The Woodchopper

An African Cultural Autobiography

The Woodchopper paints a vivid picture of the devastation heaped upon one family by the destructive Biafran War in Nigeria. However, the strength of the autobiographical work is its portrayal of the lives of common people in the twelve small villages of Achi in southeastern Nigeria prior to and after the Biafran War. Their worship of idols and deities; the ferocity of Igbo warriors in hand-to-hand combat; the emergency night meetings of village elders, fetish priests, and others with spiritual powers when danger threatened; and the ever-present European missionaries who were bent on saving the pagans from their superstitious patterns of worship are all covered in an accessible literary style. The Woodchopper is strongly recommended to anyone who is interested in gaining a better understanding of the Biafran War and, perhaps more importantly, to those who are interested in learning more about Nigeria, the nation that has the largest and most diverse population in sub-Saharan Africa.