On April 9, Nigerian-American writer Nnedi Okorafor announced the acquisition of her new book Lagoon by the publishing house  Hodder & Stoughton. As published on her blog, “at its heart a story about humanity at the crossroads between the past, present, and future, Lagoon touches on political and philosophical issues in the rich tradition of the very best science fiction, and ultimately asks us to [...]

“Between that generation and mine is littered so many such equally talented writers” by Sylva Nze Ifedigbo The tributes that have poured in since Achebe’s passing makes this sound like cliché however, I cannot help but restate how large a figure he was for me growing up that I never thought it possible that such a being superhuman as his reputation [...]

“Every word any Nigerian author writes about him is in some manner self-serving.” by A. Igoni Barrett Chinua Achebe is dead. I’m putting finishing touches to my first novel. Nigerian roads scare me—they’ve killed and crippled too many—but Nigerian airlines scare me more. If you have nothing to say, say nothing. Mathematics was the subject I dreaded most in school. Who’s [...]

“to ensure that we do not let shut the window he opened to the world of our shared humanity.” by Ayodele Morocco-Clarke When the news broke on the 22nd of March 2013 that Chinua Achebe had died the day before, many were thrown into a state of mourning. All over Nigeria, Africa and in other parts of the world, people [...]

“Does Achebe’s death change anything for me as a Nigerian ‘writer’? No” by Ayodele Olofintuade Frankly I used to read more of foreign writers than Nigerian writers, so I must admit that I didn’t notice when Nigeria’s literature began its slow and determined plunge into the abyss of mediocrity. I didn’t notice when the relatives of people in the ministry [...]

“He indicts us, and not even in the more obvious ways.” by Richard Ali I was walking down the streets of Wuse Zone 5, Abuja when I received a call from The Guardian’s Anote—he wanted a response for the Press. I am Publicity Secretary [North] of the Association of Nigerian Authors. I stopped still—shocked. I could only mutter that I [...]

“To become like him, or like any writer for that matter, is a false ambition.” by Emmanuel Iduma How can I celebrate Achebe without peddling a contrived tribute? I never met him in person, and never had the feeling that I needed to, because he was the sort of person whose presence was sufficiently coated in the words that he [...]

“It is not a replacement. It is a rebirth” By Jumoke Verissimo There’s a proverb among the Yoruba which says: bi ogede ba ku, yi o fi omo re ropo (Translation: When the plantain dies its shoot takes its place.) It is one proverb that has fascinated me since childhood as it explicates continuity and regeneration. With the passing of Chinua Achebe, I [...]

“I am able to be the kind of writer that I am” by Chika Unigwe The day before Achebe died, I had dinner with amongst others, the writer Caryl Phillips, otherwise known as Caz to friends. Somehow, the dinner conversation turned to Achebe and Caz asked me if I had ever met him. I said I hadn’t. Caz promised that [...]

“We need an uprising of writers against this status quo” by Dami Ajayi Achebe’s death closely followed that of Apostle Obadare, the blind doyen of Koseunti, a fiery prophet like Achebe, who lived to a ripe age. The elegiac chorus that Obadare’s death occasioned was who will pray for us now? Thinking seriously about Achebe’s death, scanning through the landscape of [...]