The immortality of creativity resounded at the 10th memorial of one of Africa’s global literary icons, Chinua Achebe.
The event put together by the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA brought together the likes of Professors Femi Osofisan, Olu Obafemi, and Ibn N’allah, among younger writers, at the Mamman Vatsa Writers Village in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
14-year-old senior secondary one student, Jimmy is obsessed with Chinua Achebe’s creativity and she is ready to drop her pursuit of pure sciences for an art course. Her admiration even grows deeper after learning that Chinua Achebe’s first creative piece, “Things Fall Apart, was written in his 20s.
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Jimmy is not alone on this part as 24-year-old literal enthusiast, Ikechukwu Pascal is dropping off his building passion to embrace writing. Pascal only started reading Achebe’s books after his death in 2013.
Chinua Achebe from the title of his first novel in 1958, the immortality of a creative journey began. His first novel and magnum opus occupies a pivotal place in African literature and remains the most widely studied, translated, and read.
Born in 1930, Chinua Achebe died “naturally” in 2013, but his contribution to the writing, literally, and creative industry, keeps him alive in the hearts of millions, including young Jimmy and Pascal.
It is 10 years since Achebe’s passing, and the conversation among writers keeps the Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic, immortal.
The young, and old, scholars, creators, and budding writers are honoring one often referred to as one of Africa’s grandfathers in creative writing and a central figure of modern African literature.
Chinua Achebe’s creativity continues to resonate in the works of several other writers across the world even after his passing.
The Association of Nigerian Authors’ Mbari series founded in1965 by literary minds in Africa, which include Professors Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, John Pepper Clark, and Cyprian Ekwensi, among others is host of the Life and Legacy of Chinua Achebe, 10 years after.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
