Adewale Sogunro reviews Chinua Achebe’s ‘There was a country’

by Adewale Sogunro I was hoping that he would look beyond the ethnic divisions, while rendering language to heal the wounds between ethnic groups in Nigeria from the Biafra war. Upon hearing the public uproar sparked by Chinua Achebe’s book in various social circles, I immediately saw it befitting for me to purchase and reserve... Read More

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November 26, 2012

Femke van Zeijl: There was a Country: An outsider’s review

by Femke van Zeijl Most striking are the parts of There Was a Country where history meets Achebe’s personal experience. The restraint with which he describes the death of poet-warrior Christopher Okigbo, a personal friend, makes it all the more moving… I am not Nigerian. I am not Igbo. I am not Yoruba. When the... Read More

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November 24, 2012

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: We remember differently – A tribute to Chinua Achebe at 82

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Achebe’s most recent book, his long-awaited memoir of the Nigerian-Biafra war, is both sad and angry, a book by a writer looking back and mourning Nigeria’s failures… an account of the most important event in Nigeria’s history by Nigeria’s most important storyteller. I have met Chinua Achebe only three times. The... Read More

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November 23, 2012

“Highly irresponsible”: Gowon lets off on Obasanjo over the latter’s criticism of Jonathan

by Isi Esene Weeks after verbally slamming the renowned writer, Chinua Achebe, over his account of events during the Nigerian Civil War, former president and founder of the Nigeria Prays Initiative, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd.), has fired another shot at former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Gowon described as “highly irresponsible” Obasanjo’s criticism of President Jonathan’s handling... Read More

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November 17, 2012

Ken Wiwa reviews Chinua Achebe’s ‘There was a country’

by Ken Wiwa “…I had to be careful about the way I handled someone else’s words or opinions… Even when there was strong disagreement, one had to remember to be discordant with respect.” Early in this long-awaited memoir of the Nigerian Civil War, Chinua Achebe, Nigeria’s most famous and respected writer, recalls a conversation between... Read More

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November 4, 2012

Simon Kolawole: Indeed, there was a starved country

Gowon and Awolowo could have done much more to help the dying and diseased civilians. And, clearly, Ojukwu fatally erred by refusing to accept the conditions for the delivery of relief materials. There has been some mayhem over Professor Chinua Achebe’s civil war memoir, There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra. Achebe accused... Read More

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November 3, 2012

Opinion: No escape from the sceptre looming over us

by Kenechi Uzochukwu This generation is largely confused. From the biased accounts, many of the generation believe the war was fought between Awolowo and some hapless Igbo women and children who he allegedly starved to death. A sceptre has been looming over our heads, a sceptre called Biafra. For 42 years it has defied gravity... Read More

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October 31, 2012

Achebe’s book is propaganda, I did not starve Igbos to death – Gowon keeps talking

by Isi Esene Nigeria’s war-time military president, Yakubu Gowon, has been unequivocal in his reaction to the book titled, ‘There was a country,’ published by renowned author, Chinua Achebe. In the book, which detailed his experience during the Nigerian civil war, Achebe had accused Gowon and Obafemi Awolowo of using hunger as a weapon of... Read More

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October 28, 2012

Simon Kolawole: Achebe and the future of Nigeria

Actually, I used to expect so much from our leaders. But I have grown frustrated. After closely observing Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan in the last 13 years, I have come to the painful conclusion that we have a long way to go. I’m very sorry to disappoint you – this... Read More

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October 28, 2012

Gowon on Achebe, “He is talking from a position of ignorance”

by Isi Esene Nigeria’s Civil War president, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd.), has hit renowned writer, Chinua Achebe, very hard over the content of his recently released book on the Nigerian Civil War saying Achebe was writing from a position of ignorance. The ex-president reportedly said this yesterday while speaking to newsmen on a visit to... Read More

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October 26, 2012

Tolu Ogunlesi reviews ‘There Was A Country’: “Chinua Achebe makes peace with Nigeria”

Chinua Achebe’s latest book, There was a Country, has appeared fifty-four years after the author’s first novel, Things Fall Apart, today arguably the best-known novel ever written by an African. In the time between the two books, a remarkable literary and political career has played out, producing a plethora of poetry, fiction, and essays. It... Read More

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October 7, 2012

In his own words: How Awolowo defended himself from Achebe’s accusations when he was alive

by Reuben Daba Since Achebe released his book, ‘There was a country’, in the United Kingdom a week ago, lots of Nigerians have stated their stands on the touchy issue of Nigeria’s Civil war, either agreeing or disagreeing with the renowned author on the role played by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Some have wondered how Awolowo... Read More

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October 7, 2012

Saro-Wiwa reviews Achebe’s “There was a Country”

by Noo Saro-Wiwa But many Nigerians resented it, and Achebe admits that the Igbo could be cocky, brash and materialistic, though he rejects the popular suspicion that there was a pan-Igbo agenda to control Nigeria – his people have too strong an “individualistic ethic”. No writer is better placed than Chinua Achebe to tell the... Read More

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October 5, 2012

Firestorm: Yoruba leaders blast Achebe for “attacking” Awolowo

by Stanley Azuakola It was bound to happen. You don’t speak ill of one of the greatest Yorubas of all time and not expect a backlash. Not even if you are a legendary world icon like Prof. Chinua Achebe. The literary giant recently released his civil war memoir titled There was a Country last week, in... Read More

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September 27, 2012

There was a country: Chinua Achebe breaks long silence, publishes Biafran memoir

by Isi Esene Chinua Achebe, one of Africa’s most legendary writer, has published his long-awaited memoir about his experience during the Nigerian Civil War which broke out in 1967. The world renowned writer has been silent about the war for over 40 years during which he acted as a roving cultural ambassador for Biafra when... Read More

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September 17, 2012

Tolu Ogunlesi: Haters gon’ hate – An open letter (YNaija FrontPage)

How can you have a National Honours ceremony in which there are no medals to be given out? And then to crown it all, this year it has emerged that the government will not be providing any hotel beds for the distinguished necks to rest in preparation for the ceremony. The government has indeed gone mad!... Read More

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August 13, 2012

PHOTOS: #WhenWeWereKings – (A bit of) Nigeria’s history in pictures

by Isi Esene Today’s photo story is a collectors’ item, it takes us back memory lane to an era in the history of Nigeria when we were kings and our collective destiny was firmly within our grasp. Let’s take a trip deep into a past that, perhaps, was brighter than what we see now. Hat-tip... Read More

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July 30, 2012

Tolu Ogunlesi: Is Nigeria great? (YNaija Frontpage)

The mistakes of yesterday (the missed chances at greatness) are not doing anything to influence the decisions of today. Yet, when greatness shows up, it leaves none in doubt of what it is. Watching bits of the Olympic opening ceremony last Friday it was impossible to not come to the conclusion that Britain is indeed... Read More

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July 23, 2012

Tolu Ogunlesi: Good ol’ days (YNaija Frontpage)

It is sad that Nigerians above a certain age spend so much time living in the past, lamenting how things used to work, such that there is no energy left to find any solutions. “Why is our Society so afflicted with the virus of corruption? Why does it appear that the average Nigerian is congenitally... Read More

chinua achebe, corruption, Governance, nigeria

May 21, 2012

‘Things Fall Apart’ named one of ’50 most influential books of the last 50 years’

by Tolu Orekoya ‘Things Fall Apart’ is one of Africa’s most celebrated novels, renowned for its skillful plotting, depth of characters and its revelatory story of cultural conflict between traditional Igbo culture and Christianity. It is considered Chinua Achebe’s magnum opus, his finest work to date and has been listed as by website Super Scholar as... Read More

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May 7, 2012

Tolu Ogunlesi: Connecting the dots (YNaija FrontPage)

It is my opinion that Nigeria is to a large extent the way it is because we the people are unable to connect the dots. “Connecting the dots” (one of the themes at the heart of Steve Jobs inspiring Stanford University commencement address) is a metaphor that comes from those picture books that kids of... Read More

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March 16, 2012

“There Was a Country” – Chinua Achebe sets to release personal history of Biafra at age 82

by Rachel Ogbu Fusing history, memoirs, poetry and prose, Professor Chinua Achebe’s soon to be released book, ‘There Was a Country’ is the book the literary world can’t stop talking about. The book which is a semi-autobiographical recollection of the Biafran War in Nigeria finally relieves Achebe of the burden that came with carrying for decades... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, chinua achebe, literature

September 9, 2011

Chinua Achebe, Jesse Jackson and Ama Ata Aidoo for Garden City Literary Festival!

by Ifreke Inyang This year’s edition of the Garden City Literary Festival (GCLF) starts on the 12th of September. The excitement in Port Harcourt is reaching fever pitch as literary heads such as Chinua Achebe, Ama Atta Aidoo and Rev. Jesse Jackson have been confirmed as guests. However, Chinua Achebe, most renowned for... Read More

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