Achebe Gets Professional Chair In Ivy League University

Achebe gets new professorial chair in U.S. varsity
From Laolu Akande, New York

RENOWNED Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe, has been named to a professorial chair at one of the universities considered an ivy league school in the United States (U.S.), Brown University, in Providence Rhode Island.



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The university is the seventh oldest U.S. higher education institution and was founded before the American Independence in 1764, while the country was still a colony of the British.

The university's president, Ruth J. Simmons and Dr. Tricia Rose, the chairman of the university's Africana Department, confirmed the appointment in a statement circulated at the weekend in the U.S.

According to the president of the university, "Brown is delighted" to be associated with Achebe's work.

In his reaction yesterday to the appointment, Achebe told The Guardian that "President Ruth Simmons has provided an unusual opportunity for me to continue my life's work at one of the world's greatest institutions - Brown University."

Achebe, the author of the classic, Things Fall Apart, added that "I am delighted to be invited to contribute in my small way to her - Brown University - vision to bring all the world's cultures including Africa onto the world stage in conversation."

Up till now, Achebe has been with Bard University, another private U.S. college in upstate New York. He spoke glowingly of his 19-years relationship with Bard and his determination to continue his association with that university.

At Bard, Achebe was the Charles P. Stevenson Professor of Languages and Literature and at Brown, he will be the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies.

He said: "My history and ongoing relationship with Bard is very important to me. I want to preserve and enhance the excellent and gratifying work that we have begun and will maintain at Bard. President Leon Botstein and my many colleagues at Bard have my enduring gratitude for their vision and commitment to my life's work."

In the announcement from Brown University, the U.S. ivy league school described Achebe as an "internationally acclaimed Nigerian novelist."

Brown University said Achebe was the "acknowledged godfather to many African writers," adding that "for many decades, Achebe has worked to build greater understanding of Africa through his uncompromising political commentary, social critique and creative writing."

Dr. Tricia Rose, chair of the Department of Africana Studies, also commended Achebe, saying: "We are honoured and thrilled to welcome Professor Achebe to Africana studies and to the Brown community. He is a towering figure in African literature and post-colonial thought. We will benefit enormously from his on-going insights into the necessity and complexity of global, cross-racial translations and exchanges."

Prof. Achebe, who rejected a national award from the Obasanjo administration a few years ago, served for a time as editor of the African Writers Series for Heinemann Publishing.

He is the author of many novels, collections of short stories, poetry and essays.

Nice.

Achebe deserves it. He is far greater than the recognition bestows. Ngugi is great too just as Soyinka, Ghana's Ayi kwei Armah, Senegal's Sembene Ousmane or  Cameroon's Ferdinard Oyono. Other writers have their moments and sometimes it is hard to get a common template for comparing writers.

Achebe is one of the most brilliant minds that graced Africa. I am so proud he is from Nigeria  . I think he is prolly the most famous african in the world

the guy was a freedom fighter- but yeah i forgot Mandela, well Achebe is second. I think Achebe is respected for his brilliance and Mandela is seen just like MLK.