IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

Author: CHINUA ACHEBE
Year: 2012
Pages: 265
Reviewer: CHIDI ANYAMELE

Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country, is a compelling reminder of the fact that once upon a time, there existed a country with all the paraphernalia of nationhood that country was none other than the republic of Biafra and Achebe happened to be a key personality in the intrigues that encapsulated that country, which lasted for only three years.
This novel which is historical in nature, takes us through the formative years of the author at Government College Umuahia as well as the University College Ibadan. In fact, it was at the Nigerian Broadcasting Service in Enugu, where he had his first story as a civil servant that he met his wife, Christie Okoli. It is instructive to note that the idea of his ground-breaking novel Things Fall Apart was first conceived at the University, where he had extensive interactions with his professors, coupled with his burning desire to tell an African story from an African perspective.
The novel also takes us back to the evolution of the Nigerian Republic after the attainment of independence. Within a short while, this experience was truncated by the coup of January 16, 1966 which was led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. Incidentally, this was the first coup witnessed in the country and it marked a watershed as far as the history of the country is concerned.
Traced to its historical antecedent, the Nigeria-Biafra war which is the crux war of the matter espoused in this write-up could be linked to this coup, which was widely perceived as a coup against the North, especially from the Northern perspective. This point of view was largely re enforced by subsequent events after the coup in forms of a counter coup, assassinations as well as the pogroms in Northern Nigeria. The country gradually descended into anarchy and the Nigeria-Biafra war was a direct consequence of this chaotic state of affairs.

It was the writer’s considered opinion therefore, that the Biafrans were pushed to the wall and had no choice but to protect themselves by every means necessary, including secession. The write-up therefore, is an authoritative account of this sad episode in our nations’ history from an active participant. Thus, the author succeeded in taking us down memory lane through the roles played by individual, organizations and continues during this period of strife. He also took us into the theatres of war, as he recapitulated incidents of horrendous proportions, preceding the eventual collapse of Biafra.
It is pertinent to mention that the author singled out the contributions of a notable member of Gowon’s war cabinet in the person of Chief Obafemi Awolowo for condemnation. He recalled that it was Chief Awolowo who stated most callously that “all is fair in war, and starvation is one of the weapons of war. I don’t see why we should feed our enemies fat in order for them to fight harder”. According to Achebe, Awolowo was driven by an overriding ambition for power for himself in particular and for the advancement of his Yoruba people in general.
At the end of the war, Gowon publicly announced that it was a case of “no victor, no vanquished. “He also went on to introduce the three Rs – reconstruction, rehabilitation and reintegration. But Achebe questioned the veracity of these policies, especially; when one recalls that the federal government nullified any bank account which had been operated during the war by the Biafrans. In fact, a flat sum of 20 pounds was approved for each Igbo depositor of Nigerian currency regardless of the amount of deposit. According to the author, “If there was ever a measure put in place to truncate or even obliterate the economy of a people that was it.”
Playing the role of the patriot that he was known to be, the author took a look into the future and suggested steps that could be taken if the country is to rise from its self imposed mediocrity and take its deserved place in the committee of nations. First and foremost in this regard, is the issue of leadership at every level and spheres of the society. In fact, the author frowned at a situation where a god father with little or no education would impose leaders on the populace just because he has the financial muscles to do so. He therefore called for a total overhaul of the system.
All said and done, it becomes clear that There Was a Country is a concatenation of those factors that pushed us to the precipice of destruction and war. The fact that the author gave us a very detailed account makes it a macrocosm. Most importantly, the work is revelatory, meditative and intimate. Furthermore, the fact that it was written with the benefits of hindsight makes it quite compelling and irresistible.