‘I was still little, but I remember that people were running away, seeking shelter from the air raids, trying to hide from the soldiers.’
War and the work in a war museum
The Biafran War, or Nigerian Civil War, was a war of secession between Nigeria’s government and the Biafra region, which was seeking independence. Up to three million people lost their lives. One child caught up in the conflict was Theophilis Chukwuemeka ‘Emeka’ Amadi, then three. The fighting droves his family to the brink of starvation. His little brother died, and Emeka suffered from kwashiorkor, an extreme protein deficiency caused by malnutrition. Save the Children was present in Nigeria supporting children and their families like Emekas with food programmes and health support.
He told us: ‘Without the help of the relief workers, I would never have survived. They gave their time. They gave their money. And the children in the village caught lizards, which were then prepared for me. It was meat, a source of protein. I liked it!’
The Biafran War ended in 1970 – taking the lives of many, including Emaka’s little brother due to acute malnturtition. After several decades today, malnutrition remains one of the critical issues that affects the lives of many children in Nigeria.
Half a century on, Emeka is now a manager at the Nigerian National War Museum in Umuahia, the former Biafran capital, and is a father to four children. About his work he said: ‘Sometimes when I guide a group through the museum, especially when it is a group of young people, and we reach the part of the exhibition where photos of victims are shown, I tell them that I was a kwashiorkor victim too.’
‘I see a promising future for my children. I want to give them the best I can. I give them the best education because I want them to realise that the future is in their hands.’
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This text is an excerpt from the book “I’M ALIVE”
by Martina Dase and Dominic Nahr.
All information about the book and where to order can be found here.