Question
1: How did you get the news
about Achebe’s death?
Answer: I got the news through a news
feed on facebook.
Question
2: How does it feel?
It was a rude shock. To me as a person it came as a poetic
declaration of the end of a glorious literary era being that the news came just
a day after I finished reading his latest work “There was a country: a personal
history of Biafra”.
Question
3: What are your views about him
as a person and as a writer?
Answer: I
have not been privileged to have personal contacts with him in his lifetime but
I hold him in very high regards especially for the lofty ideals he stood for
and for his numerous interventions at critical moments in our national
history. His double rejection of
national honours on principled grounds is not only salutary but also exemplary
at a time morality had taken flight in our public and private lives and the
award is being bastardised by bestowing it on people of questionable character.
As
a writer, his contributions cannot be quantified. He has played a critical role
in projecting the cultural heritage of his people, the Igbo and by implication
the black race as a whole. His works
have continued to be veritable sources of reference materials for students of
literature at home and abroad. Even
though his last work on Biafran history stirred lots of controversy, it only
strengthens the fact that he is a man of his own convictions and is always ready
to stand by them to the end no matter whose ox is gored.
Question: What
would you say are his major achievements?
Answer: Firstly,
he had charted a course for the development of African literature. Secondly,
his great works like Things fall apart, A man of the people, Arrow of God, The
trouble with Nigeria, etc., will remain indelible in the minds of his teeming
fans. Thirdly, Achebe remains a reference point and a champion of accountable
leadership which he believes is the major ingredient for growth and
development. Last but by no means the least, he has pioneered the growth of the
prose genre of African literature and his works have inspired many up-coming
artists of his generation who themselves have become household names in the
literary world such as Elechi Amadi, Osidore Ekpewho, Ayi Kweh Armah to mention
but a few.
Question: Would
you say the world has rewarded him for pioneering the African literature:
Answer: One
of the hallmarks of any writer is for his works to gain wide readership and in
this regard Achebe stands out as the most widely read African novelist whose
works have been translated into many world languages. To this extent, I think he has enjoyed his
own fair share of the African literary space.
It
is however sad that the society, especially African societies have refused to put
into practice the ideals he stood for and passionately preached about in his outstanding
works. It is on record that throughout
his life he stood against corruption and other unwholesome practices that
unfortunately continue to be the bane of human progress and development
especially in his immediate constituencies i.e. Nigeria, Africa and indeed most
third world economies. In that regard, we have not fairly rewarded his efforts.
Question: How
would you want him immortalized by the Nigerian government?
Answer: Nigerian
government can immortalize him by naming one of the newly-founded federal
universities after him. Another way of
immortalizing him is by making his works a consistent part of our student’s
syllabuses especially at secondary and tertiary levels. It is also pertinent that government sponsors
writers’ associations to institute annual essay competition in his honour. But the greatest way through which we can
immortalize Achebe is by giving practical application to his works. If Nigeria becomes a better place through the
influence of his works, he will be a happy man wherever he is.
Question: What
else would you want to say about him?
Answer: He
was a great man of history who humbly came, practically saw, bravely played his
part, passionately stood by his convictions all the way, and left gloriously
when the ovation was still very loud!
