From: Okukuwe ibiam <o.ibiam@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 7:52 PM
Subject: ||NaijaObserver|| CHINUA ACHEBE (1930-2013) - SUNDAY SUN EDITORIAL (APGA USA)
The global outpouring of eulogies over the passage of renowned novelist and critic, Professor Chinualumogu Achebe, clearly testifies to the profound respect he enjoyed all over the world. The death of the outstanding author in the United States, at the age of 82 is, indeed, a loss to Literature, Nigeria and the world. Chinua Achebe shot to the global literary stage with the iconic novel, Things Fall Apart, in 1958.
The novel, which was translated into more than 50 languages, sold over 12 million copies worldwide. The book put African Literature in the mainstream of world literature, telling the story of an authentic African community in the throes of colonialism. As a constructive griot, Achebe exposed Europe's jaundiced and dismissive perspectives of the continent in the strong belief that Africans had their own perception of life contrary to Eurocentric misrepresentations.
His books captured the idyllic African perspective in a way that caught the imagination of the world and defined the awe with which he was regarded at home and abroad. Achebe's pioneering and seminal contributions to the development of African Literature, particularly through the African Writers' Series that threw up great writers on the continent, are immeasurable and unrivalled. He was a broadcaster, university lecturer and social critic who, in different works, courageously dissected the Nigerian condition and highlighted the problems plaguing the country.
Two of his works – The Trouble With Nigeria, and the more recent There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra – confirm his genuine commitment to the Nigerian cause and the effort to resolve the problems that have kept the nation down for more than fifty years. There was a Country, in particular, aptly captured the tragedy of the Biafran war, though it was hugely vilified by some critics for its perceived Igbo-centric perspective. Although Achebe's apparent disenchantment with the leadership and state of the country culminated in his serial rejection of National Honours, he had unflinching and patriotic fervor that was clearly inimitable. Unlike most other citizens of his status, he was never taciturn on the country's degeneracy.
If he had any regret before his glorious exit, it would be that his dream of a great country was never actualised. Achebe's death marks the end of an epoch, indeed. It closed the chapter on the life of an icon who traversed the literary terrain with priestly devotion and artistic vision. Memories of Achebe will remain evergreen, not just among the literati, but the entire humanity, particularly Africans whose cause he championed all his life. It is noteworthy that Achebe was active and vocal on the Nigerian condition till his death. He also remained active in the global arena. His voice was not muted and his intellect did not diminish.
A man of prodigious fame and acclaim, Achebe will live forever in the consciousness of present and future generations because of his bestsellers that earned him innumerable awards and honours at home and abroad. There is no doubt that the literary community has been further depleted with the exit of this fearless and controversial mind. It is apposite to point out that some people misconstrue the import of Achebe's literary philosophy and postulations on the national question, but the truth, conviction, vision and boldness that characterised his interventions cannot be ignored or dismissed.
His contributions will remain invaluable in the reshaping of Nigeria. This iconoclastic writer was born in Ogidi, Anambra State, on November 16, 1930. The son of a Christian evangelist, he went to mission schools and to University College, Ibadan. He taught briefly before joining the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, where he was Director of External Broadcasting from 1961 to 1966. In 1972, he moved to the United States and returned to Nigeria later to become a research fellow and professor of English at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, between 1976 and 1981. His last duty call was at Brown University in Rhode Island, USA. Unfortunately, in 1990, a car accident in Nigeria confined Achebe to the wheelchair. Since then, he had lived permanently in the United States, coming home occasionally for cerebral engagements.
The Iroko, as Achebe was popularly called, has fallen, but his literary seeds will continue to sprout and flourish across borders. With the transition of this writer-activist comes the end of a literary era. Even though he did not win the Nobel Prize for Literature, his towering stature as a pioneer in African Literature is in no way diminished. His works will keep him in the hearts of the people. We commiserate with his family, Nigeria and the entire literary world on the passage of this outstanding writer. The best tribute Nigeria can pay this great son of Africa is to build a truly egalitarian society where equality, fairness and justice are enthroned.
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