USA Africa Dialogue Series - THE TROUBLE WITH ACHEBE : ACHEBE'S DISSERVICE TO NDIGBO

In my view, Achebe's presentation of the place of Igbos in Nigeria before, during and after the Nigerian Civil War in the Guardian essay that previews his book on Biafra  seems  a grave disservice to Ndigbo. Achebe seems to have  succeeded in imposing on the image of Igbo people old stereotypes they have been moving beyond. He has invoked the spirit of a man still living in the bitterness that led to the desperate stand that was Biafra on a people who have heroically moved beyond the hobbling of their flight by that epochal incident. He has succeeded in empowering irrational  Igbo zealots whose view of Nigeria is a prison where the Igbo are specially hated and disadvantaged creatures.

You have done well, Achebe.

Your people will now have to struggle to move beyond you.

He addressed important issues but did so in the spirit of a man still fighting a long lost war,  hiding in the bush while others went about their lives. Integration of the Igbo into Nigeria shortly after the war was inadequate in various ways, but does that still define  their existence in Nigeria?  Achebe insists it does and makes dire prophecies for Nigeria on account of his brand of history that moves the past to the present.

I suspect Achebe is demonstrating the same kind of inflexible, uncreative and rigid sense of perpetual victimization and ethnic exceptionalism  that was the doom of Biafra.

I suggest everyone should take a deep breath and avoid getting derailed, avoid a fresh round of ethnic conflict inspired by the  bitter vituperation of Achebe while debating the issues, passionately but without rancour and hatred.

I hope I am able to explain in detail later why Achebe's presentation of the relevant issues is generally unfortunate  and dangerous particularly  for Ndigbo.

thanks

Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju






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Compcros

Comparative Cognitive Processes and Systems

"Exploring Every Corner of the Cosmos in Search of Knowledge"

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Compcros

Comparative Cognitive Processes and Systems

"Exploring Every Corner of the Cosmos in Search of Knowledge"

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