Biafra: 30th Of May Annual Memorial And The Inhumanity Of Man Over the years, there is nothing that elucidated pain, sorrow and afflict...
Over the years, there is nothing that elucidated pain, sorrow and affliction to mankind other than man himself. Through the instrumentality of needless wars, genocide, hate, crimes and random acts of violence and terror, there are fears of the unknown rattling the peace of nature. The novel night movie: Schindler's List, Biafra Genocide and Article A Tortured Legacy, are all examples. Through the suffering of Biafrans in the hands of the Nigerian military forces riding on the back of Britain amongst other foreign powers, there exists no other definite instance of man's inhumanity to his fellow anywhere else.
Month of May annually, has become an institutionalized period in Biafra history that Biafra Heroes/Heroines Remembrance is carried out. It is a yearly month-long experience that is specially marked out to encourage Biafrans and men of good conscience globally, to once again, confront the sobering certainty of one of history's most horrifying/cruel examples of man's calculated inhumanity to his fellow man. It also affords the world the opportunity to critically look at the fragrant violation of human rights and the despotic extermination plot targeted against a race.
That is what the month consciously lay as a matter of concern to the conscience of man. Sadly however, for anyone who has been critically paying attention to the epidemic of global violence since the end of World War II, it is quite obvious that the promise of "Never Again", has repeatedly being violated. The cruelty of genocide, militarism, racism, hatred, starvation and poverty, seem to be strongly kicking and well. Throughout history, inhuman acts committed by men towards each other have terribly shaped the society and defined seasons. Man's wickedness by definition, has played a tremendous role in the lives of millions of the earth's inhabitants.
Such events as gladiator's fights, crucifixions, medieval torture sessions, lynchings, wars, genocides and other related evils, have left such an indelible mark on mankind. This is partly due to the works of nature and the media that have chronicled these atrocious events due to fictional passed works. These are based on actual happenings or even that which simply captured the essence of what drives men to suicidal relationships towards one another.
The Biafran genocide was far beyond any imaginable tragedy. It was something beyond mere description of words. The sheer evil and hate that took place between 1967 and 1970, really simplify the nature of a natural man at his weakest and lowest point of existence and reasoning. Through the merciless torturing and slaughtering of the Biafran people including women, men, children and the elderly, Nigeria and Britain clearly exhibited to the whole world, that the crass depravity of man is worst than that of the animal.
Evil was excused over good, positioning humanity as senseless, insane, mindless, hateful, dwelling in enmity, estrangement, abhorrence, detestation and antipathy which have unarguably become routinely practiced. "In scope of suffering, in depth of bitterness, in seeming hopelessness for solution short of wholesale slaughter, there is no parallel to the tragedy that has been gathering momentum in the past fourteen (14) months in Nigeria. "One of the opposing forces, welding a full array of modern weapons from Britain, Russia and much of other European nations, is the Nigerian government. It is determined to crush whatever it terms rebellion against the republic. On the other hand, armed chiefly with determination, stands the secessionist state of Biafra, the home of Nigeria's Ibo tribe. The Ibos are convinced that they are fighting not only for independence but for their survival as a people"... (Time, 1968).
"Traumatic events destroyed the sustaining bonds between individual and community. Those who have survived, learnt that their sense of self, of worth, of humanity, depends upon a feeling of connection with others. The solidarity of a group provides the strongest protection against terror and despair, and the strongest antidote to traumatic experience. Trauma isolates, the group, re-creates a sense of belonging. Trauma shames and stigmatizes; the group bears witness and affirms. Trauma degrades the victim; the group exalts her.
Trauma dehumanizes the victim; the group restores her humanity. Repeatedly, in the testimony of survivors: there comes a moment when sense of connections restored by another persons unaffected, display generosity. Something in herself that the victim believes to be irretrievably destroyed....faith, decency, courage....is re-awakened by an example of common altruism. Mirrored in the action of others, the survivor recognizes and reclaims a lost part of herself. They tried but they failed, here we are celebrating our fallen heroes/heroines.
Just like what Kamand Kojouri said: "They want us to be afraid. They want us to be afraid of leaving our homes. They want us to barricade our doors and hide our children.
Their aim is to make us fear life itself.
They want us to hate 'the other'.
They want us to practice aggression and perfect antagonism.
Their aim is to divide us all!
They want us to be inhuman.
They want us to throw out our kindness.
They want us to bury our love and burn our hope.
Their aim is to take all our light!
They think their bricked walls will separate us.
They think their damned bombs will deafen us.
They are so ignorant and they do not understand that my soul and your soul are old friends.
They are so ignorant and they do not understand that when they cut you, I bleed.
They are so ignorant and they do not understand that we will never be afraid,
we will never hate and we will never be silent for life is ours!".
May our fallen Heroes and Heroines rest in perfect peace, Amen!
Written by Obulose Chidiebere N.
Edited by Peter Oshagwu
For Family Writers Press International
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