ON TODAY PROGRAM BIAFRA PAST AND PRESENT BIAFRANS WHO ARE THEY? Is the theme for today discussion on 16/06/2014 Today we have two side of the same story about the origin of Biafra people. Part one: There was a Biafra before 1967 which lost its sovereignty to colonial powers. “ Early modern maps of Africa from the 15th-19th centuries, drawn by European cartographers from accounts written by explorers and travellers, reveal that the original word used by the European travellers was not Biafra but Biafara, Biafar and sometimes also Biafares.” Biafara people are already known and addressed as Biafara people before they came in contact with the first European merchants. The word Biafra has its generics from “Ephraim” as pointed out by Martin Simon Ukegbe (a religious activist who suggested that the new Republic of Biafra of 1967 be called the Christian Democratic Republic of B”Ephrayim) the B there signifies the bay or bight so the word Biafara or Biafar has its root from B”Ephraim but the Europeans at that time called it Biafar-Biafara or Biafares. Researchers hold the view that the region is inhabited by descendants of Ephraim. Mitchell map of 1839 stated that the important estuaries from where the rivers flow into the ocean is called Ephraim town which is located 60 miles from River Nun which is in the south-south Nigeria today. The river is named after Nun the father of Joshua of the tribe of Ephraim. Biblical meaning of the name “EPHRAIM” is “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction”. Part two: Map of Ancient Africa with Biafra The name Biafra like the name Africa can be traced back to the Moorish Tribe of Bani Ifran, a name meaning the Children of Ephraim. In this setting Ephraim refers to their descent from the Israelite tribe of Ephraim being the House of Joseph. The Bani Ifran or Biafrans were also known as the Bafar tribes and it is they who established the Black Moorish Kingdoms of Ghana,Mali and Songhai. From Mali many of the Biafrans migrated to the areas of present day Nigeria where they became the leaders of the Igbo Nation. In this regard the authority of the Biafrans was symbolized by the donning of the Moorish Red Fez which became the sign of an Igbo Chief. The Bani-Ifran also established the Divination System known to the Yoruba as IFA and to the Igbo as EFA or AFA. This Ephraimite Divination System was practiced by the Prophet Joseph in Egypt and was passed on to his son Ephraim being the progenitor of the Bani-Ifran or Biafran people. The original Biafrans were members of a Moorish tribe in Morocco known as the Bani-Ifran. A name referring to their descent from the Israelite tribe of Ephraim. Those who settled in Mauritania and Mali became known as the BAFOUR or BAFAR (BIAFAR,BIAFRAN) tribes. They were at times referred to as Black Moors or Black Berbers. They were members of the Mande tribes from which the Mandingo based Soninke and Malinke belonged. In this regard they were amongst the founders of the Ancient Ghana,Mali and Songhai. Today, we are narrowing our questions and views on the following Who are Biafra people? What is the meaning of the word Biafra and where did the word emanate from. What is the ancient Traditional administration and structure of Biafra people before their colonization? Where do they exist within the contraption call Nigeria? FIND OUT MORE DONT MISS CLICK TO HOOK UP LIVE blogtalkradio/bvi/2014/06/16/biafra-past-and-present
Posted on: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 17:22:29 +0000