Find a copy of the original version of "In the Shadow of War" that was published in the magazine West Africa in 1983. Compare it to the version included in the 1989 collection, Stars of the New Curfew. Identify the most significant changes between the two versions. Why do you think Okri made these modifications? Do you believe Okri aimed to convey the same messages in both versions? If not, what differs between them, and how do these differences lead to varied interpretations?

Engage in a discussion about whether Omovo's actions were commendable in this story. Consider whether he should have accepted the ten kobo from the soldiers, whether he should have told them the truth about seeing the woman in the veil, whether he should have warned the woman about the danger, and whether he should have resisted more when his father took him back to bed.

Civil wars are recurrent events in global history. In addition to studying the Nigerian Civil War, select another country that has experienced a civil war in the past century and prepare an overview of the conflict for your classmates. How do the causes of the Nigerian Civil War compare to those of the country you selected? In what ways are they similar? How do these events relate to the American Civil War?

Do you think the soldiers or Omovo believed that the woman in the veil was a witch? Research the Salem witch trials, which took place in the late 1600s in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Do you think everyone genuinely believed that the women executed in Salem were witches? What other factors might have contributed to the deaths of the Salem women and the woman in this story?