permit me to indulge in some more long-windedness:
When Bertrand Russell passed away, one of the obituaries (I think it was The Times) was captioned
" The Golden mountain does not exist" ( or has ceased to exist....
"Kingdom of God", "Lucifer", all that jazz. It's the sort of problem question that an atheist could pose to e.g. Pastor Adeboye:
Why do you dissipate so much time and energy preaching about a non-existent state called Heaven - a purely hypothetical destination ?
But to the average mortal earthling from the East , his feet already on his holy ground, Biafra is more tangible and more real than heaven -
"Why do we dissipate so much time and energy to discuss a non-existent state called Biafra?" pines Professor Segun Ogungbemi and adds another half untruth, that there is overwhelming documentary proof that "Biafra is a non-existent state in Nigeria."
Just as there is - to use Ogungbemi coinage, "enormous documentary evidences in the achieves and many libraries in universities home and abroad" that Jesus resurrected and ascended to join his Father in heaven etc...
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what's a heaven for?" ( Robert Browning)
The fact is that you/ the Pharaoh/ the whoever, can't kill a people's dream.
It's a very strong - powerful- idea held in hearts, minds, intellects and running in the veins of those who passionately believe in Biafra. Biafra will have its own government - there's enough talent to run its own diplomatic missions abroad, continue as a member of the United Nations, the Africa Union, the Commonwealth. With the innovative Igbo people, you never know, in no time at all Biafra could even become a high-tech nation.
BIAFRA exists, has existed and ( present continuous future tense ) will exist - will not be extinguished.
Give me liberty or give me death ( Patrick Henry)
I am prepared to die ( Nelson Mandela )
Let me sing ( it's a Bert Jansch song about Victor Jara )
Prof Ogungbemi would probably like to draw our attention to his centre of gravity , a tardy proposition, quote, that "Biafra is a non-existent state in Nigeria."
Which bring us to the historic Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial and the question that was posed to Dave Dellinger .
At the trial he was asked, " What state are you from?" - a question which gave him ample room to deliberate on " a state of mind " - running parallel with Hamlets soliloquy as he described the sorry state of his part of the world - of his piece of tangible earth, not the heaven beyond the clouds.
In as far as Nnamdi Kanu is talking about "Civil disobedience" he is close to "revolutionary nonviolence" and we don't suppose that Mr. Prosecutor is going to pursue him on charges of "sedition" or trying to overthrow the government of Nigeria. Civil disobedience after all is a practical response which His Eminence Wole Soyinka himself proposed, albeit not with the exclusive aim of birthing a New Biafra, the land of the rising sun
My only reservation (sentimental) : Map of Nigeria without Biafra
On Sunday, 4 June 2017 04:50:54 UTC+2, seguno2013 wrote:
Why do we dissipate so much time and energy to discuss a non-existent state called Biafra? There are enormous documentary evidences in the achieves and many libraries in universities home and abroad that Biafra is a non-existent state in Nigeria.We should not pay attention those who ran away and granted asylum in foreign countries whose children were told harrowing experiences they went through before they escaped. Their children never heard the full story of how a a handful of the Igbo in the Nigerian military in January 1966 staged a coup against a civilian government and selectively killed Nigerian leaders who were not of their own ethnicity. And thereafter their own people, the Ndigbo jubilated and acted in the most despicable manner in the North that led to the pogrom and subsequently the civil war and defeat of the Biafra warlords in 1970.Never again will the Igbo nationality wage such a senseless war against Nigeria.Biafra does not exist and it will never resurface again.SO
Sent from my iPhone--Officially, Biafra is a xenophobic Igbo country that hates other ethnic group in Nigeria. It is a Biafra that celebrates the Nazi-like supremacy of the Igbo over other ethnic groups in Nigeria. The loving memories of the South-South ethnic nationalities that you envisaged would be brought back was recorded by Philip Effiong thus, "In May 1968, Port Harcourt fell to the federal troops. ...//.. The problems posed by the collapse of the periphery towns around the Igbo heartland caused enormous problems of human suffering and rehabilitation.
Refugees from the minority areas were not readily welcomed into the Igbo heartland. In fact, a number of refugees, particularly those coming from Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Abak , were attacked and killed as they tried to cross into Aba and other Igbo towns (p.226, Nigeria and Biafra : My Story, By Philip Effiong)." The non-Igbo ethnic groups of Biafra were never trusted and were actually branded as saboteurs and traitors. Does it make sense for the Igbo to leave multi-ethnic Nigeria to create Biafra first before consulting others to build a multi-ethnic Biafra?
S. Kadiri
Från: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com > för Olukayode Soremekun <nike...@hotmail.com>
Skickat: den 2 juni 2017 13:42
Till: USA African Dialogue Series
Ämne: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Today's QuoteAny consultation around the new "Biafra" as you stated would be a non-starter. I doubt if the name brings loving memories to the South-South ethnic nationalities.
Sbaba
From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com > on behalf of Chidi Anthony Opara <chidi...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, June 2, 2017 9:33:48 AM
To: USA African Dialogue Series
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Today's QuoteThe inclusion of the South-South ethnic nationalities into the new Biafra must follow the process of consultations and consensus.--
CAO.
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