by Kelechi Udensi The time for us to be serious is now. We can never succeed in this war against tribal differences like this. I cannot wait to see a Nigerian devoid of tribal differences. “It is a fact that most of the pirates I see selling pirated CDs and DVDs are Igbo,” he unbelievably... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, chinua achebe, Kunle Afolayan, oba of lagos, Rilwan Akiolu

March 22, 2015

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Opinion: Remembering Chinua Achebe, 2 years after

by Chinedu Rylan Be that as it may, it is not the exclusive preserve of the government to promote its own, though the buck stops with them. Well-meaning individuals should take it up and spread the Achebe gospel. Yesterday, 21st March 2015, made it two years since the passing of the world-renowned Nigerian literary icon... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, chinua achebe, things fall apart

February 20, 2015

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Opinion: There may be another country if things continue like this

by Nnaemeka Oruh …whoever claims to be fighting for the good of our nation would always stop and ask; “Will the current trend help my nation grow, or will it harm her more?” The tension is palpable. Naked fear walks through the land unchallenged, waylaying people at every turn. While a deadly group of religious... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, chinua achebe, election violence, Nigeria Decides 2015

January 26, 2014

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Opinion: Is it not time we talked about Biafra?

by Tobe Osigwe Two incidences that occurred in recent years have made me question seriously the unity of this country. First, was when Chinua Achebe memoir, There Was a Country, was released. Most Nigerians without reading the book, took sides based on their ethnic divide. During the pre-independence days, as the struggle to have the... Read More

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September 5, 2013

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Opinion: A thought on Achebe’s ‘There was a country’

by INC Aniebo …And nobody can deny this is the situation now. I am glad Achebe wrote his memoir. To me it is more relevant than Things Fall Apart. While that book is for educating foreigners; There Was A Country is for us. The circle is complete. “Why are Igbo governors unable to work and/or plan together?” The trouble... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, chinua achebe, INB Aniebo, Memoir, opinion, ynaija

May 23, 2013

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James Eze: There was a writer – Re-mapping my cultural rebirth under Chinua Achebe

by James Eze If Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God handed me a cultural frame of reference to aid my understanding of myself, No Longer at Ease and A Man of the People led me through the social labyrinth of Nigeria with its underbelly of corruption and receding morality. Here then is an adequate revolution for me to espouse –... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, african writer, chinua achebe, cultural, James Eze, proof of our humanity, things fall apart, Tribute

May 22, 2013

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Opinion: Why Wole Soyinka’s interview is disappointing

by Ainehi Edoro While I laud Soyinka’s intention to clear up the controversies surrounding his relationship with Achebe, many of his comments have too much of an airing-the-dirty-laundry feel about them…. On Saturday, Soyinka gave a rather revealing account of his relationship with Achebe and his sense of Achebe’s work within the context of the... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, Ainehi Edoro, chinua achebe, opinion, sahara reporters interview, Wole Soyinka

March 28, 2013

The un-tribute: Achebe was an Igbophile, not the father of African literature

by Ibrahim Bello-Kano Indeed, we cannot help wondering if the recent insensate massacre of Chinua’s people in Kano, only a few days ago, hastened the fatal undermining of that resilient will that had sustained him so many years after his crippling accident. —Wole Soyinka and J. P. Clark. “Chinua Achebe Death: We Have Lost... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, achebe, amos tutola, biafra, Cyprian Ekwensi, igbophile, things fall apart

March 24, 2013

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Simon Kolawole: There was a legendary Iroko

by Simon Kolawole In his civil war memoir, There Was a Country, which turned out to be his last work, he maintained his age-old assertion that the rest of Nigeria was at war with the Igbo, and that the only thing uniting Nigerians is their common hatred for the Igbo. It was like making a... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, alison-Madueke, chinua achebe, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, Ibrahim Babangida, igbo, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, simon kolawole

March 22, 2013

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A tribute to Chinua Achebe, by Cheta Nwanze

By Cheta Nwanze “Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings.” – Things Fall Apart, pg 5. It is not a surprise the amount of tributes that have poured in from around the world following the passing on... Read More

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January 8, 2013

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Iyinoluwa Aboyeji: Who will document the failure of #OccupyNigeria? (YNaija FrontPage)

So here is my plea to Nigerian writers. Save us the displeasure of another horrid review of “There was a Country”. Give us an authoritative account of what happened in Ojota and Kano last January. During the holidays, I watched one of the best movies I believe I will ever have the pleasure of seeing... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, chinua achebe, Friedrich Engels, iyinoluwa aboyeji, kano, Ojota, Victor Hugo, YNaija Frontpage

December 16, 2012

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I had never written a book review, until I read ‘There Was A Country’

by C. Nwaonu Maybe we can grudgingly learn to love the other members of the harem or file for an amicable divorce or maybe we can just achieve acceptance. In pursuit of this review have done 3 things I said I wouldn’t do; I bought a book in hardback I read ‘There was a... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, achebe, biafra, chidi Nwaonu, chinua achebe, civil war, colonialism, ethnic, History of Biafra, nigeria, personal History of Biafra, review

December 11, 2012

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Iyinoluwa Aboyeji: Nigeria may never be home (YNaija FrontPage)

by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji You’ve been put on this earth to be all you can be, like the reserves. – (Jay- Z) Lost Ones. I couldn’t help noticing the kidnap of Ngozi Iweala’s mother’s dominate the headlines this week. It is just one of many stories of how like a murderous sow, Nigeria continues to... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, Canada, country, iyin aboyeji, iyinoluwa aboyeji, lottery of birth, nigeria, YNaija Frontpage

November 27, 2012

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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

‘There Was a Country’, biafra, chinua achebe, civil war, Emeka Ojukwu, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, olusegun obasanjo, Yakubu Gowon

November 26, 2012

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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

‘There Was a Country’, chinua achebe, Femke van Zeijl, reviews

November 23, 2012

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“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

‘There Was a Country’, Akintola Williams, chinua achebe, civil war, Ernest Shonekan, Goodluck Jonathan, olusegun obasanjo, Sola Fajana, Yakubu Gowon

November 17, 2012

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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

‘There Was a Country’, chinua achebe, civil war, Emeka Ojukwu, Goodluck Jonathan, igbo, Ken Saro-Wiwa, nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo, T.C Okoli, Yakubu Gowon

October 8, 2012

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“The war is still very personal”: Uzodinma Iweala (also) reviews Achebe’s book

by Uzodinma Iweala I met Chinua Achebe for the first time when I was in high school, but I knew him through his works long before that. “Uncle,” as my siblings and I were told to call him, came to our house in Washington, D.C., for a teatime reception my mother had organized. She had... Read More

‘There Was a Country’, achebe, biafra, civil war, igbos, iweala, uzodinma

October 7, 2012

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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

‘There Was a Country’, Chief obafemi Awolowo, chinua achebe, civil war, ojukwu

October 5, 2012

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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

‘There Was a Country’, Ayo Opadokun, biafra, chinua achebe, genocide, Obafemi Awolowo, Yakubu Gowon

March 16, 2012

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“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

Opinion: How I lost respect for Kunle Afolayan

Opinion: Remembering Chinua Achebe, 2 years after

Opinion: There may be another country if things continue like this

Opinion: Is it not time we talked about Biafra?

Opinion: A thought on Achebe’s ‘There was a country’

James Eze: There was a writer – Re-mapping my cultural rebirth under Chinua Achebe

Opinion: Why Wole Soyinka’s interview is disappointing

The un-tribute: Achebe was an Igbophile, not the father of African literature

Simon Kolawole: There was a legendary Iroko

A tribute to Chinua Achebe, by Cheta Nwanze

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji: Who will document the failure of #OccupyNigeria? (YNaija FrontPage)

I had never written a book review, until I read ‘There Was A Country’

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji: Nigeria may never be home (YNaija FrontPage)

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

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

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

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

“The war is still very personal”: Uzodinma Iweala (also) reviews Achebe’s book

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

Firestorm: Yoruba leaders blast Achebe for “attacking” Awolowo

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

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