From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Lawyer and author, Roz Amaechi, has opened up on why she co-authored a book detailing her experiences and that of others in the Nigerian civil war which lasted for 30 months.
In a chat with Daily Sun in Abuja, yesterday, Roz explained that penning down her experiences, and that of others, during the May 30, 1967 to January 15, 1970 civil war would help her and others heal from its lingering after-affects.
She also added that writing the book would help those who are beating the drums of war, in contemporary times, learn about the past and the harrowing situation children went through at the time.
In the over 400-page book, titled: “Through the eyes of the child: Untold accounts of Nigerian civil war from the forgotten child survivors” the author details the experiences of 25 children, sifted from over 100 entries.
Roz, who is also a chartered management accountant, alongside two others, takes the reader through the traumatic experiences of children during the civil war.
She said: “When the war started, I was probably around four years old and by the time the war ended, I was probably about seven.
The traumatic experiences that we had, that tended to stay in our memories and make us strong; so, for me, that period of the war stayed longer in my memory, as far as my childhood was. We saw what children should not have seen. That memory stayed with us.”