In commemoration of the tenth anniversary of Chinua Achebe’s death, the Association of Nigeria Authors (ANA) reviewed the power of creativity in immortalizing people, and reinvigorating new generation of writers using Achebe’s creative model.
Achebe who would have clocked 92 this year, wrote some of his greatest works Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God at the young age of 28. Writers attribute his success to his adept dexterity in Igbo language (which led to his creation of a Nigerianized English), and the championing of African culture.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr John Otu noted that despite the assumption that Achebe was a die-hard traditionalist, he was foremost a critic who subjects his works to critical analysis, as seen in his antithesis of characters as Okonkwo and Nwoye in Things Fall Apart, and Ezeulu and Obika in Arrow of God.
“Achebe is an intellectual in his creative writing, but he is not as traditionalist as we think he is, but also subjects his beliefs to questioning.”
“Achebe teaches you to be critical about your country and society, and that being critical about one’s country or society is not a bad thing but an important aspect of life,” said writer and on-air-personality, Lindsay Barrett who met Achebe post the Nigerian civil war.
Barrett further commended the writer’s ability to think and write in an indigenous language which impacted his fluidity in English language. “It was in the book Arrow of God that Achebe manipulated the English language the way an Igbo man speaks the Igbo language. We should learn to think in our indigenous languages.”
Speaking of the importance of language to creativity, linguist, Prof Francis Egbokhare said fluency in any language, indigenous or otherwise, stimulates creativity. “If you cannot express yourself in any language, then you cannot be creative because building a community is not possible without language.”
On the power of language to immortalize creativity, Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof Abdulrasheed N’Allah highlighted the globalization of Achebe’s Nigerianized language and Nigerian language and colloquialisms disseminated through literary works as Things Fall Apart, and Nigeria’s music industry.
“The world now expresses itself as Nigerians do. Our culture is becoming more global, and with the reception of Abuja as a UNESCO City of Literature (in view), it’ll be even more global.”
Addressing the theme of the commemoration ‘The Immortality of Creativity: Ten Years After Achebe’s Transition’ ANA National President, Camillus Ukah said the objective is to inspire younger generation of writers to create works that will outlive them.
“This memoriam is to build a legacy that is traceable through an icon. To present that model to younger ones such that they undertake their lives endeavours and seek to make impact, and build legacies as Achebe did,” said ANA National President, Camillus Ukah.
Hence, the association’s launching of a challenge motivating secondary students to read 52 books per year. One book every week, and four books per month.
“The challenge is to parents and teachers. If you starve students of scores they don’t deserve and demand them to “show that you have assimilated, or you won’t pass exam,” they will sit up. It will end the current trading scores for merits and non-reading culture in our schools and society. If parents insist from day one, from primary and secondary schools children, you must read so as to justify payment of school fees that is how to create that hunger for knowledge and a reading habit.”
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