hypeman:

You're not getting my point... Honestly, I applaud him for his achievement - however, I don't think his body of work deserves that accolade... How can a tribal/ethnocentric writer be an icon of a continent with more than 5000 tribes?? What has he done for Africa?? And is he even Pan-Africanist?? This man isn't even Pan-Nigerianist - everything about him is Biafra and his biafracentric views...

Who are you to say that he does not deserve the accolade he's getting. Go form your own award and give it to whoever you like. We mustn't all like the same people.

What exactly does Pan-Africanism mean? Pls can you explain...

You say everything about him is Biafracentric? Did Biafra occur in Africa or Europe? He's jotting down his account of what befell his ethnic group and you're saying he should leave it and i guess pursue a Yoruba or Hausa course to qualify as Pan-Nigerian or Pan-African. I'm still waiting for your definition of that term.

It was only those that were afraid of the truth thatcondemned that book. Nigerians, open your eyes.

afam4eva:
Who are you to say that he does not deserve the accolade he's getting. Go form your own award and give it to whoever you like. We mustn't all like the same people.

What exactly does Pan-Africanism mean? Pls can you explain...

You say everything about him is Biafracentric? Did Biafra occur in Africa or Europe? He's jotting down his account of what befell his ethnic group and you're saying he should leave it and i guess pursue a Yoruba or Hausa course to qualify as Pan-Nigerian or Pan-African. I'm still waiting for your definition of that term.

Bro., this is a discourse and it has nothing to do with me creating an award, or not... Everyone has his/her views on what an icon should be - and my view of what an African icon should be stems from my Afrocentric views and what I understand by African/black heroism... From my school of thought, Achebe's body of work doesn't deserve that accolade... He has never been down for the cause and he's stuck in his own biafracentric myopic views....

Pan-Africanism is an ideology and movement that encourages the solidarity of Africans worldwide.It is based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social and political progress and aims to “unify and uplift” people of African descent..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Africanism

^^^^Achebe's views contradicts that ideology - and he definitely doesn't deserve the respect of those who believe in that ideology...

The coup was plan by the IBO,They lost. They started the WAR they lost. Every modern IBO Fell like they have been defeated including the author. There 'was a country' called biafra which will only exist in book and memory but never in reality

hypeman:

You're not getting my point... Honestly, I applaud him for his achievement - however, I don't think his body of work deserves that accolade... How can a tribal/ethnocentric writer be an icon of a continent with more than 5000 tribes?? What has he done for Africa?? And is he even Pan-Africanist?? This man isn't even Pan-Nigerianist - everything about him is Biafra and his biafracentric views...

Omar Bongo, Joseph Kabila, Paul Kagame et al were/are also celebrated by forbes - are they also African icons??

His body of Work has been awarded the accolade already by those more vested and qualified to adjudge the literary work, you are better qualified to judge his perceived personality and you are doing that job too. I do not think you can fit into the shoes of this literary icon you so much condemn. Achebe is a hero, a global one at that. A prophet they say, is not recognized by his town's people. I am beginning to believe the saying is true.

Billyonaire: Chinua Achebe - Congratulations for telling your personal truth about Biafra. My father told me his own account of losing all businesses and source of livelihood to the needless massacre. Others tell accounts of losing all when Obasanjo led the last battalion that decimated my people in the East. I forgive him, cos it was war, a senseless one. Today, Chinua Achebe has put those moments in an everlasting account in history. Thank you for telling the painful truth once again Achebe. My kids and grand kids and the kids of others worldwide will see the foolishness of betrayal by the Western Awo, the arrogant use of commonwealth to decimate fellow humans by the Northern Gowon and the Selfish pursuit of Egotism in the name of Freedom by the Eastern Ojukwu. But to move on as a nation, we all need to buy the book, read it thoroughly and learn from our collective weaknesses, to continue as one or not, this is a decision we will continue to face until we make.

thank u! The only igbo with a sensible comment on this topic.
Our leaders had succeeded in creating enmity and retrogression base on there egoism and selfish interest. But that doesn't mean we should now continue to dwell on them.

Billyonaire: His body of Work has been awarded the accolade already by those more vested and qualified to adjudge the literary work, you are better qualified to judge his perceived personality and you are doing that job too. I do not think you can fit into the shoes of this literary icon you so much condemn. Achebe is a hero, a global one at that. A prophet they say, is not recognized by his town's people. I am beginning to believe the saying is true.

Achebe has his critics in the literary world and those who think his works are mediocre at best...

However, that's a topic for another day...

Anyway, I'm entitled to my opinion and I won't celebrate someone just because everyone else does... I don't rate Nelson Mandela, MLK, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan etc.. That's just me and my thought process...

hypeman:

Bro., this is a discourse and it has nothing to do with me creating an award, or not... Everyone has his/her views on what an icon should be - and my view of what an African icon should be stems from my Afrocentric views and what I understand by African/black heroism... From my school of thought, Achebe's body of work doesn't deserve that accolade... He has never been down for the cause and he's stuck in his own biafracentric myopic views....

Pan-Africanism is an ideology and movement that encourages the solidarity of Africans worldwide.It is based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social and political progress and aims to “unify and uplift” people of African descent..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Africanism

^^^^Achebe's views contradicts that ideology - and he definitely doesn't deserve the respect of those who believe in that ideology...

The people that gave him the award also have an idea on what an icon should be and popular knowledge favors Achebe ahead of others. Some people also have reservations about Soyinka being given the Nobel Prize but we'll be very stup1d to question that because the Nobel committee have a criteria that's indifferent from our personal opinions. They gave it Soyinka and we have to respect it and love it cos he's Nigerian.

In response to your definition of Pan-Africanism, do we also say that the US president and the Prime Minister of Britain are not world leaders because they're leaders of their respective countries and not the world in concrete terms? We all contribute to the world in our own little ways. I musn't be like Igbo2012 because i want to be seen as Pan-African. I may decide instead to put my street located in Agege, Lagos on the map by highlighting it's idiosyncrasies. If we're to follow your definition of Pan-Africanism then the Ziks, Nkrumahs, Martin Luthers and the Nelson mandelas of this world are not Pan-Africans. Infact there have never been Pan-Africans in the history of man.

Btw, i'll still like to remind you that no award given to Achebe has been named a "Pan African Award". These awards are for his literary achievements and the command that his works have commanded throughout the globe.

alTolexander: this achebe wan win nobel prize in literature by all means like Wole soyinka before he died!
SMH for the crippled senile octogenerian!

my man cheap achebe awards u go hide ur 1miln dols noble prize.after all cap n blud got it on political grounds.i knw ure nt born dn so u wont knw d reasn y dy gav kongi dat award

hypeman:

You're not getting my point... Honestly, I applaud him for his achievement - however, I don't think his body of work deserves that accolade... How can a tribal/ethnocentric writer be an icon of a continent with more than 5000 tribes?? What has he done for Africa?? And is he even Pan-Africanist?? This man isn't even Pan-Nigerianist - everything about him is Biafra and his biafracentric views...

Omar Bongo, Joseph Kabila, Paul Kagame et al were/are also celebrated by forbes - are they also African icons??

are you well at all?

Big deal!!!,He wrote a book. What should Bill Gates or the guys that just invented the 3-D printer now do? Pls, let's talk about inventors whose creations changed lives or revolutionary thinkers whose ideas changed lives, not book writers or musicians that only entertain you.

slimghost:

You obviously have a low IQ. I can list a number of renowned authors that never won a nobel prize, so making a fool of yourself.

leav d idiot.wole ws gveng d noble prize due 2 hs crictisms of d buhari junta wic landed hm in jail.so d west ws nt in terms wit d buhari gov nd welcmd any crictist dat wil tarnish d image of buhari.d same dy did 2 saro wiwa nd abacha.sn leav d todler hes nt born dn.so wil tok acordng to d size of hs brian

Why Ohh Why?? Africa, why don't we have individuals,leaders and inventors whose ideas have affected lives on a global scale.....that its entertainers and writers that represent our best brains on the global stage.

hypeman:

Achebe has his critics in the literary world and those who think his works are mediocre at best...

However, that's a topic for another day...

Anyway, I'm entitled to my opinion and I won't celebrate someone just because everyone else does... I don't rate Nelson Mandela, MLK, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan etc.. That's just me and my thought process...

I will only love to respond to real issues and not an Amen chorused by the ignorant congregations of people. Listen, when you say Achebe has his critics in the literary world who think his works are mediocre, can you be a little more specific. Do not just throw words around because there is freedom of speech, freedom isnt liberty. That being said. Achebe is a very comfortable writer that dedicate years to produce a perfect job. You need to study his Biography before coming to a public forum to belittle a literary icon. Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe are childhood and scholastic friends. Ask Wole Soyinka about the works of Chinua Achebe. He will be the best critic of Achebe's work of Art.

afam4eva:
The people that gave him the award also have an idea on what an icon should be and popular knowledge favors Achebe ahead of others. Some people also have reservations about Soyinka being given the Nobel Prize but we'll be very stup1d to question that because the Nobel committee have a criteria that's indifferent from our personal opinions. They gave it Soyinka and we have to respect it and love it cos he's Nigerian.

I'm not talking about awards here - the bone of contention here is about who is an African icon and who isn't... Personally, I don't think Wole Soyinka is also an African icon, he's more of a Nigerian icon than anything else... And that isn't because of the Nobel peace prize, but because of what he has done for the country... He out there speaking for the masses side-by-side with them...

In response to your definition of Pan-Africanism, do we also say that the US president and the Prime Minister of Britain are not world leaders because they're leaders of their respective countries and not the world in concrete terms? We all contribute to the world in our own little ways.

The US president - YES... British Prime Minister - NO... David Cameron's sphere of influence is in Europe(that's also debatable), he has no say outside Europe albeit the UK's seat on the UN security council gives him extra leverage over certain issues.... However, the US president is world leader by virtue of the US being the leader of the NWO(new world order)... But I don't see the correlation between them and the topic in discourse....

A more appropriate comparison is asserting that because Ronald Reagan is an American hero, that automatically makes him a universal icon... or Margaret Thatcher for the UK... However, we all know that these people aren't universal icons...

I musn't be like Igbo2012 because i want to be seen as Pan-African. I may decide instead to put my street located in Agege, Lagos on the map by highlighting it's idiosyncrasies. If we're to follow your definition of Pan-Africanism then the Ziks, Nkrumahs, Martin Luthers and the Nelson mandelas of this world are not Pan-Africans. Infact there have never been Pan-Africans in the history of man.

Nkrumah was an African icon - he dedicated his life to fighting for Africa and Pan-Africanism, and he was at the forefront of the battle for independence around Africa... The rest aren't African icons - MLK is an American icon, I don't want to talk about Zik, and Nelson Mandela is neither here nor there...

Btw, i'll still like to remind you that no award given to Achebe has been named a "Pan African Award". These awards are for his literary achievements and the command that his works have commanded throughout the globe.

I already told you I was debating Ikengawo because of his ludicrous claim...

[size=15pt]
To all Achebe's haters: Put aside your narrow minded ideas, then go and write YOUR OWN MEMOIRS.

[/size]

@hypeman aka Shymmex
I really don't care if Achebe is a Pan-African or not. In the true sense of the word, he may not be. But your postulation has always been that Achebe is a hype job and you juxtaposed it with the fact that he's not a Pan-Africanist. That's why i'm telling you that those award committees don't look out for authors who are Pan-Africans to give awards to. They're looking at the literary prowess of the writers and the global acclaim of their works and Achebe's works have always been at the forefront. The fact that his his works are mainly on Igbo culture does not make it less African. Infact there's no Africa without the ethnicities and families that make up the African continent. If i decide to center my writing on Ojuelegba culture, it doesn't make me less an African writer because Ojuelegba is a place in Africa. It's not like i'm writing about how the saxons invaded Britain or something. I even wonder what a Pan-African novel will look like.

Bros shay no b Norway again??

ezeagu:

What should an African writer care more about, spreading his message and his history and his culture around the world for millions to see absorb and be influenced by, or being dashed a title by a village committee in Sweden?

Billyonaire: Chinua Achebe - Congratulations for telling your personal truth about Biafra. My father told me his own account of losing all businesses and source of livelihood to the needless massacre. Others tell accounts of losing all when Obasanjo led the last battalion that decimated my people in the East. I forgive him, cos it was war, a senseless one. Today, Chinua Achebe has put those moments in an everlasting account in history. Thank you for telling the painful truth once again Achebe. My kids and grand kids and the kids of others worldwide will see the foolishness of betrayal by the Western Awo, the arrogant use of commonwealth to decimate fellow humans by the Northern Gowon and the Selfish pursuit of Egotism in the name of Freedom by the Eastern Ojukwu. But to move on as a nation, we all need to buy the book, read it thoroughly and learn from our collective weaknesses, to continue as one or not, this is a decision we will continue to face until we make.

Ok.... Thank God you agree that the story has two sides...

afam4eva: @hypeman aka Shymmex
I really don't care if Achebe is a Pan-African or not. In the true sense of the word, he may not be. But your postulation has always been that Achebe is a hype job and you juxtaposed it with the fact that he's not a Pan-Africanist. That's why i'm telling you that those award committees don't look out for authors who are Pan-Africans to give awards to. They're looking at the literary prowess of the writers and the global acclaim of their works and Achebe's works have always been at the forefront. The fact that his his works are mainly on Igbo culture does not make it less African. Infact there's no Africa without the ethnicities and families that make up the African continent. If i decide to center my writing on Ojuelegba culture, it doesn't make me less an African writer because Ojuelegba is a place in Africa. It's not like i'm writing about how the saxons invaded Britain or something. I even wonder what a Pan-African novel will look like.

I'm not disputing that his works hasn't been centered around Igbo culture, or Igbo culture isn't an African culture... However, his views/rhetoric has always been centered around Biafracentricism and that automatically disqualifies him from being an African icon... That's like calling Salman Rushdie(despite his brilliant body of work) an Asian icon....

IS Achebe a hype job? - that's subjective and a topic for another day...

OK

Ikwere fist son: China Ashebi is the 1st goat, who's nxt??

hypeman:

I'm not disputing that his works hasn't been centered around Igbo culture, or Igbo culture isn't an African culture... However, his views/rhetoric has always been centered around Biafracentricism and that automatically disqualifies him from being an African icon... That's like calling Salman Rushdie(despite his brilliant body of work) an Asian icon....

IS Achebe a hype job? - that's subjective and a topic for another day...

An African icon is a popular figure whose work has projected Africa either as a whole or as a minuscule unit. It doesn't equate to being Pan African.

Haven't you already asserted that he's a hype job?

hypeman:

Well - Benjamin Zephanaiah is one of the top 50 British writers in the last century...

That's a massive achievement for a Rasta in the belly of the beast...

Ras Zephanaiah is one of my heroes so I wouldn't like to disparage him for sake of debate but please call a spade a spade. Achebe and Zephanaiah no be mate by any measure

afam4eva:
An African icon is a popular figure whose work has projected Africa either as a whole or as a minuscule unit. It doesn't equate to being Pan African.

Haven't you already asserted that he's a hype job?

Using popularism as a premise to judge who an icon is would amount to naivety especially when it comes to black/African people... The greatest black people aren't the most celebrated/popular black people - they're the most hated/critiqued in the western world...

As for the second paragraph - I believe I'm entitled to my opinion...