WID Biafra Itself

From Rpcvdraft

The World Is Deep - Completion

Biafra Itself David L. Koren, Nigeria 9 (1963-1966) March 2007

I haven’t said much about the people of Biafra. This was all about them, right?

Yes.

They were the node of a significant event in human history.

Of the people who came together for the airlift, whatever they loved about fighting, whatever they loved about flying, whatever they loved about religion, whatever they loved about life, their paths crossed in a filigree of human motivational trajectories, called Biafra.

Years later I gave a talk to a group of college students in Buffalo, New York. These were all students from the region formerly known as Biafra. I told them my stories and I showed them my pictures. I concluded with an observation. Many Americans believe that most relief aid never gets to those who need it, that it is diverted by corruption. One young man from the back of the room stood up. He said, “When we were children, we heard your planes going over at night. We never knew who you were, but we got the food. Every person in this room is alive today because of what you did.” Then they stood up and gave me a prolonged ovation.

Uwa de egwu.

The fourth time I went to Africa, October 1999, I went to see my son, Emeka, who was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guinea.

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