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Africa's forgotten wartime heroes

Page last updated at 23:32 GMT, Friday, 14 August 2009 00:32 UK


British documentary makers Robin Forestier-Walker and Oliver Owen have been tracing Nigerians who fought against the Japanese in Burma during World War II.

On VJ Day, the anniversary of victory over Japan, they tell the veterans' story.

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Private African Banana also served as a peacekeeper in Congo and Chad

Mohammed was just 16 when he was pressed into British military service in northern Nigeria against his will.

Now, almost 70 years on, the old war veteran claims he hid his true identity from the recruiting officer.

It was as Private African Banana that he went on to travel 6,300 miles (10,100km) to the jungles of Burma in the Royal West African Frontier Force.

And he has been known as African Banana ever since.

The contribution of West Africans was played down in official versions of the Allied war in Asia, and until now, few have had an opportunity to tell their tale.

In fact, only two in 10 of the soldiers who fought in Burma were white.

The role of Indians and Gurkhas is known. But when Allied commander General William Slim thanked his 14th army at the end of the campaign, he did not even mention the Africans.

Jungle warfare

Nigerians made up more than half of the total force of 90,000 West African soldiers deployed to South East Asia after 1943 as part of the British Army's 81st and 82nd (West Africa) Divisions.

Although the Burma campaign ended 64 years ago, many remain bitter that their contribution was never adequately recognised.

They were central to the push to clear Japanese forces out of the jungle and mountain ranges of Burma, from where they threatened British India.

This was achieved through a gruelling campaign of jungle marches, battles and ambushes, in which supplies were delivered entirely by air.

Usman Katsina remembers it well.

"Everything that was meant to be used - your food, your clothes, everything - was given to you and you were required to carry it, on your head and back. Some even died from exhaustion, from travelling long distances, with a heavy load," he says.

Some of those who earned the coveted Burma Star had already fought against Mussolini's forces in East Africa.

West Africans also joined special Chindit units under the command of General Orde Wingate.

The Chindits fought deep inside Japanese-held territory to disrupt lines of communication.

Their enemy was an extremely dangerous opponent. Japanese soldiers were trained well in the art of jungle warfare, where the first rule was concealment.

It was a skill the Nigerian troops had to learn too.

"The Japanese in the jungle were just like snakes - they hid before you could see them, it was very hard," recalls 97-year-old Hassan Sokoto.

'Lack of recognition'

Umaru Yola fought in the 4th Battalion, Nigeria Regiment. He described how he was hit in the head with a piece of shrapnel that left him with a hole in his skull.

"I didn't die, so God must have decided to give me a long life," he says.


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Many of the veterans feel they were failed by the British after the war

African recruits served as drivers, artillerymen, engineers, medics and clerks, as well as infantrymen and carriers.

Officer positions were reserved for white expatriates from Britain and other parts of the empire, with only one notable exception: Lieutenant Seth Anthony from the Gold Coast was the British Army's first African officer.

Despite the hierarchy, the war in Burma played some part in breaking down the race barriers of the era.

"Initially I saw the white man as someone better than me. But after the war, I considered him an equal," recalls former infantryman Dauda Kafanchan.

In post-war Nigeria, the colonial government gave some veterans land to begin new lives as farmers. The project was also a scheme to reduce their potential impact as a new political force.

"We wanted work. But what could we do? We were under colonial rule and we couldn't change anything," said veteran Dangombe, who found himself without prospects at the war's end.

Nigerian soldiers who chose to continue their military careers went on to form the core of independent Nigeria's national army, which retains the 81st and 82nd Divisions to this day.

Private Banana later served as a peacekeeper in the Congo and Chad. And he returned to the frontline alongside many of his former comrades in Nigeria's bloody 1967-1970 civil war.

But many of his former comrades feel the British abandoned their responsibilities to their former servicemen.

Although they were paid off for their service, some claim they were promised allowances which were never paid, despite their repeated efforts over the years.

And it is not only the money - some veterans are still bitter over what they see as a lack of recognition.

"We were supposed to get Long Service and British Empire Medals" says Dangombe.

"But up until now - nothing."

naptu2:
Isaac Fadoyebo was a Nigerian soldier that fought against the Japanese in Burma in World War 2. His unit was ambushed while moving in the Kaladan River Valley and Fadoyebo was badly injured. He was rescued by Burmese villagers who hid them from the Japanese for 10 months.

A British journalist called Barnaby Philips, who had been the BBC's Nigeria correspondent and later worked for Al-Jazeera, made a documentary about Fadoyebo's exploits. He was able to track down the Burmese family that hid Isaac Fadoyebo and deliver a letter of gratitude from Isaac Fadoyebo to them. The documentary, called Burma Boy was shown in 2012. This is the documentary.

(Isaac Fadoyebo died in November 2012)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BREOezfAJSU

National Remembrance Day at @FranceInNigeria on November 11th. 🇫🇷 was honored by the presence of representatives from the Armed forces of 🇳🇬 and Defence Attachés from 🇪🇺 and 🇺🇸. Solemn tribute to our soldiers who died this year in our current operations. Let us not forget them!

Tomorrow, around the World The Commonwealth of Nations will hold a two minute silence at 1100 local time to remember service personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty to ensure that we live in a safer world #LestWeForget2023 #LestWeForget

🇬🇧 British soldiers lay remembrance crosses on Commonwealth War Graves in Lagos, leading up to Armistice Day, 11th November.

@BritishArmy


#LestWeForget

Oshoala scores brace in Barcelona's drubbing of Villarreal

Nigeria's Asisat Oshoala took her league tally for Barcelona to seven goals after scoring a brace in the 6-0 thrashing of Villarreal.

Super Falcons legend Asisat Oshoala scored a brace for Barcelona, and the Blaugrana Femeni trashed their opponents Villarreal 6-0.

The 29-year-old striker missed out on the last goal party, as she failed to score when she came on in the 8-0 thumping of Sevilla last time out. This time, getting the starting berth, she ensured to get her name on the scoresheet.

Ballon d'Or winner, Aitana Bonmati's brace sandwiched Oshoala's opener on the day. Salma Parraluelo scored the fourth, Caroline Graham Hansen, the fifth, and the five-time African Women's Footballer of the Year closed off the scoring.

mfm04622:
What is the water hyacinth recycled into?

Lagos, firm train youths in water hyacinth recycling

7th December 2021
By Victor Ayeni

The Lagos State Waterways Authority in collaboration with Mitimeth Nigeria has commenced the fifth edition of its annual initiative to train youths in the conversion of water hyacinth into means of sustainable livelihood.

The Managing Director of LASWA, Mr Damilola Emmanuel, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Emmanuel was quoted to have said this during the 10-day training programme at Ijede Local Council Development Area.

He said, “The agency, in collaboration with Mitimeth Nigeria, a Lagos-based social enterprise, is turning the menace of water hyacinth into sustainable livelihood and fashion for people in coastal communities by providing requisite skills to convert the hyacinth into valuable handcrafted materials such as bags, mats, furniture items and textile decorations.”

Emmanuel added that the agency is partnering with another firm to produce organic manure through water hyacinth recycling.

“LASWA, through a partnership with P. I. B Global Services – a startup firm dedicated to turning environmental problems into common solutions, is also producing Regenerative Agriculture with Water hyacinth-based Biochar.

“This RAWB can be used for livestock and crop farming. For livestock, the w[b]ater hyacinth-based biochar is poured on the poultry floor to absorb heat, gas and odour, thus making the place safe for the birds, farmers and environment.[/b]

“The mixture of the biochar with poultry waste is then used as organic manure to improve crop yield on the farms,” he said.

Blackdisciple:
Those are water people they should know about sea weed and when the weed usually come around but due to ignorance and lack of jurisdiction they don't know when sea weed do come or rather they know but chose to ignore it "let's manage it as usual"

Hello @TalktoLaswa @jidesanwoolu @Mr_JAGs kindly assist this is an emergency.
Bolaji


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hmp2XwNck4?si=r1jMvVjRdQ0HO0AV

Hello @TalktoLaswa @jidesanwoolu @Mr_JAGs kindly assist this is an emergency. pic.twitter.com/oZARnxW4A8

— Atomicity (@bolsaid) November 10, 2023

They have all been Rescued safe and sound