Chinua Achebe

Today I heard from my good friend, Gbanabom Hallowel, wonderful poet from Ghana and fellow Union University Cohort 2 grad, that Chinua Achebe had passed away. Achebe, the author of the seminal novel 'Things Fall Apart', influenced me in ways I cannot count. His simple style, the powerful message about colonial and post-colonial Africa, his understated eloquence -- all are aspects that have made me realize just how little the American reading public knows about texts from other continents.

I read 'Things' with my 10th graders at several schools, as well as with my college students, and it never failed that I saw more details every time I led a student discussion. Whether we talked about the role of women in the tribal village or the negative ways white men intruded upon ancient African tradition, the discussion never left me with extra time in the class. What started out as a simple topic became more and more complex as we unraveled the text -- seeing within the story the multi-layered relationships between people, the construct of the African village, the commentary Achebe made through his characters on the migratory patterns forced upon native Africans by white intruders.

I've always felt that if I were to have met Achebe (as was planned back when I was about to publish 'The Candace: Warrior Queens of Egypt') for his 70th birthday, I would have sat at his feet like a child, eager to hear more about his country, about his theories on writing, and about his predictions for Africa's future. It would have been a splendid moment.

But it was not to be.

Instead, I have been lucky to meet other Africans, like Gbanabom (who we call Elvis), who have shared their lives with me.

As Gbana stated earlier today, long live Achebe. Because his words live, he will never die.