One’s understanding of events of the past goes a long way in determining his decisions for his present and projection of the future.
For every Igbo man, the happenings of the civil war remain an area of interest in history.
This is why the screening of this new documentary, “January 15, 1970” is strategic to the retinue of knowledge base in the history of the three year war.
Correspondent, David Okpokwasili attended the screening and narrates the mood at the event.
According to him, on January 15, 1970, fifty years ago, the thirty-month carnage of Eastern Nigeria, called the Nigerian-Biafra War or Nigerian Civil War depending on the choice of the historian, came to an end with surrender by Philip Effiong.
Since then, different efforts were made to document the stories of that war- most successful ones were disjointed narrations by both fictional and non-fictional writers based basically on their angle of elevation of sight, observation or participation in that Igbo pogrom resistance.
With the scarcity of video technology in Africa at that time, few videos or cassette documentations of the war were in the hands of a few in pieces, therefore making a well jointed visual narration of the civil war both difficult and unsavoury.
Consequentially, this private screening of the documentary, entitled “January 15, 1970: Untold Memories of the Nigerian-Biafra War”, by Ed Emeka Keazor; an initiative of Centre for Memories, will not only be a reservoir of references for research and further narrative exposé, but will be a strategic effort at documenting answers for future generations who will not depend on oral narrations but on tangible evidence of the truth.
These were the summaries of the take aways by attendees at this screening ceremony including the Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Materials Testing and Laboratory, Mr. Michael Orekeyeh, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of ABS, Chief Uche Nworah and the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Grassroots Media Mobilization, Mr. Egbuna Amuta.
As they recounted their take aways from the screening, it was evident that their expectations were invariably met as the documentary featured interviews with the real people inside the houses that were riddled with bullets during the civil war.
This documentary which has been screened in Lagos, Abuja, Nsukka, and Awka will tour all the major cities where Ndi Igbo are found.
It is supported by Anambra Broadcasting Service, Morek Stem Network, Society of Igbo Professionals, Film House Cinemas and Centre for Memories.
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