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What Biafra really means to me

The word, Biafra may have been gotten from the age long Bight of Biafra, a cluster of tiny Islands colonised by the Portuguese in the days of yore.

If you take a critical look at the map of Africa, you would find these islands at the fort of the map very close to the Mediterranean ocean. 

There are concrete indications that the word ‘Biafra’ has no affiliation with any Igbo word, group or coinage. Though the symbol in their flag depicts the rising sun, Biafra has no relationship with the Igbo man. Biafra is associated with Portuguese and it remains so, just like Lagos is not a Yoruba word.

It is believed that the name only appealed to the leadership of the defunct separationist group and it was adapted. 

Encomium.ng investigations revealed that those chanting ‘Biafra’ do not actually know the meaning nor its origin…

 

Christopher Nwoko

I see it as an ethnic group which have been distracted by the marginalization, maltreated, unrecognised and jeopardised by other group and they decided to seek for their right through constitutional means.

 

Adaeze Ibeneme

Biafra is a nation that certain group of people from the southeastern part of Nigeria are trying to build. The meaning is just togetherness.

 

Okezie Goodluck

I believe the word Biafra means freedom. When we shout ‘Biafra’, we are expected to echo ‘freedom’. We are being caged in Nigeria and we are set to be freed. That is how the name came about.

 

Ezinne Amaechi

The word Biafra means peace. We are not for war. We just want our referendum that’s all.

 

Mr. Ayogu

It is everywhere, both on the internet. The word Biafra is gotten from two Igbo words ‘bia’ which means come and ‘fara’ which means live. That is, come alive. We are part of the Afar ethnic group in the horn of Africa. We just need a rebirth, that’s all.

 

Mrs. Chinyere

Though I was not born during the war of 1967, we were told that Biafra is just a republic associated with the eastern region.

 

Eze Nwafor

Biafra in its entirety means to come alive. It is gotten from two Igbo words but most people still argue the fact. The point is that, the name came before the war, when we realised we needed to fight for our own very right. So that’s the meaning. To come back alive.

 

Ugwu Ginika

I think as we were told, it means freedom from all form of slavery. It is a name given by the Portuguese explorers but the meaning I don’t presume it to be an Igbo word as they have finally turned it to be.

 

– Chika Okorie for encomium.ng

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