I have always loved good music, and I have a very good ear for it. Already at the age of 10 I could sing some of the songs by local artistes like the great philosopher Celestine Ukwu, the cardinal himself, Rex Jim Lawson, the great Emperor Erasmus Jenuwari. Also those of others like Sir Victor Uwaifo, Victor Olaiya, Zeal Onyia, and the then doyen of Ibadan highlife scene, Eddy Okonta. I will also mention the great songs of visiting Ghanaian musicians I was privileged to watch on the then popular Ukonu,s club of the then Eastern Nigerian Television. Musicians like E.T. Mensah of ‘Day by Day’ fame, King Bruce of ‘Abasi Do’ fame. Classic highlife bands like the Uhuru Dance Band, Ramblers Dance Band. Watching these bands play life on TV in the sixties left a great impression on me. Also nowadays, listening to the music of that time, (for I have a large collection of them) gives me great solace. For as a child whom the war stole his youth, the growing up I knew and want to remember were those up to when I turned 14, for I was forced to become an adult by the war at the age of 15.  I also knew a reasonable lot then about foreign musicians of American and European origin. Through the influence of my elder brother, who never lacked copies of Billboard, the leading music magazine of all time I was exposed to the music of great artistes like Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Satchimo, Elvis and a host of others.

But these were before the war when growing up was fun, and peace reigned.

I was 14 and a third grader at the All Saints Grammar School Umunze, a new boarding school in a sleepy village. Although we knew all was not fine in the country at that time, we do not have the details, as we were more involved with the daily routines of boarding school life. But one evening, all these had to change. The schools emergency bell rang, and we were asked to gather at the school’s assembly hall. When the hall was called to order, our principal announced that the government of Eastern Nigeria, considering the hostilities going on in the country had ordered a temporary close down of all schools until further notice. For this reason, all students must vacate the school tomorrow.

People of Eastern Nigerian origin, especially Igbo people were fleeing from the north to the East. There had been a pogrom in the north resulting to the death of thousands of Igbo people. They were butchered in cold blood in a well planed attack. Many met their death in there homes and places of work, others in the street, killed by their fellow countrymen of Hausa tribe, with knives, arrows, guns and dagger. The attack was code named Araba, a Hausa word meaning secession 

As a youth during the war I was exposed to a lot of things early in my life and I saw a hell of things and went through a lot that is not suitable for my age. Being a member of the junior red cross with a first aid certificate, I opted to work as a volunteer rather that stay in a an unfinished building where my parents and up to a dozen other families were taking refuge in a village in Achi near Oji river. For we were refugees at that time, we fled for safty when Enugu fell. I worked as a volunteer helping wounded soldiers. That was not job for a kid. The trauma level was very high, but what can you do. People were dying everyday, they look up to you to help them. I remember a lot of occasions I had to run behind the hospital block where no one could notice and wail long enough to let off all the emotions about choking me. At one time I was serving at the Iyienu hospital in Ogidi, at that time Onitsha was under threat and it was just a few kilometres away, you can hear gun shots and shelling explosions already. Our casualty hall was overflowing with bodies, some dead; others fatally wounded and near dead. The hospital wards were so filled up that we had them on the stretchers they were brought in. The entire corridors of the hospital were filled with men groaning and begging for help. We practically had to stride over bodies lying in stretchers to attend to them. The doctors, oh, those brave young medical students turned full blown doctors. They had to make do in most cases, as there was lack of essential equipments and drugs. For us the volunteers we take instructions from the nurse and doctors. While many bodies lie on their stretchers on the floor, the doctors decide the most urgent cases to be given priority; cases deemed beyond salvage are left out. It was the duty of some of us the volunteers to give them their last comfort before they take their last breath. I remember once I was assigned to look after dying soldiers during one of such major offensives with high casualty. There was this heavily built guy who was almost cut into half by shrapnel. He would look up at me and smile between groans, he whispered to me not to worry, that he is fine, that everything will be all right, Biafra will vanquish. I knew he was going into delirium but still I could not keep my tears even as I am writing this.

Well, many may think that life in Biafra was just hardship and sufferings. No, there was in the mist of all the sufferings, arts and culture, music, and other forms of entertainment. Yes, not just ordinary shows, but those that met the standards of that time. Unfortunately no one documented this aspect. As an adventurous teen at that time, my interests drove my actions. While in Biafra I had the opportunity to watch some great performances of music and theatre. I also participated in some. In the late sixties, the in thing was rock music, and groups like Beatles, Rolling Stones, Monkeys, and others were the in things. Also singers like James Brown, Otis Redding, Wilson Picket and others ruled the airwave. Many bands playing the music of these reigning artistes and groups of that time abound in Biafra. There were bands like the Goddy Oku led Spokesmen which was formed in Enugu before the civil war started. There was also a band called the Hykers, an incredible band I first saw in concert at Achi in some Biafran army battalion headquarters, I cannot remember which battalion it was, but it was based in a secondary school opposite the Achi Joint Hospital. I watched this band do repertoires like James Browns hit classic, Please, Please, Please, and his other song ‘Good Loving’. That whole night I just stood transformed watching the band, oblivious of the crowd of soldiers rocking on the dance floor, sometimes nudging me here and there. They had this incredible vocalist. About 6ft plus tall guy, He had a way of bending over the mike for some reason I do not know, as he blasts with a typical rock vocal voice – Oh baby go, move, get away from me……………….    

He left a great impression on me. I later got to know his name. He was called Travis Oli, I just wonder where he could be now. ……………TO BE CONTINUED

Robot  Villager

# 1 I have always loved good music, and I have a very good ear for it. Already at the age of 10 I co...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 23.11.2007 16:19

IgoTalk  Villager

# 2 This tale of life in Biafra is as wonderful as it is sad. From this story I can almost hear the music of the 60's while seeing the heart wrenching pain of the dying soldiers who gave their lives for the cause the believed in. Having just read Chimamanda Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun, I'm hungry for every human angle story on Biafra I can read. I'll be eagerly expecting your next memoirs! Posted by IgoTalk| 23.11.2007 19:14

Anon  Villager

# 3 Good goings Ikechukwu. More of this please. I really enjoyed reading about your experiences. Posted by Anon| 24.11.2007 13:15

bob  Villager

# 4 Of Shrapnel, Kwashiorkor and Rock 'n' Roll User Rating: / 1 PoorBest By Ikechukwu Ude-Chime Friday, 23 November 2007 I was serving at the Iyienu hospital in Ogidi, at that time Onitsha was under threat and it was just a few kilometres away, i have a document which says : that xxx is my son that xxx was born on ... date at Iyienu general hospital, then located at okija, during the nigerian civil war. that during those times, no birth certificates were given. Posted by bob| 26.11.2007 19:59

Hamattan  Villager

# 5 =bob;2091823297>Of Shrapnel, Kwashiorkor and Rock 'n' Roll User Rating: / 1 PoorBest By Ikechukwu Ude-Chime Friday, 23 November 2007 I was serving at the Iyienu hospital in Ogidi, at that time Onitsha was under threat and it was just a few kilometres away, i have a document which says : that xxx is my son that xxx was born on ... date at Iyienu general hospital, then located at okija, during the nigerian civil war. that during those times, no birth certificates were given. To the best of my knowledge Iyienu hospital is located at Ogidi, there is no other hospital with such a name, or maybe there is. The hospital was established by the Anglican Church and it is quite an old and well know hospital. If in doubt, search through google for the hospital. Posted by Hamattan| 27.11.2007 02:35