Sometimes our need to achieve a thing causes us to lose sight of the bigger picture, we burn ourselves out with rage or frustration leaving us with nothing. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Put simply, it all started as an extended essay that I wrote in my last year of the International Baccalaureate diploma programme that I later decided to translate into a fictional narrative during my first year of university. If you would like to attend the launch and hear me speak, please reserve your spot using the Eventbrite link: https://lnkd.

Claudia’s writing is moving and deeply informed, shedding light on one of Nigeria’s greatest tragedies. The letters exchanged between the two main characters - Chioma, who is living in Nigeria during the civil war, and Onome, a student in London, convey an absolutely realistic portrayal of female friendship and sisterhood. There is an instance where Onome gives way too much credit to the British by writing to Chioma that she must be mistaken about her account of the massacre, or the British are censoring the news (come on now). Claudia Efemini is an author and current History and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh. I’ve included a quote at the beginning of this post that I wrote in the article, which really encapsulates my motivation for writing this book.A Letter Away From Asaba is a thought-provoking narrative centred on the Asaba Massacre, which occurred in 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War. This book demonstrates the evils of tribalism, not just friendly rivalry, and how detrimental it has been to the growth of Nigeria. Nevertheless, I cannot deny that the general neglect of African history during my first two years has only made me hungrier for history pertaining to Nigeria.

The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Through a series of diary entries and letters these two young women attempt to come to grips with the massacre and fulfil their desire of publicising its existence in opposition to this censorship. Efemini’s passion for history, her heritage, and shedding light on the Asaba massacre of 1967, is evident throughout the pages of A Letter Away From Asaba. This work has left me inspired and hopeful that young voices will not allow history to remain neglected under the chronicles of British colonisation.The book follows two lifelong friends, Chioma and Onome, as they investigate the atrocities that led to the massacre in their hometown of Asaba and the obstacles they encounter. Learning about the Nigerian Civil War and Asaba in particular through these two women was enlightening and truly educational. I did not know a lot about the Nigerian civil war before reading, and it honestly opened my eyes to the injustice censorship can cause.

As I read it, memories of my school days and the places where I have lived come to life, which helps me empathize with the characters. The lectures on oral history in the infamous Historian’s Toolkit and varying topics in my first-year courses helped me develop the analytical skills that I used to carefully embed historical information within an engaging fictional narrative. This story was so carefully crafted and I was so emotionally invested in the wellbeing and relationships of these characters. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.A Letter Away from Asaba is an epistolary novella that speaks on history, that has effected so many, through letters sent by our main protagonists Chioma and Onome. The article provides a deeper insight into why I wrote the book and what the book is about in brief. Overall, this is a great book to educate yourself on the Nigerian Civil War and understand the effects that it has on individual people.

I started working on this novella in December 2021 so it is amazing to finally visualise the book and be offered an artistic representation of my manuscript.

My book is a historical fiction novella that seeks to inform readers about the censorship of the tragic Asaba massacre of the Nigerian civil war.