Maximilien Marie De Robespierre (1758-1794) once said that “death is the commencement of immortality.” Chinua Achebe might have died but there his immortality begins, for having died he can die no more. He transcends to immortality and to eternal glory with the whole earth as his tomb, for as Pericles (495-429 BCE) declared, “heroes have the whole earth for their tomb.” Chinua Achebe is a hero and legend for many reasons, not only did he pen the classic book “Things Fall Apart” that brought African literature to a worldwide audience, he stood on the side of the oppressed and fought ceaselessly against bad leadership, social injustice, racism and other social ills. His famous rebuttal to Joseph Conrad’s racist book “Heart of Darkness” which caricatured Africans as a savage and subhuman people stands out to date as a stinging rebuke to the racist and condescending attitudes of the West towards Africans.
Maximilien Marie De Robespierre (1758-1794) once said that “death is the commencement of immortality.” Chinua Achebe might have died but there his immortality begins, for having died he can die no more. He transcends to immortality and to eternal glory with the whole earth as his tomb, for as Pericles (495-429 BCE) declared, “heroes have the whole earth for their tomb.” Chinua Achebe is a hero and legend for many reasons, not only did he pen the classic book “Things Fall Apart” that brought African literature to a worldwide audience, he stood on the side of the oppressed and fought ceaselessly against bad leadership, social injustice, racism and other social ills. His famous rebuttal to Joseph Conrad’s racist book “Heart of Darkness” which caricatured Africans as a savage and subhuman people stands out to date as a stinging rebuke to the racist and condescending attitudes of the West towards Africans.
From a generation of honest, hardworking and principled folk with a work ethic that produced the likes of Francis Nwokedi; the most senior civil servant and first indigenous permanent secretary, professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike; the first indigenous vice chancellor of the university of Ibadan, Professor Eni Njoku; the first vice chancellor of the university of Lagos, Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu; a British Knight and the first president of the Nigerian stock exchange, Jaja Nwachukwu; the first speaker of the house of representatives, General Aguiyi Ironsi; the first indigenous commander of the Nigerian army amongst other firsts both in the public, political and private spheres of endeavour. Chinua Achebe thus comes from a generation of distinguished trail blazers in all spheres of endeavour and left his own print on the sands of time through his literary genius. All through his life, he remained to the very end, a man of unbelievable and angelic integrity, who lived through Nigeria’s consuming jungle of corruption without compromising his integrity. He was a man wedded to the greater calling of selfless service to humanity
Yet, of all the attributes of Chinua Achebe, what has escaped most people is his gift of direct and indirect prophecy much of which has proven true over time. Though, the book “Things Fall Apart” was centred around the destructive effects of colonialism on traditional Igbo communities, it has ominously proven overtime to be the predicament of the larger Nigeria. Things indeed fell apart for Nigeria from the earliest days of colonialism and post colonialism resulting in the ever increasing social chaos and existential crisis the nation faces. “A man of the people” was published shortly before the January 1966 coup and predicted that the prevailing corruption and misrule would engender coups and counter coups in Nigeria, since then Nigeria has moved from coups to counter coups. “No longer at ease” captured the essence of Nigeria’s stifling corruption and failings in the title; for Nigeria has never been at ease. “The trouble with Nigeria” published in the 80’s made clear that Nigeria’s problems stemmed mainly from bad leadership. Has that not been the case? Has Nigeria not been ruled by an unbroken chain of bigots, thieves, war criminals, mass murderers, incompetent scoundrels and other unpatriotic vermin who have destroyed the country?
“Anthills of the savannah,” tells the story of a malevolent military dictatorship determined to cling to power by hook or crook; has that not been the trajectory of Nigeria? Perhaps, of all Achebe’s books “There Was A Country,” his last book and parting shot, controversial for the hard truth it delivered, might yet prove to be the most ominous and prophetic of his books. The book chronicles the existence and passing of Biafra, but given the social injustice, ethno-religious mass murders, terrorism, corruption and general misrule in Nigeria, adding to Achebe’s penchant for direct and indirect prophesy. “There Was A Country” might yet end up being the story of Nigeria, a country that once was but no longer is. There is no precedent in history of any nation with Nigeria’s contradictions, corruption, self -destruction and injustice that survived. Except Achebe’s advice which makes up a significant part of the book is heeded, we will very soon be confronted with “ a country once called Nigeria that has since ceased to exist.”
Chinua Achebe, a hero and prophet transcends to immortality a legend. He came, he saw and he conquered, leaving his footprints not only in the sands of time but also etched in stone. His books, short stories, poems and essays will continue to tell his story, the story of a man of integrity, a visionary, a rare talent, a social crusader, a prophet and an eternal “man of the people.” May his soul thrive in the heavenly abode of angels!
Lawrence Chinedu Nwobu
[email protected]
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of SaharaReporters
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