TAMILS & BIAFRA

By

 D. B .S. Jeyaraj
The Island

It was the late sixties a group of Tamil undergrads were concerned about the plight of Biafra in the so called Nigerian civil war. It was the time when the whole world was shocked by pictures and posters of the starving children of Biafra. A situation caused primarily by the economic blockade on food and essential items to the eastern region of Nigeria that had declared itself as the new nation of Biafra. The Tamil youths, one of whom was Sathiyaseelan a  pioneer of the Tamil militant movement, formed a front called the "Ilaingar Ondriam" and published a monthly "Tamil Ilaingan".

That short lived journal and much of the public meetings organized by the "Ondriam" discussed in detail the Biafran situation. A striking analogy was drawn between the Ibos of Nigeria and the Jaffna Tamils. It was pointed out that like the Ibos the Jaffna Tamils too had received the benefits of colonialism and were perceived one. The Yorubas and Hausas of Nigeria shared a similar perception of the Ibos. The secession of Biafra was necessitated as a result of this. Likewise the Tamils too may be compelled to secede from Ceylon one day said the Tamil youths.

In that context the Tamils were urged to protest against, what was happening in Nigeria and express solidarity with the beleaguered people of Biafra by the Ilaingar Ondriam. The Tamils were warned that if and when the Tamils tried to secede the Sinhala government may impose an economic and food blockade of Jaffna and starve the Tamils into submission as in the case of Biafra. So the Tamils should identify themselves with the struggle of the Biafran people and prevent the suppression of that revolt.

The crucial factor of oil played a big role in the Nigerian civil war and regardless of humanitarian protests, the powers that be helped directly and indirectly in the military subjugation of Biafra through cruel inhuman measures such as starvation. The images of emaciated Biafran children crying out from posters lingered for long in the collective conscience of the civilised world. The unity of Nigeria was ensured and a new federal constitution was introduced.

In 1981 I was covering as a reporter the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference at the BMICH in Colombo. I met a woman Parliamentarian from the Nigerian delegation at a reception. Discovering that she was of Ibo stock and from the region of what was once Biafra I asked her about her experiences of the civil war. I began cursing myself for my unintentioned insensitively as the woman burst into tears. "Please don't ask me about it" she cried. "I don't want to be reminded of it. There are no [words] to describe it. It was horrible. It was terrible. The worst was being deprived of food". She virtually ran away from me and scrupulously avoided me thereafter. Her reaction made a poignant impression on me and I jotted down her words in the book I was carrying. The book is lost but the words remain etched in memory. That was the tragedy of Biafra.

Although the Biafran revolt was crushed the Nigerian experience continued to be discussed in Tamil political circles. It became an example of what may possibly befall the Tamils if and when a secessionary movement emerged...