"A Letter Away From Asaba is a novella that speaks through history to resonate with us today. Claudia's writing is moving and deeply informed, shedding light on one of Nigeria's greatest tragedies. A stunning debut." - LILY LAYCOCK, editor of A Letter Away From Asaba
"Efemini's retelling of the Asaba massacre is an important read. Our stories need to be told through the wide lens that Nigerian history deserves." CHINNY UKATA, co-author of It's a Continent (2022) and co-host of It's a Continent podcast
"Efemini's passion for history, her heritage, and shedding light on the Asaba massacre of 1967, is evident throughout the pages of A Letter Away From Asaba." - HAZEL PETERS, (she/her) journalist, poet and founder of No Permission Needed, a zine for Black and People of Colour in Scotland
"...As readers learn, feel moved, and have their perspectives challenged while reading this remarkable novella, they will understand that it is not only a significant story about the past but also the future and the present, emphasising the importance of storytelling..." - AYOBAMI RUTH OLUFEMI-WHITE, co-founder of We Write and host of We Listen Podcast
"In A Letter Away From Asaba, Efemini makes it known that history does not remain a thing of the past." - CHARLIE FJÄLLMAN, avid reader.
The long awaited A Letter Away From Asaba is a dazzling debut by Claudia Efemini, writer and History and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh.
A Letter Away From Asaba, an epistolary novella, is a historical fictional narrative centred on the Asaba massacre of the Nigerian Civil War. The story follows the lives of best friends Onome and Chioma. Onome is an international student from Nigeria studying law at King's College London whilst Chioma lives in Asaba, Nigeria. Chioma experiences the Asaba massacre, an overlooked and traumatic event of the war, and is forced to confront issues of censorship, grief, and trust. Whilst in London, Onome notices the blatant censorship of the event within the British press. Through a series of diary entries and letters these two young women attempt to come to grips with the massacre and fulfil their desire of publicising its existence in opposition to this censorship. This is far from easy, and they await a series of hurdles in ways they least expect that, in contrast, try to ensure that the victims of the massacre die in vain.
Claudia Efemini is a current History and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh (2021-2025). Born and raised in London, Claudia spent the latter part of her upbringing in Sweden before moving to Edinburgh to pursue her degree in 2021. An aspiring journalist, Claudia is a frequent writer of articles pertaining to a variety of topics from history and politics to philanthropy. Claudia wrote her debut novel 'A Letter Away From Asaba' during her first year of university.
