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 "Forty
years ago, my homeland of Nigeria ripped
herself apart. Biafra, the Land of
the Rising Sun, was born in blood and
fire. Her light shone across the
world. Her flames engulfed us
all."
~~ Ben Okafor
Child of Biafra is the stage
dramatisation in words and music of
Ben Okafor's childhood experiences
of the Nigeria-Biafra War (1967-1970),
written and performed by Ben Okafor,
co-written and directed by Justin
Butcher.
Having dramatised the story for
BBC Radio 4's 'Focus On Africa'
season in June 2005 with great success
('Pick of the Day' in The Guardian
and The Daily Express, "Pick of the
Week' on BBC R4), Ben Okafor and
Justin Butcher premiered Child Of Biafra
at the Contact Theatre, Manchester, in
July 2007, as part of the University of
Manchester's International "War & Our
World' conference.
This premier marked the fortieth
anniversary to the month of the
outbreak of the Nigeria-Biafra War in
July 1967, following the secession of
eastern Nigeria to form the independent
Republic of Biafra on May 30th 1967,
under the leadership of Lieutenant
Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
When Biafran resistance collapsed in
January 1970 after thirty months of
brutal warfare, famine and blockade, the
state was reabsorbed into Nigeria.
Upwards of 1.5 million Biafrans had
died.
These songs reflect the origins
of Ben Okafor's musical career, his
early childhood and his journey through
the fields and fortunes of war and the
influence of these experiences on his
artistic and spiritual vocation to date.
To BOOK
'CHILD OF BIAFRA' in your area, [CLICK
HERE]
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