Village Green Shopping Centre | Vernon's Premier Shopping Destination
Choice Made Simple!
Too many options?Click below to purchase an online gift card that can be used at participating retailers in Village Green Shopping Centre and continue your shopping IN CENTRE!Purchase Here
Coles Ofia Became Home: A Novel Based On The True Story Of Displaced Igbere People at Village Green Shopping Centre in Vernon, BC
*Product information may vary - to confirm product availability, pricing, shipping and return information please contact Coles
"Ala Igbere ejegh ekwo." (The Igbere land will shield.)
-Igbere saying
On March 30, 1969, the Nigerian army overran Igbere, one of a handful of Biafran communities still free after two years of the Nigeria-Biafra War. A sudden murderous invasion forced the Igbere people, already teetering on the brink of starvation, to flee their ancestral homes and seek refuge in the only places they could----their own forests and farmlands. There, and for nine months, they would remain free people and recreate a semblance of their ancient communal life while facing extreme scarcity and danger.
Building on the author's firsthand experience of the difficult nine months, this book tells the story of the Igbere people's resilience through a whole community of characters. Among them are Uwakwo Imeji, a church elder who struggles to find his daughter, Mgborie, on the hectic day of the exodus; Onuoha, Mgborie's fiancé, who voluntarily joins the Biafran army but gets scooped into a conscript camp anyway; Choirmaster, a teacher who finds meaning in raising people's spirits; Reverend Nwachukwu Eme, who pulls out all the humanitarian stops to save thousands of lives; adaptable Okorie and his dignified wife, Onyeje; and a young precocious Ndukwe and his quick-witted mother, whose intelligence and resourcefulness can be the difference between life and death.
War has many fronts. Ọfia Became Home zooms into the front usually least discussed and shows the pain, death, perseverance and even love that springs from ordinary people trying to survive deplorable conditions in a refugee story that, sadly, is still relevant today.
"Ala Igbere ejegh ekwo." (The Igbere land will shield.)
-Igbere saying
On March 30, 1969, the Nigerian army overran Igbere, one of a handful of Biafran communities still free after two years of the Nigeria-Biafra War. A sudden murderous invasion forced the Igbere people, already teetering on the brink of starvation, to flee their ancestral homes and seek refuge in the only places they could----their own forests and farmlands. There, and for nine months, they would remain free people and recreate a semblance of their ancient communal life while facing extreme scarcity and danger.
Building on the author's firsthand experience of the difficult nine months, this book tells the story of the Igbere people's resilience through a whole community of characters. Among them are Uwakwo Imeji, a church elder who struggles to find his daughter, Mgborie, on the hectic day of the exodus; Onuoha, Mgborie's fiancé, who voluntarily joins the Biafran army but gets scooped into a conscript camp anyway; Choirmaster, a teacher who finds meaning in raising people's spirits; Reverend Nwachukwu Eme, who pulls out all the humanitarian stops to save thousands of lives; adaptable Okorie and his dignified wife, Onyeje; and a young precocious Ndukwe and his quick-witted mother, whose intelligence and resourcefulness can be the difference between life and death.
War has many fronts. Ọfia Became Home zooms into the front usually least discussed and shows the pain, death, perseverance and even love that springs from ordinary people trying to survive deplorable conditions in a refugee story that, sadly, is still relevant today.
Find everything in-store including new, used and children’s books, music, movies, games and toys. Visit Coles today to find the perfect gift, or a novel for yourself. COVID-19 UPDATE: Open | Regular Centre Hours
