The death of globally acclaimed literary icon, Professor Chinua Achebe, was as shocking as it was devastating, according to the tributes that has been pouring out from both Nigerians and the Brown University where author last lectured before his death.
According to Darlene Trew Crist, the Director of News and Communications, Brown University, the university will always miss him. The institution also plans an appropriate memorial in celebration of Achebe’s life and work. Some of his former colleagues at the university also described him glowingly as they called Achebe, who is a David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana studies, the father of African Literature and the godfather to a lot of African writers.
Corey D.B. Walker, Associate Professor and chair of the Department of Africana studies, said Achebe was more than just a colleague, faculty member, and teacher at the university. “He was a gift to the world. We are very privileged to have had him with us for the last four years and even more so for allowing us to get close to him and his family. “At a time like this, we could draw many words of wisdom and comfort from the deep wells of various African cultures and traditions to honour him. The most fitting is the simple and elegant phrase, ‘A great tree has fallen.’ “Indeed, the passing of Chinua Achebe is an event of global significance. The entire faculty and staff in the Department of Africana Studies share in the celebration of the great life that is Chinua Achebe.
For Anani Dzidzienyo, Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, part of the late Achebe’s impact was that he was always a part of Africana studies. “His presence in the department affirmed our intellectual mission and strengthened our commitment and dedication to Africana studies. Indeed, his presence was powerful. When he was first appointed, a friend told me we had captured history and planted it in Churchill House.
“He brought the whole history of contemporary African writing to Brown from the time when he wrote Things Fall Apart to the present. His name symbolizes the themes and issues that characterize African societies and cultures. His presence at Brown is something we could not have imagined before it happened. He was an inspiration to us and our students. As a student remarked, ‘it is incredible that he is here with us.’ “In the spirit of Ghanian proverbs, and by implication African proverbs, I leave these words for contemplation: ‘The path crosses the river and the river crosses the path. Which came first, the path or the river?’ May you travel well, Professor Achebe.”
Brown University President, Christina H. Paxson, said Achebe would always be remembered for his colloquium on Africa which he organised annually. “Among his activities at Brown was the annual Achebe Colloquium on Africa, an international gathering of scholars, policy makers, elected officials, writers, and others with a shared interest in current-day African affairs.
“The colloquia he organized at Brown attracted a grand array of guests and effectively demonstrated how the humanities can build understanding by drawing from and encouraging a variety of perspectives. We were honoured to have him among us,” the university’s President said recalling that before his death, he had successfully convened four colloquia.
These included the inaugural 2009 Achebe Colloquium that addressed the problems and prospects of the 2010 Nigerian elections, the 2010 Achebe Colloquium which focused on three African nations-Rwanda, Congo, and Nigeria-and the crucial issues impacting those countries, the continent, and the world, the 2011 Achebe Colloquium which explored the Arab Spring and the crisis in Darfur, and the 2012 Achebe Colloquium that focused on the security situation throughout northern, central, and eastern Africa; ethno-religious insurgency and regime change in West Africa; and peace-building efforts taking place in southern Africa.
In Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan and other prominent citizens of the country mourned him with the President expressing sadness at Achebe’s demise. President Jonathan said he joined Prof. Achebe’s family, his friends, colleagues, past and present students, admirers and all who have learnt indelible lessons of human existence from his award winning works of literature in mourning the legendary author adding however that he is consoled by the knowledge that Prof. Achebe will live forever in the hearts and minds of present and future generations through his great works which brought him enduring international fame and countless honors.
The President believes that Prof. Achebe’s frank, truthful and fearless interventions in national affairs will be greatly missed in Nigeria because while others may have disagreed with his views, most Nigerians never doubted his immense patriotism and sincere commitment to the building of a greater, more united and prosperous nation that all Africans and the entire black race could be proud of. President Jonathan recalled that with maturity and global stature, Prof. Achebe fearlessly spoke the truth as he saw it and became, as he advanced in age, a much revered national icon and conscience of the nation who will be eternally honoured for his contributions to national discourse as well as the immense fame and glory he brought to his fatherland.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said Achebe was an icon of unmatched integrity and conviction praising the deceased’s brilliant literary outputs and writing style. Atiku recalled how Achebe condemned the July 2004 political crisis in Anambra State during which thugs attempted to remove a democratically elected governor on the orders of a godfather; he rejected a national honour conferred on him by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan administrations stressing that only few Nigerians would have followed the courage of their conviction and reject national honours because of the fear of losing favour from those in power.
Nobel laureate and Achebe’s contemporary, Prof. Wole Soyinka, simply said he was devastated and short of words.Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo said Achebe’s was a great loss to the country. “With Achebe’s death, Anambra and indeed Nigeria has lost a major personality, who played a unique role in its modern history. Even as an intellectual giant, his voice resonated with clarity and authoritative distinction on matters of national interest. “He was a remarkable personality, and will always be remembered for his forthrightness and incisive contributions to national issues. He could not be ignored or taken for granted on any matter, even by those who disagreed with him. His death evokes nostalgic emotion in the minds of all who read his books.
Governor Theodore Orji of Abia state expressed grief over the death of Achebe, and said that he was yet to come to terms with the news of the death. He said Achebe made positive impact on humanity through his novels stressing that the late icon would be remembered for standing up for Ndi Igbo at all times in spite of all odds.
In his tribute, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga tweeted: “I send my condolences to the people of Nigeria and the family of Chinua Achebe. We have lost a great son and the `Father of African Literature’.” Prof. Pat Utomi, a political economist, said Achebe had earned immortality through his works, but should be further immortalised. “Achebe, through his writings, was one of the first to capture the leadership problem with Nigeria and today, it has become prophetic as Nigeria stumbles through leadership issues,” he said.
The Ohaneze Ndigbo, a socio-cultural organisation, asked, through its spokesman, Mr Tonnie Oganah, that a national monument be named after the late icon. The President, Igbo Youth Congress (IYC), Mr Bright Ezeocha, called for three-day mourning for the late don in the South-East states.
Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, said through its spokesman, Mr Yinka Odumakin, that, “it is unfortunate that Nigeria has not tapped into his wisdom and knowledge.” Lagos lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, said young Nigerians had a lot to learn from Achebe’s courage and convictions adding that the late icon was a voice against corruption, mediocrity and ignorance and expressed his opinion no matter whose ox was gored.
Nigeria’s first female Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Grace Alele-Williams, said she and the late Achebe were classmates in University College, Ibadan, in 1949. “We got our first degree in 1953. It was wonderful to be a classmate of a hardworking man like him, who put Nigeria on the global map,” she said.
National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Isa Fagge, said Achebe’s death was a colossal loss to the academic community. Mr. Mike Omeri, Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), said the late literary icon was a symbol of Nigeria’s rich human resource from which the whole world benefited. “The death of Achebe is shocking; to hear that such a man whose wealth of knowledge, experience and insight that would have benefited the nation more at this transformational moment is a great loss,” he said.
