Josephine Omo Obika

The woman who survived the death of her child.

War Biography:
Name: Josephine Omo Obika
Occupation before the war: Housewife / Present: Seamstress
Age when war started: 26 / Present: 56
Marital Status: Married 21 / Present: (still married)
Number of children: 2 children, one child died during the war / Present: 7
Place of Residence: Kano / Present: Lagos
Reason of Relocation: War

Conversation Venue:
V enue of Interview: I spoke to her in her house at Ajao Estate, Lagos.

Her Story
Josephine Obika was a twenty-six year old housewife when the Nigerian civil war started. She married her husband when she was twenty-one. She had two children and one died during the war. Prior to war, Josephine lived in Kano and relocated when the war started. Presently, Mrs. Obika is fifty-six years old. She lives in Lagos with her husband and her seven children whom are all grown. Mrs. Obika is a seamstress and mostly makes kaftans for sale in Oshodi, a market in Lagos.

Hearing the account of Mrs. Obika of war expands the many roles women undertook to provide for their family. During that time, Mrs. Obika's husband went to Canada to study for a course in aviation. With her husband gone, she and her two children stayed with her husband parents. Josephine and her husband's mother had gone back to their town in the East. Her father in-law was supposed to join them later but he never made it out of Kaduna. Her husband's father was unable to escape and he was killed. In the midst of the war, Josephine's mother-in law had to grieve for her husband. With two children and a grieving mother-in law, how did she cope?

Mrs. Obika began trading goods to feed her family. During the war, one of the most dangerous trade was the Afia Attack. This Afia attack was done mostly by women. The attack involved crossing to the enemy's side, which is the forefront of the Nigerian Army to buy goods from the Nigerian soldiers. This trade was considered very dangerous because there wass no guarantee one can survive the attack. There were numerous rapes, murders, and death, and the possibility one can be killed was reality. Nevertheless, it did not deter these women because it was their trade that sustained their family, the community, and the economy.

According to Mrs. Obika, I did what I would call a "moderate" Afia attack. She did not travel as far as others, and she did not encounter Nigerian soldiers. She was quite fearful and had every right to be. Her children were always on her mind and that was one reason she did not put herself in any unnecessary danger. Instead, she would go to relief workers, get different items such as household provisions from the Red Cross and relief groups which she will sell and would use the profits to support her family. All was not well when her second child died while she stayed at a refugee camp. With that tragedy, her survival instinct were stronger for her other child and her mother-in law. Her husband would occassionally fly in but could not stay for long. Later, she gave birth to her third child during the war. Her husband later returned permanently, but the affect of the war and losing a child was quite a burden. Still she summoned courage to overcome this adversity because she knew had to survive for her children.

Obika's Story 1 | Obika's Story 2

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