A Question of Memory

How do Nigeria’s socioeconomic challenges influence the revival of memories of the Nigeria–Biafra war among survivors and their descendants? How do these recollections affect their daily life experiences? This article examines the motivations of the descendants of war survivors and how local “memory entrepreneurs” have become “cult heroes” with a messianic presence throughout Igboland, Nigeria. The study explores how multiple anxieties contribute to the mobilization of memories from the war. It employs a multi-sited ethnographic methodology, utilizing the “go-along method,” reviews of print and social media platforms, and the physical documentation of protests to explore the emergence of contemporary Biafran struggles. By contributing to the understanding of everyday life and civil society in postcolonial African societies, this article enhances our understanding of conflict continuities in Nigeria

Documentation · Ethnography · Everyday life · Spanish Civil War · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Political Conflict and Governance · Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies