Ngozika OBI-ANI

Project at the MaCI

April - July 2024

« My research attempts to understand how the second generation of Biafran (Igbo ethnic group of Nigeria) war survivors has appropriated the memory transmitted to them by their families. It addresses how this collective trauma and inherited memories have irrevocably affected their group identities. In the face of government-enforced amnesia about the trauma of the war and the alleged continual marginalization of the Igbo, social media has become a liuex de memoire, a sort of site of memory for articulating, reproducing, and mediating Biafran historical memories.

Consequently, this research examines how the post-civil war generation of Biafran survivors have owned and reproduced that horrific past. The project is undergirded by the following specific objectives: a) to understand how the second and third generations of the victims of the Biafran Civil War are coping with its legacy; b) to investigate the role of the media in the transmission of transgenerational Biafran war memories; and c) to interrogate the impact of the activities of neo-Biafran agitators in the region.

MACI's serene environment motivates me to reflect deeper on my proposed research and inspires me to work on my ongoing book project about the memories of the Nigeria-Biafra war. My primary objective is to complete writing my proposed article within the next three months and commence the introductory chapter of my book project, for which my research at MACI is a crucial component. I would like to express my gratitude to the entire selection committee for this opportunity to work on my research project in the beautiful environment of MACI. »
 

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