A Land Without Kings

Biafraland has a long, rich history, marked by ideals of republicanism and participatory government. It was said long ago that “the Igbo have no kings”.

Before the coming of the British in the late 19^th century, the Igbo who, along with a number of other, smaller ethnic communities, make up the population of Biafraland, were described by Elauda Equiano, a Biafran abolitionist in the 18^th century, as like “the Jews, before they reached the Land of Promise, and particularly the Patriarchs, while they were yet in that pastoral state which is described in Genesis.”

In 1914, these freedom-loving people were forced into a federation with the people of the Northern and Southern Territories of the British colonial administration, creating the colony of Nigeria. These were people of differing religions, cultures, languages and traditions who had very little in common with each other. The largely Muslim conservative north was poor and nomadic, while the people of Biafraland were better educated, wealthy and commercially resourceful.