History and the challenges of nation-building: a critical appraisal of readers’ comments on chinua achebe’s there was a country: a personal history of biafra

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to critically appraise reactions to Chinua Achebe’s There was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra, an account of the Nigerian-Biafran civil strife that has generated a lot of readership and controversies. The book since its first appearance in 2012 has been subjected to a number of critical interpretations. Some of the interpretations to the book and their underlying effects on contemporary efforts at nation building in Nigeria will be examined in this study. A total of five responses to the book were randomly selected and generalizations made. Deploying the literary tool of Historicism from the works of Wilhelm Dilthey, the paper submits that each of the ripostes from the standpoint of the critic is significantly aimed at overcoming identified challenge(s) of nation building in Nigeria. It argues that a very important shared point from the critical interpretations is that they underscore the relevance of history in addressing the contemporary challenges of nation building in Nigeria. The paper concludes that There was a Country draws from Nigeria’s history and this makes it Achebe’s contribution to Nigeria’s nation building process. Beyond ethnic and bigoted affiliations therefore, the book must be given a nationalist interpretation if the numerous challenges bedeviling Nigeria’s nation building process as highlighted by Chinua Achebe will ever be overcome. Keywords: History, Challenges, Nation Building, Nigeria, Biafra, Civil War, Chinua Achebe.