Surviving in Biafra: The Story of the Nigerian Civil War [Hardcover]

Alfred Obiora Uzokwe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2003

In 1966, several waves of rioting in northern Nigeria culminated in the brutal massacre of thousands of easterners by their northern Nigerian counterparts. Sensing that their safety could no longer be guaranteed, the easterners fled to the eastern region and established an independent nation called Biafra.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alfred Obiora Uzokwe holds advanced degrees in architecture and civil engineering and has authored hundreds of essays about Nigeria?s socio-political and economic situation, which were published on Nigeriaworld.com and other news magazines. He is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania and has served as editor of several technical journals as well as act as a contributory writer. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Writers Advantage (January 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595655866
• ISBN-13: 978-0595655861
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,301,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ABOUT ALFRED OBIORA UZOKWE

Surviving in Biafra-The Story of the Nigerian Civil war was published in 2003 and is Alfred Obiora Uzokwe's first book. The book received global interest after publication and has since been used in Colleges in the United States for courses that include Genocide and ethnic cleansing. It is now found in numerous libraries of Ivy League Universities in the United States. The book is an account of a civil war witnessed by Alfred as a little boy growing up in Nigeria from the time he was 7years until the age of 10. It talks about relatives and classmates lost to the war through air raids,war machines, hunger and privation. He is currently working on other books.

Alfred also writes periodic commentaries about the Socio-economic situation in Nigeria on the internet newsmagazine - Nigeriaworld.com. Since 2001, he has written diverse articles about Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa that total more than 1000 pages of material. His commentary stems from his strong desire to see Africa, especially Nigeria, join the league of advanced and industrialized nations by making necessary changes that would create the enabling environment for progress in all facets on life. He has staunch belief in democracy and the dividends that accrue from it and so shines the spotlight on issues that affect Nigeria hoping for more awareness which would culminate in true "participatory democracy" in Nigeria and Africa.

Alfred's professional sojourn includes serving his National Youth Service Corps program, in the architectural division, at the Federal Ministry of Works, Lagos Nigeria. He then worked as an Architectural Designer for many years designing, costing and supervising the construction of several buildings in the country. Those buildings still stand in various parts of Nigeria and their uniqueness attest to his design creativity. In 1987, he moved to Baltimore Maryland, United States where he became a Consultant Engineering Inspector, working on highway, bridge and culverts construction projects. He also provided quality assurance testing for construction materials including concrete, asphalt and soil.

He later joined a state Agency in Pennsylvania as a Civil Engineer where he worked in various Civil Engineering capacities including Traffic Engineering, Highway Construction, Contract Management, Value Engineering and construction project partnering. He later rose to the position of Chief of New Technology Implementation Section, in one of the Bureaus in the state agency sourcing and helping to deploy new technologies like Road Weather Information Systsms(RWIS, automated anti-icing bridge systems and all forms of freezepoint depressants for snow control.

Currently, he is the Chief of the Design Division in another State Agency, overseeing the design of buildings, roadways, dams, bridges, box culverts as well as implementation of renewable energy systems like wind, solar and geothermal systems. He has particular interest in sustainable building and infratsructure designs and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designs(LEED)

Alfred has served as Editor of several newsletters including the Construction Training News, Partnering Newsletter and The New Technology Update Newsletter. He was honored in front of 1000 employees for his work as the Editor of the New Technology Update newsletter. He has also been a contributory writer to Engineering magazines and newsletters including the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors Magazine and the American Society of Highway Engineers newsletter.

He has also made numerous presentations on Engineering training, Construction Project Partnering and New Technology in Winter Maintenance and has chaired many Committees and Taskforces dealing with Engineering training, Partnering and New technology. Alfred was the Chairman of Aurora Consortium-an international consortium headquartered in Minneapolis with membership of state agencies in the snowbelt in the USA as well as Canada, Sweden and more. The consortium conducts research on Road Weather Information Systems and disseminates findings to member agencies in the United States, Canada and Sweden.

Alfred holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Nigeria, a Master of Architecture degree from Morgan State University Baltimore, Maryland and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from University of Maryland College Park, Maryland, USA. Alfred is an Engineer registered to practice in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington DC. He is also member of American Society of Civil Engineers and at his leisure designs residential buildings which are constructed in Africa. He loves to play guitar and write songs as a hobby and pump iron for fitness. He is married with children

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Political Book Told Honestly, October 12, 2003

By 

Ana Marrie (San Francisco, CA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surviving in Biafra: The Story of the Nigerian Civil War (Paperback)

I loved this book because it is similar to reading a personal diary or journal left by a child. It is honest and funny,sad and poignant.

The author, Mr. Uzokwe, doesn't speak as an authoritarian or an analyst. He simply tells the story of what he saw, felt and experienced as a child living in a war torn world. This includes some sorrow but also reminds us of the naiveté and life as usual wanderings of a child's mind. (Not unlike the film "Life is Beautiful" depicting a child's experience in Nazi Germany)

I have read the F. Forsythe book and other material on the subject of the Nigerian Civil War. I recommend those earlier works primarily on historical merit. However in my opinion, Surviving In Biafra is the most heart-felt story telling perhaps because the innocence depicted heightens the senselessness of the nearly 2 million lives lost. Although the subject matter is heavy, many passages are funny and endearing. As a non-African reader I found some ideas and practices presented odd and intriguing. The book is about family relations, community responses and how coping affects everyone differently. A variety of cultural norms are revealed and an overall picture of life in a small war torn village is painted quite beautifully. Many words, phrases and saying and songs are translated into the (then Biafran) native language of Ibo, and a variety of photos are included which adds nice documentation.

Anyone interested in peace will benefit from the truth presented in Surviving In Biafra. For those interested in the holocaust or other genocide attempts it is a must read. Likewise, for those interested in affirming the joy of life and the enduring human spirit this reading is a memorable journey.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful, May 31, 2005

By 

Kemayou (Cameroon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surviving in Biafra: The Story of the Nigerian Civil War (Paperback)

This book is a beautiful account of the Biafran war. I grew up with Nigerian refuges and their children in Cameroon and got first hand accounts of the horrors of that war. Overall, this insightful book is credible and like DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST, SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL, it gives the reader the opportunity to understand African conflicts and the pattern of genocides that have taken place or taking place in the continent. I learned a lot from this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Tale of Human Misery, January 5, 2008

By 

Chima Osakwe (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Surviving in Biafra: The Story of the Nigerian Civil War (Paperback)

Written from the perspective of an observant little boy, this book is a riveting tale of human misery. I'm familiar with the subject and believe the suffering of the boy's family is representative of the average Biafran family at this hour of grave trial. The book, like many others on the Biafran war, is highly recommended especially since the circumstances leading to the war is very much alive in today's Nigeria. The people of eastern Nigeria (former Biafra) are still suffering untold persecution in Nigeria.I think the author should have been bold enough to recommend a way forward rather than conclude the book with the end of the war.But all in all, this is a fine work. The narration is free-flowing; so smooth that I was reading while eating. It's a book I can recall with pride.