Why did I know nothing about Biafra? In the late 1960s there were terrible acts of genocide against the Igbo people in Nigeria. Conservative estimates suggest 1 million were killed. It led to them creating a new state of Biafra, separate from Nigeria. A state few countries recognised. A state my own government was complicit in destroying. All I knew before I picked up this wonderful yet soul-crushing book, was that the lead singer of one of my favourite US punk bands took it as his second name – Jello Biafra. The Igbo people were treated like Jews in Nazi Germany and the Palestinians now. Yet this period of history is forgotten like so many other horrors.
The genocide and war form the setting for “Half of a Yellow Sun”. Named, probably, after the emblem on the Biafran flag and army uniforms. Above and beyond the suffering there are three (or more) love stories and a tale of motherhood and sisterhood and the importance of both. Olanna is a beauty, her twin sister is not. Both find love, but what follows is complicated. Why is Olanna’s daughter called Baby and why don’t Olanna and her sister speak? Who will survive the war and what will remain for those who do? It’s beautifully written and thoroughly engaging, but what I love most about it is the exposure to completely new lives and a hidden part of history.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. 5/5 stars.
I also loved “Americanah” and “We Should all be Feminists” by the same author.