The Social Symbolism of Biafra Protest Songs in South-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Protests are an essential element of democratisation process and a significant factor in the social struggle and commitment to a cause. Protests are staged in different forms, either, with placards or songs to portray socio-political grievance. This study explains the symbolism of Biafra protest songs in South-Eastern Nigeria. Protest songs are symbols that contextualise intent of a social struggle. The protest songs depict cultural and group ideology which fosters the Igbo identity cohesion in the Biafra struggle. These protest songs indicate shared patterns of behaviour and interaction, cognitive constructs and understanding that create unique symbolism of Biafra among the Igbo people in Nigeria. This paper argues that Biafra protest songs are a non-material culture that contextualises the meanings attached to Biafra in achieving identity capital, identity-cohesion, struggle sustenance and commitment during protests.

National Democratic Revolution

“…Ojukwu's declaration resulted in the Nigeria Civil War, which lasted from 1967 to 1970. An estimated 2 million lives and multimillion dollar worth of investments were lost (Atata and Omobowale 2018;Omobowale 2009). Whereas the government declared a postwar 3R policy of Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation, the pro-Biafra groups claim that the Igbo ethnic group has been economically and politically deprived in Nigeria (Onuoha 2014(Onuoha , 2016.…”

“…Hence, the MASSOB emerged about the year 2000 to advance Igbo interests in the Nigerian state, with an ultimate aim to achieve a sovereign state of Biafra, while the IPOB subsequently evolved when the MASSOB seemed to have retracted from the objective of a sovereign state. The MASSOB and IPOB have propagated the Biafra objective through violent street protests, sit-at-home protests, and numerous violent exchanges with the police and the military (Atata and Omobowale 2018;Onwuegbuchulam and Mtshali 2017). The activities of the MASSOB and the IPOB and the violent exchanges with the coercive forces of the state are associated with perceived and actual economic deprivation of the Igbo working class from among whom the MASSOB and the IPOB have most of their "foot soldiers.…”

The meaning of struggle songs for the black female university students.

“…(Jolaosho, 2014). Struggle songs are also symbols that contextualise the intent of a social struggle (Atata & Omobowale 2018). They are powerful acts, compelling reactive and proactive engagement, and debate (Redmond, 2015, as cited in Mbhele & Walker, 2017).…”

“…In African countries like Zimbabwe and Nigeria, to mention a few, struggle songs have played a role in giving hope, motivation, and morale to continue fighting oppression (Atata & Omobowale, 2018;Matiza & Mutasa, 2020;Namuyamba et al, 2018). In South African society, these struggle songs also played a critical role in strategizing and accelerating change during the apartheid era (Gray, 2004).…”

“…They were seen as a tool that promoted persistence in fighting for liberation. Similarly, Atata & Omobowale (2018), Matiza &Mutasa (2020), andNamuyamba et al (2018) indicated that struggle songs played a role as a motivating and morale-boosting tool to persist in fighting oppression not just in Southern Africa but in most African countries that were oppressed. This study revealed that participants draw strength from singing struggle songs, which keeps them going and keeps them from giving up on the fight.…”