Half of a Yellow Sun

This chapter opens with Richard traveling to the village of Obosi in order to visit the grieving family of the customs agent Nnaemeka whose murder he witnessed in the Kano airport. Upon arriving at their house, they declare that they have already put on a funeral for Nnaemeka, and they ask Richard why he has not come bearing gifts as is the traditional local custom when visiting grieving families. Richard feels guilty at such an oversight.

Recently, Richard’s Aunt Elizabeth has been sending him British newspaper articles that relay how the violence currently occurring in Nigeria is the result of old sectarian tribal disputes, though this infuriates Richard because he knows it’s not really the truth. In response, and to set things straight, Richard begins penning his own article and in it he explains how the violence currently spreading through Nigeria is the direct result of the administrative policies enacted by the English, which only ever served to pit the Igbos and Hausas against each other.

He anxiously shows his article to Kainene and is pleasantly surprised that she strongly approves of it. He attempts to have his piece published in the Herald paper, but the editors decline publishing it on the grounds that they would rather report the sensational details of the massacres instead. Richard feels completely incapable of describing or writing about the massacre of Igbos that he personally witnessed at the Kano airport. As Biafra’s secession is officially announced, Richard realizes that he has a special connection to the new nation as he was there for its conception.

Richard attends a meeting at the university in Nsukka where many of the locals are gathering to discuss the potential war that is brewing between Nigeria and the newly formed Biafra. Excitement starts building in the crowd as Colonel Ojukwu appears and begins giving a speech about how a difficult war is approaching. The crowd chants in support of Ojukwu, and he declares that they must all be ready to fight. When Richard arrives home later, he tells Kainene about the meeting at the university, to which she only replies that war is inevitable. With this, the chapter closes.

In this chapter we are once again greeted with the viewpoint of Ugwu. He is traveling with Odenigbo to donate food supplies. Once they reach their destination, the official there describes how the locals have ceased providing food donations and that the town will be in serious trouble if a war does in fact come. Odenigbo berates the man for such a comment by saying that “war will not come,” as he is in denial about the possibility of war (217). Sometime later, Odenigbo and Miss Adebayo get in a fight as he accuses of her of being callous toward the Igbos, as she is Yoruba. Ugwu bemoans the fact that Odenigbo seems so on edge as of late. 

At this point, Ugwu hears the poet Okeoma reciting one of his poems, and in it he declares that if the sun refuses to rise, the people will make it rise. After hearing of Odenigbo’s confrontation with Miss Adebayo, Ugwu watches as Olanna demands that he go and apologize immediately. As the husband and spouse depart the house to make amends with Miss Adebayo, Chinyere visits Ugwu in order to tell him that she is leaving since her master is evacuating the area. They wish each other well, and Chinyere departs.

Soon thereafter, Ugwu’s Aunty arrives from his home village in order to relay to him that his sister Anulika will soon be getting married, as she desires to go ahead and have the marriage ceremony before a full-blown war is initiated. Ugwu is pleased at this news, as he determines to take this opportunity to go home and finally make love with Nnesinachi.

Several days later, and after an official announcement that Nigeria will be taking military steps to reintegrate the rebellious Biafra, Ugwu and Olanna are in Odenigbo’s kitchen preparing a meal when they hear thunderous booms in the distance. At that moment a frantic man pulls up in his car and relays that everyone should evacuate the area immediately. Odenigbo, Olanna, and Ugwu waste no time in collecting their belongings in order to leave. As they depart the town, they are ushered through the city’s exit by Biafran soldiers. The chapter closes as the trio and Baby arrive in the city of Abba.

This viewpoint of this chapter shifts back to that of Richard. Upon hearing that Nigeria will take military steps to reintegrate Biafra, Richard becomes alarmed, but Kainene claims that Nigeria simply wants the abundant oil resources that are available in Biafra, and she estimates that Biafra will achieve a rapid victory in the campaign. Before events get any more severe, Richard attempts to go to the university in Nsukka to retrieve his belongings, but he is prevented from going any further by a Biafran military roadblock. He is forced to turn around.

Not long after, Richard receives a phone call from Susan. She wants to know if he is all right, which surprises him as she usually seems callous. She immediately starts belittling Nigerians, however, causing Richard to end the phone call promptly. Richard’s thoughts stray towards his houseboy, who he presumes is still in Nsukka, and towards his manuscript, In the Time of Roped Pots, which is also still at his residence in Nsukka. 

The narrative shifts to a conversation between Kainene and Richard, in which Kainene lambasts the behavior and decisions of Ojukwu. The Colonel has been allowing Biafran soldiers to eat for free, while many of the civilians of the nation have been starving. Richard states that he supports Ojukwu’s actions so far, but Kainene retorts that she has received word from Madu that the Biafran army does not have any sort of combat supplies, and thus Ojukwu has been falsely trumping up the nation’s military capabilities.

This chapter again utilizes the viewpoint of Olanna. The narrative starts in the wake of her family’s arrival in the city of Abba, where they are staying with Odenigbo’s mother. Olanna is still resentful toward Odenigbo’s mother after her behavior in one of the earlier chapters of the book, though the mother is being much nicer to Olanna and dotes on Baby, which makes Olanna uncomfortable. Odenigbo has received employment as the Manpower Directorate for the Ojukwu regime, so they will be moving again in a week to the city of Umuahia.

Olanna is hesitant about the move for Baby’s sake, but she forgets such things when Odenigbo asks her to marry him, to which she says yes. The very next day, Olanna’s mother arrives to visit and announces that she and Olanna’s father are fleeing to London, as the war is not going well for the Biafrans. Furthermore, she has come bearing passports for Olanna and Kainene so that they can also flee as well. Olanna refuses to leave, however, as she maintains it is only a matter of time before the war ends. Olanna’s mother, hands Olanna a letter from Mohammed before she leaves, though Olanna remains silent as to its content.

Just after Olanna’s mother leaves, everyone in Abba amasses to hear the local medicine man give a speech. The medicine man’s speech is extremely rousing to the crowd, as he claims that Abba itself has never been conquered in war during its entire history. After the inspirational speech, Olanna tries to talk to Odenigbo about Mohammed, but the mere mention of his name angers Odenigbo, and he claims that Mohammed is just as guilty as the rest of the Hausa militants for the recent bloodshed of Igbos.

Olanna cannot believe that Odenigbo would say such a thing, but he goes one step further by bringing up the murder and rape of Olanna’s family during the massacre of Kano. In response, Olanna silently walks away, and after this the couple does not speak for several days. He attempts to apologize several times to her in the aftermath of their fight, but Olanna does not feel that he is being fully sincere. The chapter closes with her leaving for her grandfather’s residence without Odenigbo.

This chapter shifts back to the viewpoint of Ugwu. The narrative opens as more and more refugees begin flooding into Abba from other parts of Biafra, prompting Odenigbo to decide to accelerate his family’s move to Umuahia. Odenigbo’s mother arrives, and she begins to berate everyone for the cowardice of fleeing. Odenigbo tries his hardest to convince her that she needs to come with them, but she refuses to relent, and eventually the family has no choice but to leave her behind. 

Odenigbo gives the impression that their new house in Umuahia would be similar in quality to their last one, but Ugwu is surprised to find that it is nothing more than a meager shack. Ugwu is even more horrified to find out that Olanna and Odenigbo will be having their wedding ceremony at their new house, as he always thought that their wedding would be a grandiose and magnificent affair. As the days pass, the family enjoys peace at Umuahia and things seem to be getting better for everyone.

Odenigbo begins inviting guests over again as he has always been so accustomed to, and some of the more routine visitors include Professor Ekwenugo and Special Julius, both of whom are involved in military affairs with the Biafran army. During one of their conversations, Professor Ekwenugo specifically mentions how the Biafran military has just achieved the launch of its first rocket. Ugwu is entranced by all this talk of the Biafran military, and he wishes that he too were a Biafran soldier.

Odenigbo’s guests detail how elements of the Biafran military are pushing closer to Lagos, the capital of Nigeria. For this, the mood of the gathering is a jovial one, and the men celebrate the perceived success of their army by drinking and singing songs of praise. Ugwu steps outside to catch some fresh air, and upon doing so he spots a beautiful woman named Eberechi, about whom he instantaneously sexually fantasizes. 

Shortly thereafter, Odenigbo and Olanna’s wedding occurs at their new residence. Only a few people are in attendance, including Okeoma who apparently has joined the army of Biafra. The marriage festivities are interrupted by Nigerian attack planes. The planes begin bombarding the area of their home with suppressive fire, and Okeoma flings his coat over Olanna to hide her, though eventually the planes pass. All the individuals present begin to sift through the carnage and search for friends and family. This event marks the point in the narrative where Nigeria officially declares war against the rebellious Biafra.

The chapter closes with yet another portion of commentary from The World Was Silent When We Died. The anonymous author details the economic conditions that were present in Nigeria just before Igbos began to be massacred on a large scale in the country. The author explains that the widespread violence against Igbos in Nigeria during this timeframe is what directly led to their consolidation and secession as the nation of Biafra.