AVAILABLE NOW:
The epic book: ‘WARCHILD OF BIAFRA’ by Ike Ude-Chime
"Ike Chime delivers a tour de force with this work. His recollections of his war-time experiences are vested with a uniqueness of his situation at the cusp of manhood at the time. Chime distills complex and harrowing events into a clear, lucid narrative. Once again, this is an important addition to Civil War historiography - kudos."--
Ed Emeka Keazor BL FRSA
Alto Historical Media
Personal Note by Ike Ude-Chime: “I am deeply saddened. In rude shock. I cannot believe that he is gone.
At the beginning of this month I tried reaching you on my request for your endorsement of my up and coming book via messenger and could not get a reply until after some weeks when you asked to send you an email. I did and after a few days you wrote back saying that we need to talk.
I called you immediately. That was when you broke the sad news to me about your struggle with cancer of the stomach. I was so sad to hear that and told you to hang in there and stay strong and that by the Grace of God this will blow over. Hardly did I know that it will be the last time I will hear your lovely encouraging voice.
The following day you sent me a blurb, endorsed my book. I told my kids about it all and we prayed that you will get well soon.
I remember our last meeting at the hotel lobby in Helsinki when you last visited and asked me to bring the kids over. Your encouraging words, was more than gold to them. But now you are gone, never to come back again. My Igbo bro, for that’s what you call me, so I will not see you again.
I pray God to give your lovely wife and children the fortitude to bear your exit, and same goes to your aging mother.
Good night Chi Modu .
May the Almighty God grant you eternal rest.”
“One thing led to the other.” And “When the bell rang at odd times, we knew something bad was happening.” It’s this simple, yet highly sophisticated story telling style, which will pull you into this book and make you feel as if you were in the midst of it and it will not let you lay down this book before you read every word of it. Anyone with an interest in politics, history or simple plain humanity should read this book.”
- Christian Thibault, author of ‘Diversity Now’ and ‘Gloom and Doom’.
Did you know?
Did you know this about the famous Finnish Temple Square Church, which was build 1968-1969 into a rock:
Before the construction of the church was even fully complete it made headlines when on the nights of 16 and 17 July 1968 a group of Christian students painted in large letters "BIAFRA" in several places on the exterior walls of the building to bring attention to the famine then going on in Biafra, which had declared independence from Nigeria in 1967. The argument of the students - then part of the '60s student revolutionary movement - was that the money spent on the new lavish church could be better spent on aid to Biafra and elsewhere in Africa.
“Ike Chime takes his readers on a dramatic tour to his youth: how life was for a young boy in eastern Nigeria aka Biafra in the 1960s – and how everything changed with the advent of a bloody civil war. What started out almost like an adventure for a clever teenager eager to help as a Red Cross volunteer, later became an ordeal as Chime joined Biafra Rangers and became a boy soldier acting behind enemy lines.
He was finally captured, held as a prisoner of war, tortured and nearly killed. One of the cruelest civil wars of modern times is remembered as “the first tv famine”, horrendous images of starving Biafran children filling tv news every evening. For a Biafran young boy the war was about worrying for one’s loved ones, about growing up too fast, about surviving. But it was also a lesson about deep friendship, kindness of strangers, luck - and love.”
- Kati Juurus, Artistic Director / Taiteellinen johtaja, DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival
Did you know?
In 1967 the Biafra independence committee adopted its national anthem, “Land of the Rising Sun” with the lyrics written by Nnamdi Azikiwe to the tune of “Finlandia” written by the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
Ike Ude-Chime studied at the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, an affiliate of the University of Nigeria, and also at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Ike worked in the electronic media extensively and was a producer with Radio Nigeria in the 80s before migrating to Finland where he worked with the private radio station, Radio City, thus becoming the pioneer African broadcaster in Finland.
Ude-Chime, a renowned media and social activist used the media, sports, and culture to promote social inclusion in Finland and Europe in general. He is a recipient of the golden cross of honor for his contributions to the promotion of diversity in Finland. He served as a member of the diversity committee of the Finnish Olympic Committee.
On the European level, he served on the boards of AMARC-Europe and Fare-Network respectively. He is presently the president of ‘Sports for All’ Finland, an umbrella sports and diversity NGO.
As a poet, he performed at various open mic events in Helsinki and some of his works were also published in some compilations, and magazines. Ude-Chime is a proud father of four children.
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