Nnaemeka Nwankwo Okere is a trained teacher and media expert, who worked for the European Union Election Observation as an election facilitator and teaches, on part-time basis, the students of the National Open University and the University of Abuja in the department of English and political science. He is a graduate of English and Comparative Literature from the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom. In this interview with IBRAHIM RAMALAN, Okere discusses his debut novel, ‘Blood At Noon’, in which he advocates for peaceful resolution of differences.
You debuted a novel called ‘Blood At Noon’. Tell us little about what it entails
The book centres on the bombing of Afor-Umuohiagu village market which happened during the Nigerian Civil War in 1969, February 7th at about 12:30 in the afternoon. It was on a market day when the fighter jet came, hovered around the market the first time, the second till the fourth time. Each time it appeared it threw cash to those people who were at the ground. As a result, there was a stampede because larger people gathered to partake of the free-for-all money that was falling. Some people even called it Manna from Heaven, and these are people who were looking for how to break away from the pangs of hunger. When the fighter jet appeared the next time, instead of them to throw money, it started throwing bomb. When immediately that happened, the market was engulfed with fire. As a result, many people died in a market that was serving as a food-sharing centre, a refugee camp and the market.
You seem to be retelling a historical account. What inspired you to write ‘Blood At Noon’?
Well, since the book is a work of fiction, the inspiration came because I have conceived the idea about 5 years ago. This is an event that occurred close to 50 years ago and virtually no body has taken account of it. However, in Chinua Achebe’s ’There was a Country’, on page 212, he used 2 lines to mention it, he did not discuss it at length. At the time I noticed this, I had already started working on this particular book (Blood At Noon). So when I saw it I was like so Chinua Achebe could mention this? Therefore, it became expedient to do the work proper. So what really motivated me to get inspired was when I looked at how the vulnerable people, children and women in particular, are used as a bargaining power to end wars, whether conventional wars or none conventional. Like the one in the North-eastern Nigeria, children are always being used to end wars. I want the people to know how the vulnerable in the society were used to end wars in that particular region.
How did you come about the historical account?
I went to those who witnessed it. Those who are still bearing the brunt of these hardships, so that they could give me a sort of an eyewitness account of they witnessed. The experience was so pathetic. Some of them got amputated while others lost their means of livelihoods.
There are other books exploring the same theme. What is your book seeking to address?
The book was published about three months ago. If you ask me why now, I would say because there are agitations for cessation and the Chibok Girls saga which seems to have no end in sight. Now most of these youth who are agitating were not born when the war was fought. The think that war is all about blocking the road, causing commotion and havoc. It is not. I put this book forward so that they would know that this kind of a thing happened during the war, would they want it to repeat itself? That is number one. Number two, I also wrote the book so that whoever that wants to cause a war, should know that the blood of people do not end war. It leaves stigma in their heart instead. There are better approaches and avenues to seek a redress. Don’t just fire at them and kill them. Those who are agitating should know that war is not the best form of seeking relevance. Table out what your grievances are, from there a peace would be brokered.
Who exactly is your book targeting at?
My audience is everybody because war has no any abode. War can happen in anywhere. Today it is in North-east, tomorrow it could be in another region. So every Dick and Harry, every human being is my target. People should know that no matter how they call for war, they may survive at that moment but will not survive in the long last. I want to make known of such an occurrence. Secondly to advice people, especially youth with their youthful exuberance, should know that war, bad protest are not the best ways of asking for relevance. You can never be relevant by causing war.
