van bonattel:

Who is the father of African literature?

Ola Johnson:
There no such thing like that but you've saying CA was.

van bonattel:

Once again I ask, "who is the father of African literature"?

van bonattel: Mr Johnson, I am not surprised about your postulations because Achebe himself pointed out this flaw with the average Nigerian person. He talked about Meritocracy and mediocrity. The problem we got in this country started soon after the 1966 coup ended, the plotters of the coup were completely stupid I agree, they should have killed Zik and Okpara. But lets talk about that another day.

The problem started when the Igbo administrators and managers to so many companies and govt parastatals were chased away from Lagos and Kaduna, Kano. Unqualified men were hurriedly appointed to replace them and everybody wanted to fill the vacancies with people of their tribes. Nobody wanted to make sure merit was employed, just give me my tribesman and that was how we got into this mess. Hausas promoted their people in the army while yoruba promoted their people in the civil service and companies.

The Igbos were blocked out as mediocrity reigned supreme, hausa/fulani/yoruba mismanaged everything between 1970 till 1998. The Igbos went into business and are still there, more left the country (like myself) when it became clear that the Hausa/yoruba government are leading us into the thick forest.

My point is that Achebe merits to be called father of African literature, but you are fighting hard to bring up a mediocre to that position just because of your tribal sentiments.

Aigbofa:

This is one of the problems most people have with you guys. The idea that only Igbo are competent enough to run everything is patently false. If this were true, it should reflect on the current state of development in Igbo dominated states.
There's nothing to support the notion that Igbo heads of state would have done any better than their Hausa or Yoruba counterparts.
Aguiyi Ironsi made Nigeria a unitary state. He is the father of the current situation where everybody looks to the Federal government for what they can do for themselves. Is that competence of mediocrity?

Ola Johnson: Henchyk, CA was a great writer but was never at any point in time, in any place, at any event crowned father of African literature. WS' interview is simple to be understood. He only affirmed the position of CA, who never liked being labelled such. I ask again, who, apart from Nadine Gordimer, called or calls CA father of African literature? If you can tell me I will quit this thread. He is widely referred to as a storyteller. Read newspapers, both local and international, you will never see where he is called father of African literature. Even his fellow Igbo man, Douglas Anele, a philosopher in UNILAG, and columnist in the Vanguard, a man whom I respect so much for his "Sunday Perspective", called him STORYTELLER with all sense of respect.

Ola Johnson: Henchyk, first, put my tribe aside. I'm not a tribalist. Have I mentioned my tribe as being superior to any? Tell me. If storytelling 'refers to a very special niche in literature reserved for people who narrate fiction and make it relevant to current or historic happening', then you will be doing yourself the good of refering to CA as the MASTER STORYTELLER. Yes, MASTER STORYTELLER, not even father or king storyteller.

Yes, CA was the first editor of the African Writers Series (AWS), he never published Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born (AWS 43)and Weep Not Child (AWS 7). They were published by their authors, Ayi Kwei Armah and Ngugi Wa Thiong'O, respectively. They are novels published as books not poems published together with others in an anthology like "Poems Of Black Africa" with over 300 poems edited by WS. Or like papers gathered in seminars or conferences and then go to the editor(s) for publication as done in History, Philosophy, etc.

henchyk:

Its quite obvious even to the blind that you are a tribalist. Your argument lacks form and pattern and that can only be achieved by someone with heavy sectional bias.

I think you are getting the point of the argument wrong. The question was "Does Achebe deserve the Title of Father of Modern African Literature?". I've written a couple of posts now explaining to you why Achebe deserves that title and the only thing you could come up with was that Achebe Is just a Master storyteller. I really do not get you. Are you trying to say that Fiction or Prose is less dignified than Poetry in Literature? Or are you trying to say that on account of Achebe being a Master Storyteller, he cannot therefore be called Father of Modern African Literature? Is there some kind of mutually exclusive function between those two titles? You are just confusing youself.

Being called the Father of Modern African Literature has absolutely nothing to do with the genre of Literature you belong to so please do not bring up the issue of Achebe being a storyteller again. You are steadily losing credibility with each new post you write. I have explained to you how and why Achebe deserves that title in my previous post and i would not be dragged into doing it again.

And point of correction. It was Achebe who published those Aforementioned early African classics (weep not child, etc) and not the authors. Published not wrote. Get the distinction. He did that in his capacity as Editor in chief of the AWS. Therefore he was the leader of modern African literature. WS was the only notable African literary artist that refused to be part of the AWS. That should give you an idea of how influential the AWS was... And Achebe was its first leader for close to 12 years. He pioneered Modern African Literature and you have to come to terms with that.

Can you, even in the blindness of your tribal sentiments mention even one african writer who deserves that fond and honorary Title of Father of Modern African Literature more than Chinua Achebe? I challenge you to mention even one soul... But please, for everything that is reasonable and sensible, do not mention Wole Soyinka because that will only highlight how petty and ignorant you are.

Aigbofa:

This is one of the problems most people have with you guys. The idea that only Igbo are competent enough to run everything is patently false. If this were true, it should reflect on the current state of development in Igbo dominated states.
There's nothing to support the notion that Igbo heads of state would have done any better than their Hausa or Yoruba counterparts.
Aguiyi Ironsi made Nigeria a unitary state. He is the father of the current situation where everybody looks to the Federal government for what they can do for themselves. Is that competence of mediocrity?

Son-Of-El:


aigbofa, now you have really gone bananas. You claim ironsi is father of nigeria's unitary woes? I thought your hausa/fulani masters had 'fixed' that already. Ironsi undoubtedly was an excellent soldier but a terrible politician. However, your pretencious ogas-at-the-top have given nigeria a 'model' for true federalism after the civil war. They never knew better. OLODOs.

Ola Johnson: Ngozievergreen, you've mentioned this severally. We need explicable facts. It is rather unfortunate for you to call WS a local champion. But be that as it may I will let it slide as our discourse is centered, to a large extent, around CA.

Aigbofa:

The Nigerian federation was negotiated before independence, not like the current pseudo federal system we have. If I can go a step further, I will call him the father of mediocrity in Nigeria.

Son-Of-El:


every avid historian knew that the nigerian federation before independence had ethnic cracks and regional fault lines. Apparently you are a JJC in nigeria's political history. Let me educate you a bit. The first major civil unrest politically motivated took place in the western region. What do you think instigated and justified the first coup by the 5 majors? Mr. Aigbofa, you have a lot of learning to do to save you the embarassment of making stupid comments here.

Son-Of-El:


o boy, i thought you wanted this thread closed earlier. Now the thread is at it's 36th page and you are still spewing your junk. You are truly spineless.

Aigbofa:

Please educate me since you have volunteered to do so. All I need to learn at this initial stage is whether or not he made Nigeria a unitary state. Oya fire on, my teacher. I am hungry for knowledge.
I will also like to thank Ironsi that Nigeria today no longer have regional and ethnic fault lines. He must have been a genius.

Son-Of-El:


the british actually made their government in nigeria unitary until when the wave for independence for african states began. By the way, ironsi was credited for making nigerian foreign affairs and embassies one, not before when there was (particularly) western nigeria embassies abroad alongside other regions. By the way, relating these to this thread's topic, the igbos have always been one-nigerian, even more than the northern and western nigeria. Achebe brought literary reputation to nigeria and africa. His germinal role in modern african literature is indisputable. Why are you people so envious of a people who are helping in making nigeria and africa a better place? Particularly achebe.

Son-Of-El:


aigbofa, now you have really gone bananas. You claim ironsi is father of nigeria's unitary woes? I thought your hausa/fulani masters had 'fixed' that already. Ironsi undoubtedly was an excellent soldier but a terrible politician. However, your pretencious ogas-at-the-top have given nigeria a 'model' for true federalism after the civil war. They never knew better. OLODOs.

ngozievergreen:

what do they know kwanu? If unitary system is bad, y didnt they abolish it after d war? D last tym i checked,since after d war, igbos were never d heads of states/presidents, so y didnt dey convert to wat they tnink is better? Yet, dey are blaming Ironsi for wat i dont even know.

During regionalism, d western region was even in a state of emergency. Na dere agbero politics start and everything was abated by Ironsi.
As far as am concerned, no system of nigeria wl even succeed in dis nation till a sanitizing SNC is being held. Or better still dis country divides.......

Aigbofa:

It took your man a stroke of the pen to undo what was carefully negotiated by people who were far more capable than he was. Do you think these things are changeable like you change your hair do? That is why it was such a great error of judgement on his part. So much for Igbo superior administrative ability.

Ola Johnson:
"Major-General Johnson Thompson Umunnakwe Aguiyi Ironsi was the General Officer Commanding the Nigerian Army. A hard-drinking, slow-speaking introvert who had risen from the ranks, and had been trained at Eaton Hall and Camberley Staff College, he was however considered both inept and inefficient-hardly the calibre of officer to command an army. In fact, the coup planners considered him unfit to command even a funeral detail". Those were the words Ben Gbulie in his book, Nigeria's Five Majors, used to describe your "excellent soldier".

Ola Johnson:
This thread won't close until you realize that there is nothing like father of African literature. It doesn't exist.

Son-Of-El:


who is gbulie? Where was he when ironsi was queen elizabeth's special security aide, macpherson's adc, UN Commander in the congo war, WW2 west africa frontier force commanding officer. He was west africa's foremost general and no even his 6-month tenure as head of state of nigeria (awolowo's dream ambition) can erase that. Ola your envy of igbos is a disease that will bury you one day.

Son-Of-El:


in your world it dosen't. In the real world it does.