My Igbo magical years: A prelude
By Okey Anueyiagu
Brethren,
I am very pleased to welcome readers to my four-part story-telling anthology titled; My Igbo Magical Years. They are real-life stories that I excavated from deep in my memories, as I have become worried that our Igbo stories; traditional and other relevant histories, were on their way to extinction.
I have been particularly troubled by the insensitivity of the Igbo people about their history and of their past, to the extent of the current standing that promotes the view that the Igbo stories or their history transpired only largely because of a seemingly unavoidable social and anthropological shift. This view has not welcomed the fact that known specific efforts, choices and decisions by individuals and groups within the Igbo unit, advance the history of the Igbo to useful and purposeful prominence.
I belong to the group of a few Igbo who have made a strong determination that their stories and their historical heritage will never disappear and vanish from the earth. Chinua Achebe, my nwadiana and ogo (his mother and wife are proudly from my village and town of Awka), was in the vanguard of this movement. Lately, he was followed by another beautiful and brilliant writer, Okey Ndibe, who is my nnaochie (he is my cousin, and is from my mother’s clan in Amawbia). It appears that these gifts of telling the Igbo story is in the preserves of my relatives. But we must recognize and appreciate the Igbo proverb that tells us that a man who does not know where the rain began to beat him cannot say where and how he dried his rain-soaked body. We must tell our story.
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This is the reason I write. Even when I think of myself as a writer, I reckon that there are many other writers known and unknown that are in a different level and league, than myself. The other writers have imbibed the art of writing either by inert talents, or through dints of hardwork and diligence to higher levels of such sublime attributes, reputation and exposure.
With the benefit of prospicience, I have engaged myself in various writing processes; writing about politics, economics, wars, love stories, and about many other issues of general interest. Because I recognize my limitations and work around them, I have within my scarcity of time, generalized my abilities, and have been very content with my talent and dedication to the craft of writing as much as I know how to.
Again, I invite you and my other readers to enjoy; My Igbo Magical Years stories. They will come in series, giving the reader time to digest the stories and possibly, time to send their comments.
Cheers and my best regards.
- Okey Anueyiagu, a Professor of Political Economy, is the author of: Biafra, The Horrors of War, The Story of A Child Soldier
