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

▋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 envelope 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, does trauma and displacement end with it?

In the final part of the talk, we will bring the discussion back to Taiwan.

The Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) will share how, when 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: When someone who cannot return home comes to Taiwan, how should we respond? And how should the government address their need for protection and fulfill its international human rights responsibilities?

—— EVENT INFORMATION ——

Date & Time｜ Saturday, October 3, 2026, 14:00–17:00 (Registration begins at 13:45)
Venue｜ HC103, Humanities and Social Sciences Building 3, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
(1001 University Road, East District, Hsinchu City)

Speaker｜
Charles Opanwa（Presiding Officer of the Biafran Community in Taiwan）

Moderator｜

Mei-Lin Pan （Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University）

Discussant｜
Yu-Shan Liu（Associate Professor, Department of Southeast Asian Studies, National Chi Nan University）
Yen-Rong Lai（Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) Refugee Rights Campaigner）

Language｜ The talk will be conducted in English, with Chinese interpretation available upon request.

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