We recently began an academic exposé on secularism in Africa. A recommended case for the secular studies in Africa is Nigeria. Nigeria officially emerged at the dawn of the 60s as an independent nation, after decades of being administered as a British colony. In 1967, a civil war broke out between the nation and its Eastern region. The region was seeking secession. The Eastern region was the indigenous homeland of the Igbo ethnic group and sub groups. They had established a country on their indigenous part of the country, and named it Biafra. The country had ministries, a civil service sector and a bank. There is a lot written about the war already, although the Biafran struggle is not given due attention in the secular studies. In Ahiara Declaration, the Biafrans identified their cause as a Black self-determination struggle against racism, White economic imperialism and Arab-Muslim expansionism. One of the first things Biafrans did upon establishing their country was to create a bank. In the piece below, the author examines the bank notes of Biafra. We have included pictures to the vital reading, to facilitate a visual understanding. The author also covers the financial challenges that the nascent nation faced during the course of the war, when Biafrans fought for their self-determination while being totally blockaded and ferociously bombed by the Nigerian army.
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