Many didn't know that Professor Wole Soyinka was imprisoned for 2 years because of Biafra by Yakubu Gowon.

After becoming chief of the Cathedral of Drama at the University of Ibadan, Soyinka became more politically active.
Following the military coup of January 1966, he met with the military governor Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in Enugwu in August 1967, to try to avert civil war. As a result, he had to go into hiding.

He was imprisoned for 22 months as civil war ensued by Gowon.
They refused him access to materials like books, paper, pen, he still found way to write important notes, poems and articles, criticising Nigerian government while in prison.

In September 1967, while in prison, his play "The Lion and The Jewel" was produced in Accra.
In November "The Trials of Brother Jero" and "The Strong Breed" were produced in the Greenwich Mews Theatre in New York City. He also published a collection of his poetry, Idanre and Other Poems. It was inspired by Soyinka's visit to the sanctuary of the Yorùbá deity—Ogun.
He was also criticising Abacha's tyrannical government. Abacha declared him wanted and of course ready to kill him, he ran out of the country. He returned to Nigeria, a year after Abacha's death— 1999.

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More from @maazi_ogbonnaya

6 Jul
In original Igbo culture, women don't answer their husband names.

When I read some misinformed ladies on internet saying how patriarchy embedded in Igbo culture makes women change their names immediately they got married to their husbands names, I shake my head, laugh and...
My grandmother died in 2010 at age of 124. She was the oldest and the last surviving woman of her generation. Her name was Ọbaji Nwaigbo Ụnaegwu. It was her name until death. My grandfather's name— her husband was Ogudu Ogo Okoro Anaga.
My grandmother never bore the name of my grandfather and it wasn't a sin or an issue. My father was named after his grandfather—my great grandfather—Okoro Anaga who was the custodian of ụmụnna's ọfọ and a great man of honour. My father as a Christian was named Mark.
Read 19 tweets
5 Jul
Do you know that the Igbo had been trading textiles before the white man came?

We weren't completely naked.

There is a culture of Igbo called ịwa akwa. It predated the Europeans arrival to ala Igbo.

If you translate ịwa akwa literally, it means typing clothes.
But in Igbo cultural practices, it shows that one is man enough. He has reached the stage of being a full man.

At certain age in the past, children were naked but not adults. When you reach certain age, you will use textile to cover your private parts. Women too, except breasts
Breast in Igbo was not recognised as private part. It was used as yardstick to describe a grown up maiden. Remember, there wasn't issue of rape. Morality was high.

That's by the way.

When these guys said we were naked before they came, tell them there was ịwa akwa festival.
Read 6 tweets
5 Jul
Mr Ogugua Arah, from Onitsha- 1934. He was joint leader of the Onitsha Native Orchestra (alternatively Ibo Native Orchestra). This orchestra made the first commercial recordings in Igbo language, in 1939, under C.T.Onyekwelu's CTO Records, later Nigerphone,
and sponsored and distributed by CFAO.
Arah was a middle-level staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and formed the orchestra, alongside Pa Osaji, also from Onitsha. My father in his recent lecture around his memoirs recalled this formidable man, who was a close family friend
and an encounter in the mid-1940's. He met Mr Arah on the street and greeted him as usual, Mr Arah asked how his studies were (as was normal then), my father responded that he came fourth in his class. Arah, had been on his way, when he heard this response,
Read 6 tweets
5 Jul
TOWN UNIONISM OR ỌHANEZE OR IGWE?

Nature gifts each people according to her inner maturity. Inner maturity like the biological DNA is the inner code of conduct.This can be altered by maturity or degeneration. Igbo is in degenerating alteration trend of their socio-cultural DNA.
Igbo inner maturity was so high that we were gifted Ụmụnna System.

To accommodate our sedentary migrative challenges, Ụmụnna System birthed Town Unionism. As Igbo confronted others cultures in a common polity, we formed "Ibo" (Igbo) Union, then "Ibo" (Igbo) Federal Union
and then "Ibo" (Igbo) State Union.

But the forces of slavery and colonialism have been eating off our DNA, our inner code of conduct. Then the genocidal period of 1966-1970 finished off Igbo DNA.
Read 6 tweets
4 Jul
Some Yoruba Army Officials who Fought in the side of Biafra to defend ndị Igbo.

1. Lt. Col. Victor Banjo

One of the first graduates to join the army alongside Ojukwu and others.
Banjo led the 3,000 strong Biafran brigade known as the "Liberation Army of Nigeria"
and also called the "Midwest Expeditionary Force" in the planned invasion of Lagos. His forces reached Benin within 12 hours on August 9,1967. By this time, Nigerian forces had captured Biafran towns of Obudu, Garkem, Ogoja, Nsụka heading to Enugwu and Bonny to PH.
Lt Col Banjo was the highest ranking Yoruba in the Biafran army.

2.Major Wale Ademoyega

One of the five majors that toppled the government of Balewa on Jan 15,1966, he was released from Warri prison during the Midwest invasion in August 1967 by a battalion led by Major Chukwuka
Read 10 tweets
4 Jul
Those of you in Enugwu know Kenyatta street, a popular street that leads to Maryland, Enugwu. You also know Kenyatta market. Have you asked yourself the meaning of Kenyatta and history behind that?

Kenyatta is a name of person. Who is and was Kenyatta?

Let's go to history...
Jomo Kenyatta was the first Prime Minister of Kenya. He was born in 1897 and died on 22 August 1978. A Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978.
He was a pan-Africanist who fought the British imperialists. They tagged him a terrorist in order to hang him. It was then Nnamdị Azikiwe came for his rescue. As a Premier of Eastern Region, Azikiwe used the resources of the region to fight for his rescue. Ala Igbo saved him.
Read 6 tweets

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