Remembering Bruce Mayrock, The American Student Who Set Himself on Fire Over Biafran Genocide
''Peace is where there is an absence of fear of any kind.'' Bruce Mayrock (1970)
A popular saying among the Igbos goes thus: "The fowl does not forget whomever that provides warmth for it during the rainy days." This proverb illustrates the importance of gratitude and appreciation because an act of goodness is difficult to come by.
The Biafran war (1967-1970) might have come and gone but it surely goes down in the annals of Nigeria as the bloodiest genocide ever. It accounted for the decimation of over three million innocent Nigerians who are mostly Igbos. However, the Igbos in remembering their hereos will certainly not forget the 20-year old American student who immolated himself because of the plight of Biafra.
Bruce Mayrock, born May 6, 1949 in Westbury, New York was a Photographer and student of Columbia University. He was twenty years old when he burnt himself to death at the precincts of the United Nations Building Headquarters in protest against the 1967-1970 Biafra Genocide.

Carrying a Placard which the front side read:

"YOU MUST STOP GENOCIDE! PLEASE SAVE NINE MILLION BIAFRANS."
Bruce Mayrock bathed himself with a flammable liquid on the lawn outside the UN building just before 3pm and lit up himself with fire.
He was being frazzled up when two United Nations guard spotted him and ran down to him with fire extinguishers but Mayrock wanted to die. He ran away from them in pains, sprinting to the northern Lounge of the building before several hundred petrified delegates and onlookers. Mayrock finally fell to his knees beside the Evgeniy Vuchetich's sculpted bronze statue that represents the human wish to end all wars. The statue bears the slogan: "Let Us Beat Swords Into Plowshares."
Mayrock had already frazzled up and rushed to Bellevue Hospital Center in critical condition. Sadly, Mayrock could not make it as he passed away in the early hours of May 30, 1969. He had hitherto carried out peaceful remonstration against the war. He equally wrote letters about the war to the U.S. President and leading government officials which were unreplied.

The back side of the Placard read:

"Peace is where there is an absence of fear of any kind."
Mayrock before his self-immolation was devastated over the pathetic sight of Kwashiorkor-stricken Biafran children; the gory images of dead Biafran Soldiers and the general destruction and wreckage of Biafran land. What perturbed him the most was that people were being exterminated but his country was passive and unconcerned. Maybe, they were blacks. Let them kill and bury themselves there.
Mayrock had graduated with First Class from Yeshivah College and was a student of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America as well as Columbia University. He worked as a Photographer for the Columbian Daily Spectator and had previously studied at Hofstra University. He was buried in Mount Ararat Cemetery, Suffolk County, New York. M. Larina, another American created a Grave memorial page for him on September 24, 2006.
In a passionate tribute to Mayrock, Uche Henry Iwuanyanwu, an Igbo essayist wrote that Mayrock took his own life for his People he never met.
Well, it is unfortunate that Mayrock today is not even known by majority of the Eastern people of Nigeria for whom he died for. This thus calls for a very brilliant research and a documentary made on his behalf in order to stamp his memory on the sands of times.
Just like the Israeltimes wrote: "Bruce Mayrock maybe have killed himself, but his immolation revealed the deep despair that was occurring in his heart, witnessing another genocide of a Hebrew people, so shortly after the European Holocaust. Freeing Biafra and the Igbo from their cultural, spiritual, and political occupation is a cause the Jewish world must take on themselves both as a rectification of the past and a need to restore a more complete Israelite and Jewish nation."

Shortly after Bruce death, the news of his death at UN shocked the world, Many world leader called for emergence of Biafra nation but Britain, Egypt and Russia were hell bent on suppressing the newly formed independent state.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET

After all de heroic act still there was no Biafra if na another country now they for don build stadium, status, street, school, everything for the memory of the hero.


OP tnx for the article i was eager to know what really happened to the guy now i know

Surely we will forever remember Bruce Mayrock.

This is really touching, someone laying down his life to stop genocide in Nigeria, May God in his mercies show him infinite mercies

The labour of our heroes shall never be in vain. Your labour shall not be in vain. Rest in peace.

meanwhile the same military that starved innocent children and women are now a joke of the international community

This would be like 96th time I'm reading the story here

I advise that the hunchback albino porn star should follow this example by immolating himself, since the world leaders have refused to come to his aid on his new course to actualize what his forbears failed to. Maybe, that will draw world leaders attention to help him with weapons he is in dare need to execute his rebellion against Nigerian State.

History needs to be brought back into school curriculum.

yenereal:
History needs to be brought back into school curriculum.

It wont because if it came back, most Nigerians would finally have to accept that Biafra was justified and that "one Nigeria" is a fraud

gawu1:
I advise that the hunchback albino porn star should follow this example by immolating himself, since the world leaders have refused to come to his aid on his new course to actualize what his forbears failed to. Maybe, that will draw world leaders attention to help him with weapons he is in dare need to execute his rebellion against Nigerian State.

Just being in the hell called Nigeria is worse than self immolation

What a dumb stupid fellow who wasted his life for nothing

blasted12:
What a dumb stupid fellow who wasted his life for nothing

Why are you yorubas so hateful.


You hate Igbos,yet cry anytime they talk about leaving your beloved one nigeria.

Who is a true brother of Easterners?

A white man like Bruce
Mayrock that feels and died because of pains easterners are going true.

Or

A black man that starved and killed 3 millions children of easterners.

Jews will always stand up for there fellow Jews ...



Bruce mayrock we always remember you.

gidgiddy:


Just being in the hell called Nigeria is worse than self immolation

It's easy. Just try it.

He is forever a Hero. We Igbos must always learn to remember him every year we have Biafran day.

The white man just killed himself for nothing.

goodnessme1:
Why are you yorubas so hateful.


You hate Igbos,yet cry anytime they talk about leaving your beloved one nigeria.

I'm not Yoruba and I hate no decent human being on account of his or her tribe or religion. That young man who set himself on fire was real dumb and stupid. Now let me ask you this: If you had a son in his early twenties, would you approve of that kind of line of action? Don't lie just say the truth

blasted12:
What a dumb stupid fellow who wasted his life for nothing

Not really, his death brought international attention to the starving children in Biafra which increased donations for relief supply that saved many children

Infact, Bruce Maycock almost made America to consider supporting Biafra

His death was not for nothing

He died for Nothing
Useless man....Where is the Audio Biafra now

Tomiwa69:
He died for Nothing
Useless man....Where is the Audio Biafra now

He did not die fir Biafra or in support of of Biafra. He died to protest against the genocide Nigeria was waging against starving children in Biafra

gidgiddy:


Not really, his death brought international attention to the starving children in Biafra which increased donations for relief supply that saved many children

Infact, Bruce Maycock almost made America to consider supporting Biafra

His death was not for nothing

And yet biafra didn't come. Plus millions of children starved to death anyway. The greatest tragedy however is that they all died painfully. What a waste

blasted12:
And yet biafra didn't come. Plus millions of children starved to death anyway. The greatest tragedy however is that they all died painfully. What a waste

Did anything change in the Nigeria that came? Millions of children are still starving due to harsh economy, corruption, Boko haram war, herdsmen and bandit attacks.

You just die for nothing

He was a hero.

mbaise1000:
WE WILL NEVER FORGET

Never bro.. Never

tatatar:
You just die for nothing

Your stupidity is factory fitted full options

Tomiwa69:
He died for Nothing
Useless man....Where is the Audio Biafra now

Same as above

blasted12:
What a dumb stupid fellow who wasted his life for nothing

Same as above

Bruce mayrock. Continue to rest in Peace.
Biafran will never Forget it's Own

goodnessme1:
Who is a true brother of Easterners?

A white man like Bruce
Mayrock that feels and died because of pains easterners are going true.

Or

A black man that starved and killed 3 millions children of easterners.

I'm broken by his action....
And what destroys me is when that mad man Nnia Nwodo and co keep shouting that we should done with those supporters of one Nigeria and perpetrators of genocide against my people.