with Henry Akubuiro hakubuiro@googlemail.com 08070965586
•Achebe breaks 42-year silence in new book
When Achebe was writing his third novel, A Man of the People, he never envisaged that fiction would soon become fact in 1966, having predicted a coup in the fictional country depicted in the prose. Before it was released, the Nigerian military intruded into governance for the first time, and the blood of notable First Republic politicians, including the Prime Minister, Tafawa Belewa, and Sardauna of Sokoto, was spilled by the Kaduna Nzeogwu-led rebellion, which was misinterpreted as an Igbo coup by the North. Events wormed up to the catastrophic months later –a revenge countercoup led by northerners, plunging the nation into a three-year-civil war.
“The weeks following the coup saw easterners attacked both randomly and in an organized fashion. There seemed to be a lust for revenge, which meant an excuse for Nigerians to take out their resentment on the Igbo who led the nation in virtually every sector –politics, education, commerce and the arts,” Achebe recollects events leading to the Nigeria civil war. Weeks after the July counter-coup in Nigeria, Achebe and his family, then working and residing in Lagos, were on the run. His Igbo brethren were being massacred all over the place, and he could have been killed, too, though he was the Head, External Broadcasting of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.
He eventually fled Lagos to eastern Nigeria, which was to become a break-away Biafran Republic. The civil war turned out to be an onslaught on Biafra, especially the Igbo, with supports from Britain, Russia (for economic interests) and other powers. The sound of death became an every-day down chorus, and survival for him and others was a diminishing probability, as the federal forces, with their superior firepower, went on rampage. Several times, he and his family came close to being killed, but luck smiled on them.
Four decades after the war ended, Achebe has penned his war-time experiences in There was a Country, A Personal History of Biafra, a new book just released by Penguin Books (USA) and described by the Nobel laureate, Nadine Gordimer, as having the “terse narrative grip of the best of fiction” and “a revelatory entry into the intimate character of the writer’s brilliant mind and bold spirit”.
Aside its Biafran overtone, There was a Country is many books rolled into one. On one hand, it is a coming age story of Achebe as he transited from boyhood to adulthood, including educational pursuits. On the other hand, it is an exposé on Nigerian history and politics, as well as an insightful literary testament. Achebe recollects the dark days of the Nigeria civil war with pains. On the heat of hostility against his Igbo kinsmen, he took a wise decision.
“I arranged to smuggle Christie and the children out of Lagos on a cargo ship from the port. Christie reports that it was one of the most horrendous voyages she has ever taken. She remembers the seasickness heightened on this particular trip as a result of her pregnancy. She and other refugees from the bloodshed were placed in a section of the ship that was in the open, without any shelter from the elements,” he recalls. Achebe was the last to flee Lagos, and it was grudgingly, because he could not bring himself to accept that he could no longer live in his nation’s capital.
“My feeling toward Nigeria was that of profound disappointment. Not only because mobs were hunting down and killing innocent civilians in many parts, especially in the North, but because the Federal Government sat by and let it happen,” he writes. In post-colonial Nigeria, the Igbo, narrates Achebe, grew in leaps and bounds. That he attributed to self-confidence engeandered by their open society and their belief that one man is as good as another. Sadly, it was seen as domination, which must be checkmated, recalls Achebe –which aided the conspiracy and onslaught against them by other Nigerians.
Contrary to the allegation that the January 1966 coup was an Igbo coup, Achebe says the motivation was removed from ethnicity. In fact, Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi, an Igbo man, who was to become the first military head of state, was even marked for elimination by the Nzeogwu group, but put up a stiff resistance in Lagos, where he was based, which led to the failure of the coup in Lagos.
In embarking on a secession bid, Achebe writes that the Igbo were already pushed to the wall: “When we noticed that the Federal Government of Nigeria did not respond to our call to end the pogrom, we concluded that a government that failed to safeguard the lives of its citizens has no claim to their allegiance and must be ready to accept that the victims deserve the right to seek their safety in other ways –including secession.”
The literary world and the academia, writes Achebe, were miffed by the Biafran disaster. Wole Soyinka was on the vanguard to make peace in Nigeria, which got him into trouble, however: “Soyinka’s attempts to avert a full-blown civil war by meeting with Colonel Ojukwu and Victor Banjo, as well as with then Lieutenant Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo, would earn him enemies in the Nigerian Federal Government and a 22-month imprisonment.”
Fed up with the Federal Government’s unsuccessful treatment of the Biafran issue, Soyinka, recalls Achebe, had to travel to Biafra in an attempt to appeal for a ceasefire to the hostilities. He was planning to set up an antiwar delegation made up of the intellectuals, artists, and writers from both sides of the conflict –and from around the world –to achieve his aim. But it was never to be because of his arrest and detention by General Gowon. In the Harmattan Season of 1968, General Ojukwu invited Achebe to a small political committee the Biafran Ministry of Information was creating.
Pleased with the committee’s work, Ojukwu invited him further to serve in a larger committee, the National Guidance Committee, to create some fundamental principles with which the government and people of Biafra would operate. Headed by Achebe, it consisted of an impressive bunch: Chieka Ifemesia, Ikenna Nzimiro, Justice AN Aniagolu, Dr. Ifegwu Eke and Eyo Bassey Ndem, with Professor Emmanuel Obiechina serving as the secretary. The National Guidance Committee later produced the famous “Ahiara Declaration”.
Achebe’s service to Biafra didn’t stop at the BOFF; he was to serve as a roving ambassador to the embattled new nation. He recalls: “In addition to working with BOFF, Ojukwu also asked me to serve the cause as an unofficial envoy of the people of Biafra. Being invited to serve by the leader of Biafra was both an important and satisfying opportunity, but it also came with great anxiety.” The first trip he made in the new capacity was to fly to Senegal to deliver Ojukwu’s message to Senegalese president, Leopold Sedar Senghor, and it almost ended in a disaster.
“During this particular flight, the pilot announced at about 20,000 feet that the plane was experiencing ‘technical problems’. It was marked by a great deal of turbulence and sudden losses of cabin pressure. We were all experiencing motion sickness, some were vomiting, and all were stricken by a sense of impending doom. The plane was diverted to an airport in the Sahara, where we disembarked, changed to a Senegalese airline, and flew to Dakar.” Worse still, Sam Agbam, who was accompanying him on the trip (an interpreter of a sort), vanished into thin air, and Achebe, who didn’t speak French, was left to his own desert in the francophone country; yet, he persevered. Meeting President Senghor wasn’t a stroll in the park.
The presidential aides were not convinced of his mission, and turned him away several times. He had to change his strategy, telling one of the aides who spoke English that he would like to present a copy of his latest novel, A Man of the People, to the president, who was also a renowned poet and literary aficionado. To that, the aide responded: “…You give me the book and poems and I will take it to him, and I am sure he will be delighted…” Days after he arrived Senegal, faced with impending failure, his tenacity finally worked, and Senghor surprised him with an invite sent with a limousine to come over at the Presidential palace.
“The next day, I had my audience with President Leopold Sedar Senghor, a very extraordinary man,” writes Achebe. “I was guided along a stone path in the gardens of the presidential palace and up the grand stair case to a secluded room. The first thing that struck me was the loneliness. We were standing in a room in this huge mansion, I in my Biafran attire, Senghor in his French suit…. “Senghor regretted that I had spent several days in the country trying to reach him and apologized for the treatment I had received. Senghor was a profoundly adept diplomat, and he took on the business I brought: He glanced through the letter quickly, and then turned to me and said that he would deal with it overnight ….
Our conversation then turned to other things intellectual –writing, education, the great cultural issues of the day, including the movement he was spearheading called Negritude.” Achebe also made an extensive trip to Scandinavia on behalf of the Biafran government. The Scandinavians had already made great humanitarian gestures to alleviate the suffering in Biafra. “I was also curious to visit the land of one of the most legendary of all Europeans who came to our aid –the Swedish aristocrat, Carl Gustaf von Rose. On this trip I visited Sweden, Finland, and Norway.”
His subsequent visit to Canada was different from the rest; he was invited to speak about the Biafran tragedy by the World Council of Churches and the Canadian Council of Churches. He was also part of the Biafran delegation that attended the Kampala, Uganda, talks, which was one of the failed attempts to forge a peace between Nigeria and Biafra. Achebe was struck by the comportment of Aminu Kano, who was part of the Nigerian delegation.
“As the Nigerian delegation, led by Anthony Enahoro, espoused their resolve to “crush Biafra” unless there was a complete surrender, Aminu Kano seemed very uneasy, often looking through the window. This was a man who was not pleased with either side or how the matter was being handled. That meeting made an indelible mark on me about Aminu Kano, about his character and his intellect,” he writes. In late 1968, together with other famous writers from the Biafran side, Cyprian Ekwensi and Gabriel Okara, he visited the United States as part of the extensive university tour to bring the story of Biafra to the mainly progressive American intellectuals and writers.
There, they met many American leaders of thoughts. In this book, also, Achebe offers a blow-by-blow account of miserable life in Biafra, the conflict having created a humanitarian emergency of epic proportions. Of particular interest is how Achebe’s family had to run from place to place to survive, in some instances missing death by whiskers. It wasn’t a surprise, therefore, when he travelled out of Biafra to England on a mission and he heard planes taking off and landing at Heathrow Airport, his first instinct was to duck under safe cover!
There was no dull moment in Biafra, nevertheless. Achebe and his bosom friend, late Christopher Okigbo (he wrote extensively about their relationships in this book –a relationship that started at Government College, Umuahia, and the University College, Ibadan), floated a publishing company, Citadel Press, Enugu, when the war started. Theirs was so close that when Achebe was sent on a foreign mission for Biafra, he handed over his family, including his pregnant wife, Christie, to Christopher Okigbo, for protection.
Homeless, Achebe left Enugu to visit his mother in the village, Ogidi, who was in the throes of death. Before enlisting in the Biafran army, recalls Achebe, Okigbo didn’t inform him. Perhaps he would have discouraged him. So, when the news of his death got to him, the loss was overwhelming. Achebe writes: “Christopher fell in August 1967, in Ekwegbe, close to Nsukka, where his poetry had come to sudden flower seven short years earlier. News of his death sent ripples of shock in all directions. Okigbo’s exit was totally in character. Given the man and the circumstance it was impossible for everyone to react to the terrible loss in the same way.
The varied responses, I think, would have pleased Okigbo enormously, for he enjoyed getting to his destination through different routes.” A chapter of Achebe’s new offering is dedicated to literature (“The Role of the Writer in Africa”), and it re-establishes Achebe as a committed artist. For instance, he declares: “The African writer who steps aside can only write footnotes or glossary when the event is over….
My own assessment is that the role of the writer is not a rigid position and depends to some extent on the state of health of his or her society. In order words, if a society is ill the writer has a responsibility to point it out. If the society is healthier, the writer’s job is different.” Affirming further, he says: “I believe that it is impossible to write anything in Africa without some kind of commitment, some kind of message, some kind of protest.
In my definition, I am a protest writer, with restrain. Even those early novels that look like very gentle re-creations of the past –what they were saying, in effect, was that we had a past. That was the protest, because there were people who thought we didn’t have a past. What I was doing was to say politely that we did –here it is.”
Our great Prof Chinua Achebe may God always bless for your tireless effort in making sure that Igbo Nation(Biafra Country)will gain freedom.We all believe that this your reputable Novel,There was a Country will ursher in a new Biafra by the time the World reads it and find out the real truth on how Briain,Russian,Egypt,North Africa and Arab World join forces with Nigeria to Massacre over Three Million Biafrans and i believe with all my heart that Prof Chinua Achebe newly release Novel,There was a Country will vindicate Biafra and then freedom will assured come 5th Nov 2012 after the BZM will re-declare Biafra Indepedence(Reach me on:+2348038499183)
Prof.Chinua Achebe is a pure breed,who has the interest of his oppressed,but hard-working people at heart.He’s trying harder and harder to project the image of Biafra,Nigeria,Africa and even the entire universe through literature.God will bless you.I wish that Christopher Okigb is with us today!May his soul rest in perfect peace.Amen.
sir mysticoh,Ghana.
The work you are referring to is A man of the people and not No longer at ease . All the works of Achebe should be a must read for all Nigerian politicians. You cannot truly understand the Nigerian situation until you have read all the works of Achebe. To think of progress and development in Nigeria without addressing the issues in his works could be like playing the ostrich. He addressed in an amusing way all aspects of our national life. Achebe is for all times. Achebe is a literary god . His works constitute a bible of sorts. If permitted I am prepared to versify his works which I have been giving a very close study for the past five years. The prophetic propensity of his works are simply stunning. His depth of understanding of the human nature and frailties can only be compared with that of William Shakespeare. I am happy to have lived in the same age with the literary sage.
Dear Lovely Achebe, u ar greater dan pple see u, u ar d soul withwhich igbos live . U ar obama of Africa, we believ u mst kill d osama of time with dpower of ur interlelect. Rid on papa rid -on Noble
Day by day, year by year, biafran cause is gaining currency while its enemies are being diminished in number, influence and reason.Even the minority tribes that fought biafra because of misunderstanding, propaganda & Arabian empty promises are today convinced of its necessity & nobility Yoruba intellects are asking why their leaders toed the wrong path of history The lantent manifest of arabic civilisation imposed on good natured africans is there for everyone to see; boko haram,plateau ethnic cleansing , crime with impunity, looting of govt treasury etc That is why am not satisfied with the efforts of Orji Kalu and Ohaneze clamoring for presidency Biafran spirit destroyed by the islamists must be revived although not in massob fashion before other things Achebe has rolled out the wheel its left for others to drive to the hearts of the international community l
my dear prof. how can i get this book,there was a country and i thank God for your efforts for your people Biafra
Prof the true son of his father. We thank you you for this piece.I will teach my children all i learnt from you. I`ll teach them all about Biafra. We will be free soon.
incredible,prof i won’t wait to lay my hands on this biafran encyclopedia which could also qualify as autobiography and biography of most biafran heros.
A true patriot!
History will continue to vindicate the just but, God will punish the wicked..Prof. Chinua Achebe, a rare and quinteseential intellectual. You have written all there is. Your new book- There Was A Country” will provoke a new debate on the numerous attrocities commited against the Igbo nation by a country they worked so hard to build.
God bless and keep Achebe.
Kingsley Maduka Okafor.
PortHarcour, Nigeria.
although for over 8yrs my dad refused to say more things he experienced as a young biafran soldier,because each time he tell the story,tear drips.
without doubt anichebe story is a touchy one. and the evil Nigeria metted out to biafra will be hard to forget just the china-Japan of today.
A great one. My confidence is that no matter how long it takes Biafra must be one day. Igbos are the besddt God created in Africa
God Bless Biafra Nation Amen
The more one looks at the Biafran story, realizes that there things that can not just die because their trajectory is natural. On the other hand, the progressive degeneration of my country Nigeria, confirms the fact that Nigeria was a mistake from the onset.
The more one looks at the Biafran story, he realizes that there are things that can not just die because their trajectory is natural. On the other hand, the progressive degeneration of my country Nigeria, confirms the fact that Nigeria was a mistake from the onset.
Great writer is what you are, your efforts of bringing to us the young generation of today the long buried truth is very well appreciated, more grease to your elbow prof. Chinua Achebe. sir i appreciate your wealth of historical knowledge and intellect.
The truth is bitter!
I have seen many people from the other side reacting negatively against Achebe’s courage in putting in black and white our past(Igbo Nation). That notwithstanding, the truth must be told to the post war Igbo generation to serve as our guide. The Jews have theirs’ about the holocaust; so nothing is wrong in having ours’ for posterity as arranged by the legndary Igbo writer.
Our Sun shall never set!
We are unequally yoked in Nigeria, so a new Nigeria(Biafra) is the option. I am happy the master story teller has told the world in clear words that Biafra was a brainchild of all Igbo and not that of the Lion of Biafra alone- The beloved Leader(Emeka). I rest my case.
The man talks the truth
that was brilliant. the collection of war memoirs by achebe have been a good book for history students like me. thanks achebe
The Yoruba’s are not happy with the book..There was country.The crux of their grouse is the mention of Awolowo. But the truth must be told…”Either by omission or commission the Igbos are allowed to secede, the Yorubas will follow suit.” that was Awolowo’s startment after his release from Calabar prisons. Alas what happened, he became finance minister and decided that starvation is a weapon of war. But whom God has annoited,no human being can destroy. The day of Biafra shall surely come. And when that day arrive no man can do anythin against it. Most British amalgamations…India, to form India, Bangladesh, Pakistan..Malaya to Malaysia and Singapore..Sudan to South sudan and Sudan…Nigeria will not defy history.Biafra will be.
Igbos led the country in every sector…arts even…when will we stop being complete morons and try to at least be manageable idiots. We didn’t lead anything except maybe landlordery and petty tradery. Stop making it seem like Igbos are so much more advanced when we aren’t abeg, this is simply inviting more hate on us for baseless reasons.
If you are really Kelechi, you should please go home and check if your father is still alive and ask him what it was to be an Igbo in the pre independent Nigeria upto the begining of the progrom in 1966. Igbos led in every sphere of human endeavour. The then Igbo Union formed the coordinating hub of progression. They built schools hospitals and was able to spread to all over the country. No matter how young you might claim to be. You can still see the physical and psychological scars on the Igbo nation. Please dont call us names again. If you dont have anything to say, please keep your mouth shut. Thanks.
You are definitely not an Igbo, but you just decided to put up an Igbo name to air your tribalistic view……it is even very easy to tell the particular tribe you came from but let me not go there.
Kelechi
go read your history and stop making fool of youself.
Awoists can shout,threat,insult,lie,whine yet the truth reminds awolowo permits the blockage.
ENYI OHA
October 14, 2012 at 2:06 pm
WONDERS SHALL NEVER END
DO YOU KNOW THEY HAVE DELETED DURO ONABULE’S WRITE UP OF OCT 12, 2012 IN THE FRIDAY SUN AFTER ABOUT 36 HOURS?
HOW COME THE MOST FORENSIC, BALANCED AND DETRIBALISED TAKE ON THE ACHEBE-AWOLOWO CONTROVERSY WRITTEN BY A MOST INFORMED YORUBA MAN CAN NO MORE BE ACCESSED?
DURO ONABULE, IF THE SUN PEOPLE DO NOT WANT THE WORLD TO READ YOU, THEN REPOST YOUR COMMENTRY VIA NIGERIAN VILLAGE SQUARE, ASAP.
kelechi, my dear, he that never knew where the rain started wont know when he is completely weted by the same rain. Pls look for a history book if u didnt have any try ask questions and stop been myopic. Ignorant is a big problem.
To my big dad the prof how i wish i will ever set my eyez on u. Am too proud of you sir may God bless u for that masterpiece. We need more these to help we the upcoming writers.
this kelechi of a person. i don’t know actually what to tell you. i really believe that you are not an Ibo person. you must have been Yoruba kelechi . if you are a true Ibo person, you will not talk in this manner. please give us your real identity so that we will know the angle you are coming from.
Kelechi,hahaha!! am not sure you are Kelechi as you claimed.Idiots like you should not talk when informed people are talking.You are a disgrace to the Igbo race.
Please gentlemen, forget this fictious kelechi because he is not and can never be a full blooded Igbo man. If not, how can he call his generation morons to manageble idiots unless he is one from the enemy camps carrying out their masters business. Concentrate your energy in praiseing the great prof Achebe and praying God Almighty to continue keeping and strenghtening him.
KELECHI I THINK U MUST BE BORN BY AN HAUSA FATHER COS IT IS HALF CAST IGBO WILL THINK THE WAY U DID
When mistakes are not recorded according to a wise saying, infancy remains perpetual. The new book by Achebe is for me a recording of the mistakes of the past that should help us to chat a new course that will usher growth and love for one another in our country.
like all that have voiced their opinion, truth must be said which is the right thing to do. for there to be disaffection in certain quarters because one whom they consider a demigod has been indicted leaves nothing to be desired. Thank you Prof Achebe, you will be vindicated as a great man when the final history of this country is written.
Thank you Mr Lawrence. You have said it all. This is a call for us to effect correction to mistakes of the past and not a call for another war. History is a heritage which should rightly be documented for posterity. This is what Achebe is doing for us with all his works.
It’s good to say the truth and the truth w’ll surely set you free.
Prof. Chinua Achebe may almighty God to continue streanghting you for your great work for our land,
we igbo’s entirely are the great one in this country Nigeria, but n’t whatwithstanding one day we shall be free, like the way people of of isreal’s promise land, God bless Igbo’s God grant us Reblic of Biafran.
Thank’s
That ghostly beign Kelechi is not an Igbo man coz d blood of Judas runs in his vein.even if by mistake he’s Igbo,then he must hv been a product of d mixed judas tribe of d west.
My fellow beloved Igbo Jews why are we just wasting our precious time on this so called Kelechi.As far i as i know this so called Kelechi could mean two think,either he/she is an imposter,an Housa or Yoruba man that use Igbo name or one of this bastards that were begotting during Biafra/Nigeria war through Housa or Yoruba Soldiers wen they raped Biafran women and the result of that rape was this so called Kelechi.We all knows that Nigerian Jews(Igbos)is the tribe that hold the economy of Nigeria just like American Jews hold the economy of USA or Israel(Jews)hold the economy of the World.Without Nigerian Jews(Igbos),Nigeria would be nothing and if they doubt my argument let Nigeria let Igbos go which i know its impossible for them to do
I thank God for what I am reading hear, I think our people will make this place their platform for commentaries. I did not see other tribes on this site, they will rather go to punch and other tribal papers to continue the civil war.
I thank God for what I am reading here, I think our people will make this place their platform for commentaries. I did not see other tribes on this site, they will rather go to punch and other tribal papers to continue the civil war.
NNAEMEKA U ARE THERE. THIS IS OUR PLATFORM. GO TO OTHERS WE WILL SEE THE DIFF. IGBOS ARE UNIQUE ITS NOT OUR FAULT. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!
There’s no doubt that Prof Chinua Achebe is an exceptionally great man. All men of goodwill should be thanking him for the legacy he is leaving us in the form of this his new book. Thank you Prof.
He who says that Igbos(Nigerian Jews)are not united should use wat is happening in this Sunnewsonline comment to see how united Igbos are more than any other tribes in Nigeria and we know they are saying that Igbos are not united so as to demolised and destablise the minds of Igbos and pitch them against each other but I Stine Chykee is one of the pure Hebrew blood of Igbo extraction will never be use as a blackmail against my fellow Igbo brethren.So Igbos let us unite more than ever to fight our common enemies in Nigeria the way our ancestor Yisrael(Israel)did against Arab gang up.Am not afraid of anybody and my voice will always echoed in the top most Mounting.+2348038499183,+2348185774858
Stine chykee, shalom broda. I can see you have good knowledge of Igbo Hebrew origin. You are one of the chosen men by God to point Igbo back to their great heritage which is the remedy to end sufferings of Ndigbo. By the grace of El Elohe Israel I am a commissioned prophetic messenger to Ndigbo. I am the coordinator of Igbo praying Network,arm of World Igbo Hebrew Federation. I believe we canwork together. My private phone number is 2348033057962 email:emmanuelfakas@gmail.com
Shalom Fakas and I Stine Chykee appreciate your acknwledgement toward me and i strongly believe that soom we Hebrews of Nigeria(Igbos)must be liberated the way our acenstors,the yisraeli(Israel)through the mighty hand of Yahweh(God) and his beloved son Yeshua(Jesus Christ).Long Live Yisraeli,Long Live Biafra(Igbos),Long Live World Zionist Movement.Shalom
Hw there u make d mistake of killing balewa n sardauna.this is d mistake dt cos thousands of lives.am nt hapy wen eva am readin abt d war cos it a great catastrophy 4 a nation 2 fight it citizens.bt d griev of killn ds great heroes is til embeded in our heart wc we shal neva 4get.also keleci was wrng nt knwin dt d igbo dominate ol offices in d country frm d military,trade,interlctual etc.tnks b 2 God 4 d increasing grievanc of d biafrans.we d northerners av only balewa n some minister at d federal gvt wt maimalari as d only brig.general yet de decide 2 kill maimalari,balewa n bello.d most anoyn part is d way d igbos jubilate n mek ridiculs of it forgetn dt d northerners make up 75% of d amry raffle men.we retaliate under colonel murtala n T.Y Danjuma n deal wt ironsi in ibadan wc trigers d pogrom ol over d country.this war was d turnin point wc make d northerners the owners of nigeria.
This is duro Onabule’s Account: (I have saved a copy already)
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/guest-articles/on-achebe-awolowo-a-the-civil-war.html
Prof. Chinua Achebe is not a politician,is not an ethnocentric neither is he one of those that tell lies for cheap political score but in deed a living testament that has beamed the glourious historical heritage of pre-colonial Africa, the colonial Africa and Pan-Africanist Nigeria, as well as contemproray Nigeria in the true, unmistanking and real sense of historic reality. The World will always remember this magnificient literay and historic moving encyclopedium. I am proud of you professor Achebe, the African scholars here in the US are happy to celeberate your latest great literay and historic masterpiece. Ndi Igbo ga di, Biafra ga di kwanu.
Thank u Pa Achebe,when i remember that am a Biafran my heart blosoms.The bone shall rise again,Biafra shall rise again and the time is now,having read all the commentry i realised that we(Igbos) are on the raight track.I love u all my Biafrian brothers,God have blessed us already.
Our prophet Achebe is at it again. May God keep you so long. You have climbed the mountain, you have looked over and you have seen the promised land just like your fellow saviours Moses and Dr Martin Luther King. However, we pray that unlike your fellow prophets, that you will join us in entering that land filled with milk and honey. God bless you, my father, our father. Oke mmadu, arusi odumodu, dike na di mkpa, Okammuta Chinalulumogu Achebe.
Achebe is one of the sublime men in Igbo extraction and Nigeria in general. That name Chinalulumogu is powerful. May God continue to fight for you as u stand on the side truth and honesty.
bravo to my mentor prof Achebe. U shall live
Ogidi nwere mmadu.
Long life Prof.
if truely the ibos were leading in all areas b4 the war, they shld have been leading in the army too. if really the ibos were as smart as Achebe suggested, they shld have stockpiled food and a munitions before embarking on war. this only goes to show that Achebe is a tribal warmonger whose memory of the war is lopsided. he claims to be homeless during the war and at the same time he was a biafran minister,Los… this is fiction at best. and for Achebe not to see any fault on the part of the ibos leaves much to be desired. I am only disappointed at my Ibo brothers who only because of Achebe now make enemies of the yorubas who haboured them, and have accomodated them peacefully before and after the war. this only shows us the kind of people u are. lastly for Achebe to wait 25 years after he death of awo only to twist the truth to soothe Ibo nerves is chidish and myopic. even a child knows there are always 2 sides to every story. thank God gowon still maintains he has no regrets for his roles in the war which means he(gowon) did what was expedient of him. my advice to the ibos is for u to stop blaming everybody else for your woes in life and start looking for ways to build up yourselves and your land
the igbos should listen to the voice of reason. there are still some reasonable ones among you; people like kelechi. if you are all so smart as you claim to be how come nobody among your literary giants could actually interprete Awolowo’s warning to the nigerian side that should the igbos be allowed tro leave nigeria that the yoruba would not remain in the country with the hausas. since you did not succeed there was no reason for the yorubas a war we knew we could not win at the time. the average igbo man is an arrogant man. in reality the only things you are good at and in which you lead the country are. forgery and adulteration
Igbos didn’t lead in everything. In fact, the Western Region was the leading region in the country at the time the civil war started. In all indices of social and economic development, the West was tops. The first regional university was in Ile Ife, the first TV station in Ibadan, the tallest building Cocoa House Ibadan – all built by the regional govt with cocoa money. Yorubas were the leading doctors, lawyers, bankers, industrialists etc. of that time. The first brewery built by a Nigerian was by a Yoruba, Ade Lawson, West African breweries Abeokuta, makers of Top lager beer. It’s disappointing that Achebe will further divide Yorubas and Igbos with his fictional accounts (very unbecoming of his literary status) when both should be working together to rescue our land from the vampires from the north.
@baba,”a fool at ur age is a fool forever”.I can’t blame you coz u re ignoramus and myopic bout history of Nigerian/Biafran civil war.But I put it to u that God’ll keep you to witness 2015 presidential election.its a do or die affair and if we loose,we appeal for the declaration of Biafra and if negleted,that will be another disastrous duel.As for the hero,Proff.May u live long!!!
I just hope n pray dat dis Biafra people will clearly know were there border reach when they declare there country,if not too bad another disaster for them.PURE EDO BOI
@omoh,if truely you are from Edo guy,which mean you are a fool fourever becase when the time come that ur strinple eye wil be remove whit shame,and four ur info both the south south wil be included whit the southeast beside there wil be notting like south south by then.as four you keep on dreaming..mumu
Heeeeeeee am smellin biafra heeeeeee biafra on her fit!!!!! Achebe am thinking how 2 be a great novelist live u. Infact u ar d best. But 4 the ingnorace one like Gowon he will reap wot he sow.since he don’t what 2 ask 4 forgivness
IF UR CLAIMS ARE RIGHT Y DEN DID AWO COMMIT SUCIDE? THE LEADER OF BIAFRA FORESAW BOKO HARAM AND WAS BETRAYED BY AWO AND CO. THE IGBO RACE ARE NOT COWARDS LIKE THE SABOTUES
Hahaaa
EDO BOY WE DON’T EVEN NEED U WITH UR WITCHCRAFT U CAN JOIN THE NORTHERNERS THE IBOS DON’T GIVE A DAMN. WE ARE A UNIQUE RACE OOOO!!!!
Hahahahahaha,Yoruba race will never seized to amuse me,always tribalistic,sentimental,bias,myopic,selfish.Thank God for using Prof Wale Soyinka to vindicate Prof Chinua Achebe on his memoir There Was a Country.Prof Wale Soyinka was granted interview in London and he told the whole world that wat Prof Chinua Achebe wrote in his memoir about the genocide committed on 3 Million Biafra Children and Women were all truth so Yorubas why are you people still crying Wolves.I wount be suprise if one day it turned out that Prof Wale Soyinka is not actually a Yoruba man becouse he is outstanding personality and he behaves like Igbos
Even me belive that soyinka is not truly yoruba man,because he dont truly behave like the yoruba people
My later father fought de nigerian biafran war as a biafran army.he recieved gun injuries all over,whic he nursed till death.sinc aftr de war,only de nigerian sulgers were recognised monitory and other wise.all of u who claim to be proud of biafra and ibo race cudnt com to rnd table to map out aday in a yr to hunour and referrenc de effort made by my father and other biafrn sulgerz who paid de supreme sacrifice.for Pa Achebe,u re indeed a hero dat conquered literary designz and it theories,but ur submission over de nigerian biafran war shud have com earlier dan diz.
Gowon should never venture attend any occasion in any part of Igbo land. It baffles me how this fool arrogate to himself the leader of Nigeria prayer project after shedding many innocent blood. The fool who said that he has no regret for the atrocities he committed, should never be taken serious in his kangaroo prayer project. He had murdered sleep and he can never sleep in this life. Let him go to his home town in jos and see whether he can sleep with his two eyes closed
You can not do Gowon any thing Ngo or what is your name. And if, if any thing happened in Ibo land you are in for.
Have said tht wont be commenting on this issue again, but anyway let me chip in these, Listen, BABA.Chinua Achebe is not a politician or a bought over and an incorruptable man an unique person,whom in his refusal to corruption in this UNA entity called 9ija refused several times on this every yr CORRUTPTION LIST of JAMBOREE merit AWARD,bcos those giving the award, their hands are so dirty and 4 tht reason he refused to accept that, So, these did not show u the kind of person he is, ask ur self all these BODE-THOMASES. tht was Y i said that (HISTORY MUST BE TOLD) and i thked BABA ACHEBE 4 bringing this history to us and world atlarge and we all pray tht he lives long and he will be vindicated at d end of day by all these BODE-THOMASES.
@kola, 1st time reading very organized comment 4rm u , if u are d same kola,we knew tht u re 1st in everythin but 2day what can u say abt a region they did everythin to frustrate, killed and they are where they are 2day, hve u been to any S/E region? and u will be marvelled with kind of development there not by ur so called fed Govt.bt by the efforts of the ( throw away the baby with d bath water) individuals. i wish tht this enity will one day grant this( throw away the baby with d bath water)pple their wish and i will invite these BODE-THOMASES to see things by themselves, i wish they would use tht BIRO used in signing d FREEDON of S/SUDAN 4 Biafrans too and within 10yrs we would be like Dubai, no 2 ways abt that and i put it to u.Y are they still holding them ramsome its bcos they knew that once these pple are left alone tht this enity called 9ija will collaps like pack of cards, if not let them grant them their wishes.infact am fedup with this entity called 9ija. Achebe book is an eye opener to us the youths and also 4 the whole world in general. I rest my case 4 now.morrow we shall meet again at d ( S.N.C ) where we all shall sit and discuss on this forced marriage.
Prof Achebe’s Noble Laurate Award is handy every passing day. I’m desperately waiting for that historic day!
My brothers Bafria, how can will be one when the Igbo nerve agreed that the head of Ibo is from Alochukwu in Abia state , most of this towns cities and some kings in Igbo Land are from Benin to the Ibo land, some people came from Igarra in Benue State and kogi state that made Ibo land today. Ibo didn’t have one King like Hausa, Yoruba, look at people of River state today , there name is Okechukwu , Amadi but they claim not to be Ibo, Calaba , Nsuka people came from the norther Nigeria Onitsha, Obosi came from Benin etc. our mentality is not same. the people of ALOCHUKWU in Abia state Colonials with Europeans thats the reason Alochukwu is in Every state in Eastern and South Eastern Nigeria today. will must first to go Alochukwu and pick up a King leader and build our Obi then peace will rain. and Ndi Nri will stop make mouth that they are first Ibo without really attitude within then self. look at our brothers are doing to each other today because of money, Kidnappers , too much looking for money by all means due to our pass leader has already sale us to the hands of our enemies. remember what late Nwaobodo do Alex Ekwume in PDP conference in Abuja why because his blood is Northern blood with Ibo man clothes. ha ha haa, Its very difficult to see really Alochukwu man doing bad to another Alochukwu man they all love they self . my brothers first find solution of how our Government can bring peace an security to the land of East, after reading the letter call your father and asking from were did his fourt fathers came from ? because some people didn’t kn about this. Ibo Land is made of many tribes . so lets call it United Bafria . and have one King just like OBA stand in Benin , Alafia of OYO . pleae forgive me but Prof Acebe you still have many job to do not to write about biafria but how call we be one , Love One another , Thanks
Is Me Again, l have a question to the Ibos once again. to confirm my words. most of the Ibo ladies doing prostitution is not the real Ibos if you can take then to DNA test you will understand my words in Nigeria today will know the states in Nigeria that use prostitution as there model jobs. its very difficult to see a really Yoruba ladies doing prostitution like standing in the street , nerve and nerve they do it with respect and dignity. go to Ghana , Togo , Benin Rep, and some part of the inside the Northern Nigeria , you will see Ibo ladies doing prostitution because of money. remember l mention Edo State made Ibo , Benue State made Ibo , Kogi state also made this Ibo Land . my brother there is a lot of thing need to be done. our ladies traveler all of the world because of money , please forgive me if l do offended but holy spirit is talking not me.
Well,there are lot of hasty generalizations/conclusions here, but the fact is that igbo is a unique and ingenious tribe. As for my dear prof.,i never ceases to contemplate in awe, your creative ingenuity in writing.
Chinua achebe has given the nigerian youths, a documented history, that has been hidden away from us for a long time now, by our so-called leaders. We should thank him for this great masterpiece. Before the nzeogwu coup, their was anarchy and chaos in nigerian, elections were rigged, there were wide spread killings and lootings in mainly the western regions and some other parts of the country. As the military has always been known to do, all over the world, they stepped in to restore law and order. As history would have it then, the man that led the coup then was an igbo man, in the person of chukwuma kaduna nzeogwu. His coup was not the only bloody coup in the world, and it was’nt his doing that the coup failed in some other parts of the country. Infact it was the fault of the northern officers that lead the coup in other parts of the country, because they couldnt carry out a clean job on their on locations of assignment, like chukwuma did in the north. Chukwu was more hausa than igbo, cus he was born in the north and lived all his life in the north. Some people who even knew him personally, said he couldn’t even speak igbo fluently. All those he lead in the execution of the coup plot were mainly hausas. But the lies the nigerian government has always told the nigerian populace, was that kaduna nzeogwus coup was an igbo coup. Thus indirectly twisting and bending the truth, about the main motives behind the coup. The blame for the failure of the coup, in the other regions if country, should be placed on the door-step of the northern soldiers who failed to succeed on their mission. To justify nzeogwus coup , even northern soldiers have been known to carry-out majority of the coups that has ever been staged in this country, let me use this occasion to list out the name of northern coup plotters. Ty danjuma and gowon, buhari, murtala muhammed, dimka, babangida, abacha. All this men plotted coups in this country, and those still alive today, have always defended their actions, saying the did what they did, then, for the purpose of saving nigeria, and getting her back on the road to greatNess. Why then should nzeogwu’s coup be called or labeled an igbo coup? Nigerians should learn to appreciate achebe, for taking out his presious time to give nigeria, and her future generations this rare gem ( there was a country).
Onochie Dieli I am happy to read you on this site. How go dey go for Washington
Ukeje, S. A
D claim by tribalistic & sectional achebe that,d igbos led in all aspects of nigerian development elicits laughter in me.D yorubas shld be given that credit of attaining many firsts in nigeria.But credit must be given 2 d igbos 4 leading in prostitution,piracy,kidnapping,armed robbery etc.Achebe is only a centrifugal force trying 2 pull away a self-deluded & mass-hypnotised igbo race frm d centre of development & pan-nigerian brotherliness.Igbos are d architects of their own misfutune.so they shld stop passing d bucks 2 other tribes 4 their woes.Ndigbo,pls get ur heads out of d cloud & accept ur self-inflicted calamities within d nigerian state.Meanwhile,Go On With One Nigeria.As 4 achebe,stop envying d yoruba race 4 haven produced a nobel laurette:an award u madly crave 4, bt is stil elusive 2 u
Jews are comedians n they will remain that forever. This man Acehebe is realy deranged, if not how could he be speaking from both sides of his mouth. Are u jews telling me that u don’t differetiate btw ficition n truth. All what acehebe wrote were pure ficition. Surprise surprise, there was never a place this stupid man for one time blame de jews of this nation for all de pain de jews caused nigerians. He wrote his stupid memoir as if. It was not nigerian jews that started de war. Remember it was de jews that started de killing feild by murdered , Balewa, Sardauna, Akintola, n Okotie Eboh. How come nigerian jews leading politican were not killed ? Am talking about Zik, Michael Opara? De problem with this good for nothing people is that they will never accept their fault even when it is very obviuos to everbody. Nigerian jews will belame other for their own short coming. Case study, look at what jews are doing in their process of making money, nothing i say nothing an average jews will not do to make money, even if to kill to them de end would have justified de means. What an incredible race. Acehebe said jews were dominating in all areas in Nigeria before de war, but i will disagree with de him cos, jews were not dominating western region. In fact reverse is de case. Case study, why did u think Michael Opara advised Zik not to form de first govt withAction Group? Cos he knew Nigerian jews could not play fast one on Yorubas. 3 weeks before Michael Opara died he made reference to this. That it was his gratest mistake ever. He Opara thought de jews could cheated de north but North showed de jews that they are master of thier own race, cos they never fulfil any of their promises to de jews. How on earth can any body compare Acehebe with professor Soyinka? Acehebe is just a story teller which anybody could be . That is why de world acknowlegde Soyinka Noble award, u know what, dis same acehebe was biter cos of it n never congratulted Soyinka. Nigeria jews will never be as grate as Yorubas cos a butterfly can never be a bird. However long a mangotree dwell in de stream that will never make it a crocodil. No matter what u jews achieve in this Nigeria, Yoruba nation will always be ahead of u, cos head will never become tail. Yorubas know that u always use south west achievement to determine ur own progress. Yorubas think n know that u should respect us for all we have given to u nigerian jews.
Professor,you are simply irreplaceable,a gift to humanity and an epitome of truth,may the Lord continue to protect you.
Kolanut Amodu let me ask you,dont you have anything doing in your life rather than bringing your sorry ass in this forum and make stupid,foolish comments here?ooh that reminds me your one of this Alaye who lome every street of Lagos.Kola Amodu you always ranting and eat up your fresh.,God wat manner of a man are you Kola?
P/s my dear bro’s dont mind kolanut onwundi he sound like his name he has never expirence war b/4. an agbro. A BIG THANks TO MY ABLE PROF. Prof iga-di.
@james, what manner of person u r self. which late “nwaobodo” r u talking abt?. hope you r nt talking about our amiable senator jim I. nwobodo??have u killed jim?
if u r talking abt alex, go nd read history and se what ur alex did 2 zik in 1979, fool like u!!!
James, you are a notorious illiterate. Your English is very bad and your writeup is very childish. How old are you. Are you truly an adult fool or an infant. Dont ever write things that will make you go mad. BIAFRA TO AN IGBO MAN IS LIKE ISREAL TO A JEW MAN.
ThankGod for making chinua Achebe an igboman.and for keeping him alive to make sure that this facts reached to end of the earth.
Achiebe i doff my hat for u, u are too much.