Asaba Memorial Oral History Project
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Interviewer
Bird, S. Elizabeth; Ottanelli, Fraser; Uraih, Ifeanyi
Publication Date
6-30-2010
Date
2009-12-12
Abstract
This is an oral history interview with Osakwe Igwemma, a survivor of the Asaba Massacre, a mass killing of civilians that took place in 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War. Igwemma, who was 23 when the massacre occurred, was living in Asaba with his mother and siblings at the time. The day of the massacre, the townspeople gathered in the plaza to welcome the Nigerian soldiers and offer them money and gifts. The men and boys were separated from the women and ordered to kneel, and the soldiers then started firing. Igwemma survived because he was in the middle of the group and other people fell on him as they died, covering him with blood. He and his two brothers escaped from the crowd and fled into the bush; it was three weeks before they came back to Asaba, and when they returned, their house had been burned. Seven members of Igwemma's family died in the massacre. In this interview, he also expresses his hopes for the memorial project.
Keywords
Crimes against humanity, History--Nigeria--Civil War, 1967-1970, History--Nigeria--Civil War, 1967-1970--Personal narratives, Asaba (Nigeria)
Subject: geographic
Asaba (Nigeria);
Holding Location
University of South Florida
Language
English
Media Type
Oral histories; Online audio
Format
audio/mp3
Identifier
A34-00010
Recommended Citation
Igwemma, Osakwe, "Osakwe Igwemma oral history interview" (2010). Asaba Memorial Oral History Project. 7.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/asaba/7
Rights Statement
