As Chinua Achebe Publishes Memoir, Biafra War's Legacy Lingers In Nigeria

Most Nigerians are too young to remember the devastating civil war that ripped their country apart more than four decades ago but for world-famous author and scholar Chinua Achebe, 81, the Biafran War of 1967-1970 is more than a moment in history. It is a lesson that should not be forgotten, especially as Nigeria witnesses a new wave of sectarian violence that threatens to split Africa's most populous nation again.

Achebe’s new memoir, “There Was a Country,” was published in the United Kingdom on Thursday. It will hit the shelves in Nigeria any day now, and will be available in the United States on Oct. 11.