December 14 2007

This is the News Analysis segment of the Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcasts

For December 14, 2007

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

Fellow Biafrans:

On 19^th of January, 2008, Ezinne Ugochi Monica Uwazurike, “Oriaku Egwu,” the mother of Ralph Uwazurike, Leader of MASSOB, will, by our customs, complete her journey on Earth. On that day, “Oriaku Egwu” will finally be laid to eternal rest in a traditional Burial and Wake Ceremony in Okwe, Onu-Imo, in Imo, Biafraland. Prepare! Be there in body, be there in Spirit, be there in words, be there in action. Let us all be there; we shall all participate and partake.

The substance of the life and the death of Ezinne Uwazurike is clear: the records are there for all to experience. As we all know, her death occurred while her son, Ralph Uwazurike, was being held in Nigeria’s jails, an innocent man jailed for seeking and doing what is right, that which is right in the eyes of God and Man, for his people. Every opportunity for a last physical contact with his ailing mother before she died was deliberately denied Ralph Uwazurike by Nigeria. Even to obtain a temporary furlough from Nigeria’s jails for the purpose of burying his mother, one of the stiff conditions to be met was proof of his mother’s death: the furnished death certificate was, apparently, not sufficient for the Nigerian judge, never mind self-evident and well reported and media-publicized accounts of the death—imagine that! We express our collective deepest condolences to Ralph Uwazurike, Leader of MASSOB, and his immediate family. We balance our grief with the celebration of Ezinne Uwazurike’s courage, Courage which she has fed us full with, like a mother suckling her young to satisfaction. We have been nursed with and suckled from her breast with the Milk of Courage. And, Dignity.

Today, though, let us speak of the symbolism of Ezinne Uwazurike’s life and death: what does it mean to our people? When she ached with heartbreak because her son, Ralph Uwazurike, was not there to provide mother-child company in her old age, she bore the burden shared by all mothers of Biafra, especially all mothers whose sons and daughters are in MASSOB; most specifically, all mothers whose sons and daughters are, or have been, in Nigeria’s prisons, wickedly placed there by Nigeria. It is doubtful that there is pain more severe than that mother and child, no matter at what age or station, should be so separated as by the deliberate malicious doings of an enemy such as Nigeria. “Oriaku Egwu,” in life and death, teaches us about the sacrifices being made by Biafra’s mothers all over, as their children are torn away from them—children responding to the call of duty, a call so strong as to defy the strongest bond on earth, even while willingly actively confronting the greatest evil on Earth, Evil such as Nigeria. Our mothers bear the unbearable with courage which “passeth all understanding”; it is that same stock of courage that their children draw from, as they fight against incredible odds with a determination which “passeth all understanding,” though their commitment strain and break the physical cord holding them to their mothers.

Biafra’s mothers know and understand that our land is under pernicious occupation by Nigeria. They know and understand that it is a collective duty—our duty—to stop such slavery and enslavement of our people by Nigeria. They understand that nobody else will liberate our people from Nigeria but our own people; nor would they want other people’s children and other mothers to do our own dangerous work for us—no! Biafra’s mothers understand that what we must do, we must do: what their children have to do, the children will have to do. No matter the cost: the cost of slavery makes the cost of Freedom and Liberty, at any price, cheap by comparison. As such, Biafra mothers endure: with courage and with dignity. And, as such, they pass on the courage and dignity to their children.

The meaning of Ezinne Uwazurike’s life and death, of course, does not stop there. For us children of courageous Biafran mothers, we can now understand that we have been bred on Mothers’ Courage; and we must show courage in the face of Evil. We must confront Evil, because Evil will not relent, as it seeks to devour us. You know we are dealing with Evil when the Nigerian courts which represent Nigeria insist on a Death Certificate to prove one’s mother’s death, even when such death is well documented in news reports and is public knowledge. You know you are dealing with real evil when a Nigerian judge representing Nigeria, who demanded the Death Certificate in the first place, rejects the Death Certificate duly signed and issued by a recognized Health institution in public domain in whose morgue the body lies. Evil enough it is to refuse bail to someone who has not even been convicted of any crimes, to go and have a last visit with an ailing elderly mother: that’s how you know and confirm Evil. The apartheid South African government of yore which denied Mandela (under generally similar circumstances as Uwazurike with the Nigerian government today), the request to go and bury his son, made its hideous mark writ indelible in history as Quintessential Evil. Today, we see that Nigeria has surpassed apartheid South Africa in Evil. Our mothers, even on their deathbeds, even if it means physical separation from us, will not permit us to fold our hands and ignore such Evil; they will not allow us to do nothing to fight and do battle against this Evil. More important, our mothers expect us to WIN this battle, because there does not exist any alternative worth mentioning.

On 19^th of January, 2008, Ezinne Ugochi Monica Uwazurike, “Oriaku Egwu,” the mother of Ralph Uwazurike, Leader of MASSOB, will, by our tradition and customs, complete her journey on Earth. On that day, “Oriaku Egwu” will finally be laid to eternal rest in a traditional Burial and Wake Ceremony in Okwe, Onu-Imo, Imo, Biafraland. Prepare! Be there in body, be there in Spirit, be there in words, be there in action. Let us all be there; we shall all participate and partake. As we do so, we are also sending a strong message, once again, to Nigeria that all MASSOB members in Nigeria’s jails, including Uchenna Madu, other MASSOB officials, and other MASSOB rank-and-file members have to be released from Nigeria’s jails, immediately and unconditionally.

Biafra alive! Because it is God Who makes it so.

That’s the News Analysis for the week. Thank you.

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God bless and keep Biafra, and you, until our next broadcast. Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcast continues (http://www.biafraland.com/vobi.htm), now with the summary of the News Analysis in Igbo language.

Ndi Biafra, e kele e o-o! Anyi e kele e unu.

Nkea wu akuko nke anyi na a kpo News Analysis, si na Voice of Biafra International Radio, di na Washington DC, na ala America, na a bia ra unu na abali a.

Na ubochi January 19 2008, na Okwe, Onu-Imo, Imo, ala Biafra, ndi Biafra dum ga e soro emume i li Ezinne Ugochi Monica Uwazurike, nke a na e tu “Oriaku Egwu,” nne Ralph Uwazurike, onye isi MASSOB. Unu ma nu na Nne-Ukwu anyi ya nwuru mgbe okpara ya, Ralph, ka no na mkporo ojoo ndi Nigeria, ndi ajoo madu ndi Nigeria a ju i nye Ralph ma obulaghi di nwantinti oge i ga hu nne ya tupu o nwuo. Anyi na a si Ralph Uwazurike na ndi ezi-na-ulo ya, “Ndoo!”

Ebe owula onye Biafra no, ya gaa emume ya—gaa na mmuo, ma o wu na mmadu; jiri onu-okwu, ma o wu omume, gaa kwa nu emume ya. Mara kwa unu na ndu na onwu Nne Ukwu anyi ya kuziera anyi ihe gbasara onuma, ndidi na obisike nde Nne Biafra nwere, otu ha si e di ndidi mgbe “ihe di otu o di” nke na e kweghi umu ha i no nso na akukua ha na oge di otua. Ndi Nne Biafra, na ahuhu ha na a ta maka umu ha a noghi nso, ma a ma na ihe umu ha na e me di oke mkpa; ha na a kwado ihe ahu umu ha na e me. Na ezia na ezia, obi-sie-ike umu ha nwere, o wu na arha nne ha ka ha ñutara ya. Nke kasi nke, ihe umu ha ndi no na MASSOB na e me; ihe umu ha so na ndi MASSOB ndi Nigeria ji na mkporo ojoo ha na e me.

Ndu na onwu “Oriaku Egwu,” nke di ka ndu na onwu ndi Nne Biafra na ile ndi ozo, na a kuzirie anyi ndi umu ha, umu Biafra, na ha nyere anyi obi-sie-ike na nkwado ha, ka anyi were ya chupu njo na aru nke choro i gba anyi ndi Biafra ohu na ime ala nke anyi—njo na aru nke wu Nigeria. O nweghi kwa nu njo na aru nke ka Nigeria, otu Nigeria jiri nwee obi nkume, obi okwute, na ihe gbasara i hapu Ralph Uwazurike ka o gaa lee nne ya na oyi, mgbe o ka di ndu; ma o wu di i ga lie nne ya. Udi aru na njoo ya wu Nigeria ka nne Ralph na ndi nne Biafra ndi ozo si umu ha ka ha lusi ogu, chupu ya, na si na ime ya puta. Otua ka anyi ndi umu Biafra ga e me, were rue na nweta Biafra.

Na ubochi January 19 2008, na Okwe, Onu-Imo, Imo, ala Biafra, ndi Biafra dum ga e soro emume i li Ezinne Ugochi Monica Uwazurike, a na e tu “Oriaku Egwu,” nne Ralph Uwazurike, onye isi MASSOB. Ebe owula onye Biafra no, ya gaa emume ya—gaa na mmuo ma o wu na mmadu; jiri onu-okwu ma o wu omume gaa kwanu emume ya. Anyi mee otua, nke ozo ihea putara wu na anyi na a gwa Nigeria ozo kwa ka ha weputa ndi MASSOB na ile ha ji na mkporo ha ugbua: Uchenna Madu, ndi ndu ndi MASSOB ndi ozo, na ndi dum no na otu MASSOB ndi Nigeria ji na nga ojoo Nigeria—anyi si Nigeria hapu ha aka ugbua.

Biafra: biri kwa!

Biafra, ndu gi! Biafra, ndu gi!! Biafra, ndu gi!!!—na ndu anyi kwa. Maka Chineke nonyere la gi—nonyere kwa ra anyi!

Ndewo unu!

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Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcast continues

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