Buchi Emecheta’s Destination Biafra: A Discourse on the Roles of Women in the Nigeria Civil War Literature and Contemporary Implications

Abstract

The Nigerian civil war (1967-1970) has remained a ripe subject for literary discourses and has been represented in various literary productions—drama, prose, poetry, essays, and other genres. Despite the plethora of articles that have been written on the civil war subject, the roles played by women in that war are yet to receive due critical attention. Against the male-dominated narratives of the Nigeria civil war, this paper uses BuchiEmecheta’s Destination Biafra to demonstrate the roles played by women in that war. Through her heroine, Debbie, Emecheta asserts the invaluable contributions of women during Nigeria’s most trying period, the Nigeria-Biafra war.