Hour Twelve –   Beyond Biafran War    Mary Pecaut

 

In a circle they gather

on the banks of the Qua Iboe River

sandaled feet firm upon Akwa Ibom soil.

Swaddled in colorful cloth, the Paramount 

Chief pours libations inviting ancestors and all that is

sacred to soften the ground 

of each being, carve out a space within 

where a Holy presence may abide.

 

Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Ijaw, Igbo,

Tiv, Kanuri, Efik, Ebibio

 

Like fishing nets hand-knotted

not handled with proper care 

an entanglement of one’s own making.

 

Unravel the ropes of destiny

that bind. Repair the net. Mend the ties. Release 

the snarl of past mistakes.

 

All that is gathered is made whole again.

 

POST SCRIPT:

The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970; also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War or the Biafran War) was a civil war  fought between the government of Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence from Nigeria in 1967.