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There Was a Country: A Memoir

Page 33

by Chinua Achebe


  Diamond, Stanley, 106–7

  Dibia (medicine man), 31–32

  Dick Tiger. See Ihetu, Richard (Dick Tiger)

  Dictatorships, 247

  Dike, Kenneth Onwuke, 77, 110–12, 248

  Diori, Hamani, 96–97

  Drum: A Children’s Story, The, 9

  Drummer Boy, The (Ekwensi), 109

  Du Bois, W. E. B., 163

  Duvalier, François, 99

  Eastern Nigeria

  Eastern group, 51, 66, 70, 82. See also Igbo people

  flight to and Coup of 1966, 83, 91–92, 95, 97

  secession. See Biafra secession; Nigeria-Biafra war; Republic of Biafra

  Ebo Landing, 167

  Echeruo, Joseph, 91

  Echeruo, M. J. C., 28

  Ecumenical Church Loan Fund, 166

  Effiong, General Philip, 153, 225–26

  Efik people, 47, 137, 150, 192

  Efuru (Nwapa), 112

  Egbema people, 150

  Egbe Omo Oduduwa, 45

  Egbuonu, Dr. Francis, 16, 21

  Ejagham people, 192

  Ejoor, David, 129, 131

  Ejueyitchie, H. E. A., 227

  Eke, Dr. Ifegwu, 145

  Eket people, 150

  Ekoi people, 150, 192

  Ekpo, Margaret, 91

  Ekukinam-Bassey, 91

  Ekwe-Ekwe, Herbert, 229–30

  Ekwensi, Cyprian, 53, 109, 167

  Ekwolo (rivalries), 123

  Ekwueme, Laz, 26

  Elias, Taslim, 227

  Ellah, Francis, 167

  Elliott, Walter, 26

  Emenyonu, Ernest, 177

  Enahoro, Anthony, 43, 97, 167, 227, 233–34

  Endeley, Dr. E. M. L., 26

  Enugu (Biafra), 149, 150

  Enwonwu, Ben, 25–26

  Equaino, Olaudah, 53

  Era of purity, 54

  Eucheruo, Kevin, 116

  Eyadema, Gnassingbé, 257

  Ezebuilo (king as enemy), 146

  Ezeilo, J. O. C., 29

  Ezekwe, Gordian, 156

  Fagunwa, D. A., 53

  Failed States Index, Nigeria on, 250

  Fajuyi, Lieutenant Colonel Adekunle, 81–82

  Fanon, Frantz, 164

  “First Shot, The,” 127

  Fisher, Rev. Robert, 25

  Flute, The, 9

  Foccart, Jacques, 102, 155

  Forsyth, Federick, 119, 153

  Fountain, Rick, 99–100

  France

  Africa decolonization by, 98

  Nigeria-Biafra war, response to, 101–2, 155

  Fulani people, 1, 53

  Gandhi, Mohandas, 48

  García Márquez, Gabriel, 113

  Garrison, Lloyd, 232

  Garvey, Marcus, 151, 163

  “Generation Gap,” 90

  Geneva Convention resolutions, Nigerian disregard for, 212, 235

  Genocide, 228–39

  British government on, 229, 232

  defined, 229

  economic blockade as method of, 154, 156, 199–200, 209–11, 229

  Geneva Convention, disregard for, 212, 235

  Jewish, compared to Igbo, 97, 137, 171

  Nigerian justification of, 233–35

  supporting arguments, 229–30, 232

  Ghana

  competition with Nigeria, 41

  independence of, 40–41

  Godfatherism, 245

  Gold, Herbert, 105

  Gordimer, Nadine, 113

  Government College (Ibadan), 20, 21

  Government College (Umuahia), 17, 19–28

  African graduates of note, 25–26

  Gowon, Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu, 85–88, 120–24

  background of, 120–23

  and genocide, 233–34

  on Igbo situation post-war, 236–39

  and Nigeria-Biafra war, 128, 132–33, 134–35, 209–11, 212, 223–24, 227

  Ojukwu, relationship with, 122–24, 224–25

  Organization of African Unity (OAU) meeting with, 96–98

  Great Britain. See also British colonial rule

  Nigeria-Biafra war, response to, 99–101, 154, 213–14, 229, 232

  Wilson, pro-Nigerian position of, 99–101, 105, 106, 213–14, 229, 232

  Griffiths, Gareth, 38

  Griots. See Storytelling

  Haiti, support of Biafra, 99

  Hammarskjöld, Dag, 154, 211

  Harrison, Kelsey, 26, 27

  Haruna, Ibrahim, 133, 135, 138

  Hausa/Fulani people, 47, 82

  Islamic, 122

  Head, Bessie, 113

  Heathens, 11

  Heavens Gate (Okigbo), 115

  Heinemann, 38, 63

  Hendrix, Jimi, 139

  Hill, Alan, 38, 112

  Hill, Geoffrey, 106

  Houphouët-Boigny, Felix, 98, 223

  How the Leopard Got His Claws, 9, 177, 185

  Hughes, Langston, 67, 164

  Humanitarian effort

  aid blocked, 101, 230

  for Biafra, 154–55, 164–66, 169–71

  Hunt, Sir David, 120

  Hüssler, Father Georg, 166

  Huxley, Julian, 26

  Ibeno people, 150

  Ibiam, Sir Francis, 91

  Ibibio people, 47, 137, 150, 192

  Ifeajuna, Emmanuel, 135, 178–79

  Ifejike, Samuel, 185

  Ife kingdom, 1–2

  Ifekwunigwe, Dr. Aaron, 195

  Ifemesia, Chieka, 145, 147

  Igbo people

  Asabe Massacre, 133–35

  attacks upon after coup of 1966, 66–67, 69, 76–78, 80–82

  in Biafra population, 150

  Calabar Massacre, 137–40

  educational attainment of, 75–76, 77

  extermination attempts against. See Genocide

  flaws of, 76

  Georgia (U.S.) landing of, 167

  Gowon interview on, 236–39

  Igbo Town Union, 75

  leadership positions in Nigeria, 66–67, 71, 74–78, 88

  Nigerian jihad against, 229–30

  personality traits of, 74, 75

  pogroms, 67, 82–83, 92, 95, 123

  post-war economic restrictions on, 234–39

  Igbo traditions

  art and creation, approach to, 59

  and Chinua as writer, 39, 55

  Chinua’s early exposure to, 8–10, 12–13, 18–19

  democratic ideals, 246

  mbari (art as celebration), 18–19, 56

  Nnokwa (village) in, 192

  Ihetu, Richard (Dick Tiger), 158–59

  Ijaw people, 47, 150

  Ike, Vincent Chukwuemeka, 25, 28, 156

  Ikejiani, Dr. Okechukwu, 67, 69, 99, 119, 216

  Ikoku, Dr. Alvan, 91

  Ikom people, 150

  Ikwerre people, 150

  Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 247

  Indigenization Decree (1974), 234, 236–37

  Innes, Catherine Lynnette, 38

  Intellectual community

  of African writers. See African literature

  Nigeria-Biafra war, response to, 105–14, 157–58, 176–77

  and Republic of Biafra founding, 105–14

>   as warriors of peace, 109

  Interethnic tensions (Nigeria), 74–78. See also Nigeria-Biafra war

  ekwolo (rivalries), 123

  pre-independence era, 46–47

  International Red Cross, humanitarian aid blocked, 101, 230

  Interpreters, The (Soyinka), 109

  Inyang, Ekpo Etien, 24, 26

  Irele, Abiola, 28

  Iroaganachi, John, 177

  Isang people, 47

  Islam

  Hausa/Fulani people, 122

  jihad against Igbo, 229–30

  terrorism, in Nigeria, 250–51

  Itsekiri people, 47

  Iyalla people, 150

  Jacobs, Dan, 230

  Jagua Nana (Ekwensi), 109

  Jalo, Gibson Sanda, 217

  James, C. L. R., 163

  Jega, Attahiru Muhammadu, 247

  Jews, genocide, compared to Igbo, 97, 137, 171

  Jihad, against Igbo, 229–30

  Johnson, Lyndon, 103

  Justice Opunta Panel, 135

  Kana people, 150

  Kano, Aminu, 46, 167, 244

  Kanuri people, 47

  Katsina, Hassan, 81, 227

  Kaunda, Kenneth, 98

  Kenem-Bornu kingdom, 1

  Kennedy, Edward M., 221

  Kenyatta, Jomo, 163

  Killam, Douglas, 106

  Killam, G. D., 38

  King, Martin Luther, Jr., 103, 139

  King’s College (Lagos), 20, 21

  Kissinger, Henry, 140

  Kola nut incident, 10

  Kwale incident, 218–20

  Kwashiorkor, 195, 210, 226

  Labyrinths (Okigbo), 115

  Lagos, 63

  and coup of 1966, 67–68, 70–71

  Lambo, Dr. T. A., 111

  “Lament of the Deer,” 177

  Larson, Charles, 38

  Lasekan, Akinola, 43

  Laurence, Jean Margaret, 38

  Laye, Camara, 53

  Leapman, Michael, 99

  Legum, Colin, 82

  Lennon, John, 139

  Leventhal, Robert S., 229

  Lincoln University (United States), 42

  Lindfors, Bernth, 38

  Lindt, Dr. August, 101

  Lion and the Jewel, The (Soyinka), 109

  Luce, Henry, 121

  Lumumba, Patrice, 146, 163

  Macauley, Herbert, 44

  MacDonald, David, 231–32

  McRae, Donald, 38

  Madiebo, Alexander, 120–21

  Mailer, Norman, 110

  Malinke people, 53

  Mandela, Nelson, 113, 163, 258

  “Mango Seedling,” 186–87

  Man of the People, A, 52, 63, 67, 161

  Marasmus, 210

  “Marriage Is a Private Affair,” 33

  Mauriac, François, 139

  Mauricheau-Beaupré, Jean, 155

  Mayer, Jean, 213

  Mayrock, Bruce, 140

  Mazrui, Ali, 56

  Mbadiwe, K. O., 91

  Mbakwe, Samuel, 91

  Mbanefo, Sir Louis, 91, 167, 210, 225–26

  Mbari (art as celebration), 18–19, 56

  Mbari Club, 115

  Mbembe people, 150

  Mbu, M. T., 227

  Media, during Nigeria-Biafra war, 199–200, 210–11, 221

  Mental illness, war-related, 195

  Mercenaries, 222

  Merchants of Light (Oba), 29–30

  Mid-Western Region, invasion of, 128–32, 259–65

  Ministry of Information (Biafra), 143–44

  Mmuo, Mgboye Matilda, 31

  Mofolo, Samuel, 53

  Momah, Chike, 16, 21–22, 24, 25, 27, 115

  Mqhayi, Samuel, 53

  Mugabe, Robert, 258

  Muhammed, Murtala, 122, 133, 135, 172–73

  My Father’s Daughter (Segun), 114

  My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (Tutuola), 113

  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 103–4

  National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), 45

  National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), 45–46

  National Guidance Committee (Biafra), Ahiara Declaration, 144–49

  National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), 88

  Ndem, Eyo Bassey, 145

  Ndu, Pol, 116

  Négritude, 163–64

  Neogy, Rajat, 105

  Nigeria

  Aburi Accord (1967), 85–87

  Anambra state destabilization, 248–49

  area boys/rent-a-crowd, 69, 248

  Biafra secession from. See Biafra secession; Republic of Biafra

  -Biafra War. See Nigeria-Biafra war

  British governor general (James Robertson), 49–51

  British interests after independence, 49–52, 124

  competition with Ghana, 41

  corruption

  election-related, 245–46

  first election, rigging by British, 50, 51–52

  godfatherism, 245

  national funds, theft of, 249–50

  perpetuation, reasons for, 249–52

  post-independence period, 51–52

  countercoup of 1966, 80–82

  coup of 1966, 63–72, 78–80

  Decree 8 (1967), 86–87

  Decree No. 34 (1966), 80–81

  democracy negated in, 245–48

  Eastern group, 51, 66, 70, 82. See also Igbo people

  Eastern region succession. See Biafra secession

  ethnic groups, number of, 25

  exports/revenues from, 47

  on Failed States Index, 250

  Fourth Republic (2004), 248–49

  independence, transition to, 48–51

  independence fiasco, artists’ reaction to, 52–53

  Indigenization Decree (1974), 234, 236–37

  interethnic tensions, 46–47, 74–78, 123

  Islamist terrorism in, 250–51

  majority groups of, 47. See also Igbo people; Yoruba people

  military

  and coup of 1966, 78–82

  versus political class, 71–72

  minorities, regions of, 47

  nationalists, 44–48

  National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), 88

  Northern dominance, 46–47, 50–52, 65, 69

  Northern group, 51. See also Hausa/Fulani people

  oil industry. See Oil production

  People’s Redemption Party, 244

  post-independence crises, 64

  post-war status of, 243–53

  prime minister, first, 50, 51–52

  questions for better future, 252–53

  sedition, British penalties for, 47

  Southern group, 46–47

  Sovereign National Conference, 252–53

  university educated, position of, 25–26, 48–49

  Western group, 44–45, 47, 52, 72

  Nigeria-Biafra war

  Abagana ambush, 173–74

  Asabe Massacre, 133–35

  Azikiwe withdraws support for Biafra, 215–17

  Banjo broadcast to Mid-West (1967), 259–65

  Biafran military and armaments, 153–60

  Biafran towns, attacks on, 132–33

  Biafra s
urrender, 226–27

  Calabar Massacre, 137–40

  casualties of, 227

  children, impact on, 195, 199, 210, 213, 226

  and Chinua

  Biafran Organization of Freedom Fighters (BOFF), 159–60

  Citadel Press, 176–79, 185

  as envoy to Biafran people, 160–62, 164–67, 180

  home in Enugu bombed, 181–83

  as refugee, 188–94

  residences during war, 170–73, 179–80, 188–94, 200–201

  diseases during, 195, 210, 226

  economic blockade of Biafra, 104, 154, 156, 199–200, 209–11, 229

  Geneva Convention, disregard for, 212, 235

  genocide issue, 228–39

  and Gowon, 128, 132–33, 134–35, 209–11, 212, 223–24

  hospitals, makeshift, 194–95

  humanitarian emergency, 169–71, 189, 194–95, 199–200, 209–11

  information blockade of present, 228

  intellectuals/writers’ response to, 105–14, 157–58, 176–77

  international demonstrations against, 139–40

  international response to, 99–105, 154–55, 210–11, 219–22

  Kwale incident, 218–20

  media presence in, 199–200, 210–11, 221

  mental illness caused by, 195

  mercenaries in, 222

  Mid-Western Region, invasion of, 128–32, 259–65

  military executions during, 135, 178

  Nigerians, foreign arms to, 154

  Nzeogwu, death of, 184

  Ogbunigwe bomb, 156–57

  oil, foreign interest in, 99–100, 102

  and Ojukwu (Emeka), 122–25, 128–32, 135, 210–11, 213, 223–24

  Ojukwu (Emeka) departure, events after, 223–28

  Okigbo, Christopher, death of, 184–85

  Organization of African Unity (OAU) position on, 96–99, 136–37

  Owerri, recapture of, 217–18, 223

  and Paul VI, 219–21, 230–31

  radio broadcasts during, 183, 259–65

  Red Cross aid blocked, 101, 230

  refugees, 103, 169, 171, 174, 188

  relief efforts, 154–55, 164–66, 169–71, 194

  starvation, 195, 199, 209–10, 226, 231

  and United Nations neglect, 211–13

  Nigerian Broadcasting Company (NBC), 33, 35–37, 65, 70

  Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS), Chinua’s job at, 30–31

  Nigerian Coal Corporation, 67

  Nigerian Foreign Service, 77

  Nigerian military

  and coup of 1966, 78–82

  versus political class, 71–72

  Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC), 79

  Nigerian National Archives, 111

  Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), 44

  Nigerian Ports Authority, 77

  Nigerian Produce Traders’ Association, 45

 

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