CHINUA ACHEBE: ALLOWING HISTORY TO GUIDE THE FUTURE!!! Many centuries ago, our bald for all time – William Shakespeare – posited that “all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts”. Late Professor Chinua Achebe, who died aged 82, was a man whose keen mind served so well in the different roles he played in his lifetime as an academic, a novelist, writer, essayist, publisher, broadcaster and diplomat. It is common knowledge that the renowned writer contributed immensely in putting African Literature on the world map. Undoubtedly, Achebe’s Olympian stature as a teacher, poet, author, broadcaster, social crusader, political activist, thinker, humanitarian, moral activist, defender of the rights of “little people”, Afro-globalist intellectual, canvasser for racial equality, non-discriminating mentor, rejecter of unedifying “honours”, promoter of cultural justice, indefatigable patriot, believer in the redemptive potentialities of human destiny, etc, speaks so eloquently for itself that his death should be commemorated yearly by people with the right sense of values, regardless of their backgrounds in loving memory of a great man. This is more so because Achebe’s life and works impacted humans world wide, regardless of gender, ethnicity, nationality or race. Popularly referred to as the “Grandfather of African Fiction”, Achebe bestrode the literary world as a colossus until his death on Friday, March 21, 2013 – a period of one year now that this great son of Africa transited to the great beyond. Chinua Achebe will rest in peace. Why? Nelson Mandela says “Death is inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people, and his country, he rest in peace. I belief I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for eternity.” This can be said also in the case of Late Prof. Chinua Achebe for the following reasons: 1. The Late Chinua Achebe went into writing to correct certain erroneous impressions about his people - Africans. At the time he started writing in the 50s, cultural denial was about the most pressing question. The popular view among the Europeans then was that Africa had no history, no culture, no religion and no writings. Added to this was the horrifying image of Africa in European novels, particularly in Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness” and Joyce Carey’s “Mr. Johnson”, which incidentally is set in Nigeria. Troubled by these notions, Achebe elected to serve an apostle of African cultures using his novels as a medium. The novelist, for whom the role of a writer is to teach, sought in his early work to educate the whites “that we in Africa did not hear the word ‘culture’ for the first time from the Europeans”. And he did it entertainingly. Achebe also devoted his creative energies to make his fellow Africans appreciate that there is nothing to be ashamed of in their cultures. 2. He also laments the fact that the short history of his country-Nigeria-has been characterized by battles on several fronts: battles to liberate the nation anew, not from a foreign power, but from corrupt and inept leaders and battles by ethnic groups to liberate themselves from their brothers and sisters. Achebe reasons that the solution to this quagmire will not come easy but lies in the manner in which the leadership of the country at every level – Local, State and Federal government – is elected. Achebe writes: “I foresee the Nigerian solution will come in stages. First, we have to nurture and strengthen our democratic institutions, and strive for the freest and fairest elections possible. That will place the true candidates of the people in office. Under the rubric of democracy, a free press can thrive and strong justice system can flourish. The checks and balances …and the laws needed to curb corruption will then naturally find a footing. A new patriotic consciousness will then develop, not one based simply on the well worn-out notion of unity of Nigeria or faith in Nigeria … but one based on an awareness of the responsibility of the leaders to the led”. HOMAGE TO CHINUA ACHEBE – MY ROLE MODEL AS A WRITER!!! Living in the literary world is another world entirely. It is different from general world, our world. Our interests are not literary people’s interests. So are theirs not ours. They travel into their own world of meditation, deep thinking and an analysis of all that exists. They belong to either of two poles: those of science and those of literature. They are both researchers who unravel what we fail to unearth. They put on their thinking cap and see for their readers and the world. They critique the society, x-raying the realities in their own world. Our perception may be their reality or vice versa. They see where others are blind. They wake up when others are sleeping, snoring away. They walk where others are wobbling. They fly where the rest of us crawl. So, they are far away to find out for us. Writers are interesting people study. They care less about the material things of life. They dwell on issues both general and specific. Many writers cross their t’s and dot their I’s yet they are subject to criticism. They bring hidden pictures to the glare of the world. They teach. They instruct. They impart what they believe in. They target their readers’ minds. They evangelize many. And they get hold of them! Some writers crave for change, especially in the political context. They use their words or graffiti to pass their messages to the constituted authorities. With their pen, they engage the fiercest oppressors. With their words, they conquer the world for centuries. With their thinking pen, they liberate the oppressed and naïve. They talk on all subjects of knowledge. They are students of knowledge and of university of life. They study both the four walls of the classroom and the outside world to receive and impart knowledge. Such will prefer to concede all their materialistic endowments than a book from their library. Writers who are bookworms get deep inspiration. They agreed or averse to other authors but they innovate theirs. And they pen what others have not explored. They illuminate the minds as the sun does the globe. They endure even when they are long dead. Their ideas and thoughts speak from the shelves and the living brains that have sipped them. Their words travel millions of miles entering discusses and decisions of peoples around the world! CONCLUSION The sheer beauty and grandeur of Achebe’s writings, their extensive impact and extraordinary success with readers and critiques alike, and of course their material success earned him a place among what I would call the world’s aristocracy, by which I mean the indisputable, all-time rulers of the world of art – a class of humans which I will include such creative immortals as Homer, Shakespeare, Da-Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante, T. S. Eliot, Pushkin, Picasso, Mozart, Beethoven, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Tagore, Dickens, etc – artists for whom one name is usually enough to associate them and their imperishable works with unquestionable greatness, to evoke their legendary fame. As I pondered the impact of Achebe’s life and works, after a period of one year that this great son of the world from Mother Africa, transited to the great beyond, I feel like John Donne in that famous sonnet: “Death, be not proud”. I join millions of Achebe’s admires across the world in celebrating his eventful life. I, therefore, urge all those who have the opportunity of reading this article to immortalize themselves now that they are still alive, because no any other person can do that for you. Plato says: “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy is when men are afraid of the light”. Udoh George (aka Oracle Udohism) CONSTITUENCY TWO
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 11:39:38 +0000
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