Random Things Tours: The Women of Biafra by Onyeka Nwelue

No matter which and whose war, women are always the first target and victims. It´s like instead of focusing on their man-to-man confrontation, the soldiers may abusively turn their interest to the weakest victims: women.

Inspired by the dramatic episodes happening during the Nigerian civil war, prolific author, scholar, musician and filmmaker Onyeka Nwelue, was able to summarize the destiny of women in war, through the story of Igbo widow Ngozika. Victim of brutality and sexual abuse, she is saved by a Yoruba soldier. Resilient, she will do her best to protect her children and empower other women who went through similar experiences. 

The Women of Biafra is telling brutal and unbearable truths. The author does not spare the reader from the horrible realities of war. Wars, any kind of them. But it succeeds to convene the tensions and the dark atmosphere of the war, the sense of dislocation and the dramatic encounters with an unforgiven destiny. 

At the same time, it also reaffirms the strength of women who survived the 1967 Biafra genocide by Nigerian soldiers. Although faced with survival, those women, represented by Ngozika, can find the strength to hope and inspire strength where hope and strength seem to be unfathomable.

The Women of Biafra is a book that leaves you empty at first, due to the strong emotional and tensed episodes shared. But at the same time, it is an example of resilience, fuelled by a super powerful and almost super natural grasp on life. 

Rating: 4 stars