Lecture | Forced Displacement under Colonial Legacies: Resilience, Memory, and Unequal Citizenship among Biafrans

2026-09-10 - 2026-12-31

Lecture | Forced Displacement under Colonial Legacies: Resilience, Memory, and Unequal Citizenship among Biafrans

🎙️ Forced Displacement under Colonial Legacies: Resilience, Memory, and Unequal Citizenship among Biafrans
🎤 Speakers: Charles Opanwa (Presiding Officer of the Biafran Community in
Taiwan)
👤 Moderator: Mei-Lin Pan (Professor, Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences, NYCU)
👥 Discussants: Yu-Shan Liu (Associate Professor, Dept. of Southeast Asian Studies, NCNU), Yen-Rong Lai (Refugee Rights Campaigner, Taiwan Association for Human Rights)
⏰ Date and Time: October 3, 2026 (Saturday), 14:00-17:00 (GMT+8, Taiwan Time)
🌐 Format: Hybrid (onsite & online). Venue: HC103, Humanities and Social Sciences Building III, Guangfu Campus, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (No. 1001, University Rd., East Dist., Hsinchu City).
📥 Registration Link : https://neti.cc/1rV90K8
🔤 Forum Language: The event will be conducted in English, with Webex providing simultaneous interpretation for the speeches.
📄 Abstract
▋A war ended more than 50 years ago. Why are some people still unable to return home today?
▋And when they come to Taiwan seeking asylum, what challenges await them?
In 1967, Biafra declared independence from Nigeria, and a war that would last nearly three years broke out. The war eventually came to an end, and the short-lived Republic of Biafra ceased to exist.
But for many Biafrans, the suffering did not end there.
Ethnic divisions rooted in colonial rule, the collective trauma of war, ongoing political persecution, and displacement continue to envelop Biafran communities scattered around the world today.

▋But this war did not come out of nowhere.
Under British colonial rule, borders were drawn with little regard for ethnic, religious, and regional differences, while colonial governance further deepened divisions between communities. These tensions did not disappear with the end of colonial rule. Instead, they continued to build amid political instability and struggles for power, eventually contributing to the outbreak of the Biafran War.
Nearly three years of war, blockade, and famine caused mass civilian deaths and forced countless people from their homes.

▋And some Biafrans now live here in Taiwan.
On October 3, we will invite Charles Opanwa , a presiding officer of the Biafran community in Taiwan, to share his own experiences and those of his community. He will take us back to the history of British colonial rule and the formation of Nigeria, explore the Biafran War, and reflect on how a people, after losing their homeland and crossing borders, continue to preserve a shared sense of identity.

We will also be joined by Associate_Professor Yu-Shan Liu from the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at National Chi Nan University. Drawing on her long-term research on diaspora, migration, and communities in exile, she will bring an anthropological perspective to two larger questions:
▋When a people lose their homeland, can their collective identity endure?
▋When a war ends, do trauma and displacement end with it?

In the final part of the talk, we will bring the discussion back to Taiwan. Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) Refugee Rights Campaigner Yen-Rong Lai will share how some Biafrans travel far and wide to reach Taiwan in search of a safe haven, only to find that their journey in exile does not end upon arrival.

Without a comprehensive refugee and asylum system in Taiwan, asylum seekers face not only the grief and uncertainty of leaving their homes behind, but also difficulties in obtaining legal status, which can limit their access to basic services such as education and healthcare. At the same time, they may face cultural barriers, discrimination, and the challenge of rebuilding their lives in an unfamiliar society.

▋Together, we invite you to reflect on these questions: What happens when someone who cannot return home comes to Taiwan? What challenges and human rights concerns do they face under the current policy and institutional framework? The discussion will further explore how Taiwan society can develop policies and systems that uphold its international human rights responsibilities, as well as the challenges currently facing relevant legislative efforts.

🏷️More info
Organizer:
Featured Areas Research Center, Higher Education Sprout Project, Ministry of Education, Taiwan
Taiwan Association for Human Rights（TAHR）
International Center for Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (ICCS-NYCU) , Sub-project III Research Group: Refugee and Statelessness

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