Nairaland Forum

Obiagu1:

Don't expose yourself.


Go and fight people that called Aretha Franklin the Queen of Soul Music!

This shows that you people cannot even balance things. Poor Nigeria, wasted with your likes.

Soul Music:

''Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s, combining elements of African American gospel music and rhythm and blues.''

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_music


African Literature:

''Examples of pre-colonial African literature are numerous. Oral literature of west Africa includes the "Epic of Sundiata" composed in medieval Mali, and the older "Epic of Dinga" from the old Ghana Empire. In Ethiopia, there is a substantial literature written in Ge'ez going back at least to the 4th century AD; the best-known work in this tradition is the Kebra Negast, or "Book of Kings." One popular form of traditional African folktale is the "trickster" story, where a small animal uses its wits to survive encounters with larger creatures. Examples of animal tricksters include Anansi, a spider in the folklore of the Ashanti people of Ghana; Ijàpá, a tortoise in Yoruba folklore of Nigeria; and Sungura, a hare found in central and East African folklore. Other works in written form are abundant, namely in north Africa, the Sahel regions of west Africa and on the Swahili coast. From Timbuktu alone, there are an estimated 300,000 or more manuscripts tucked away in various libraries and private collections,[6] mostly written in Arabic but some in the native languages (namely Fula and Songhai). Many were written at the famous University of Timbuktu. The material covers a wide array of topics, including Astronomy, Poetry, Law, History, Faith, Politics, and Philosophy among other subjects. Swahili literature similarly, draws inspiration from Islamic teachings but developed under indigenous circumstances. One of the most renowned and earliest pieces of Swahili literature being Utendi wa Tambuka or "The Story of Tambuka".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_literature


Lesson?? To be termed ''father of African literature' means there must be evidence that you have gone through ALL the works published over those centuries prior to Achebe. If you haven't then you CANNOT name him the ''father'' of African literature.

Pastor AIO:

The technology that will allow man to physically see God face to face and thus make not only his existence as portrayed by the religion, but the religion itself, incontrovertibly proved true.

Actually such 'technology' exists already in the form of documented Out of Body experiences and Near-death experiences reported by millions of people over centuries till date. Those who have gone through those experiences relate that God has no favourite religion, does not particularly care if he's worshipped or not, and most certainly has no burning furnace reserved for 'unbelievers'. (Check out www.near-death.com)

Now we know that such a benevolent God is bad for the pocket books of your clergy, hence the need to disfigure his character, make him fearsome, so people flock to you out of fear of 'eternal torture' and 'damnation'.

But the truth is that God is simply not the brutish, ignorant tyrant that christianity and islam paint him as.

bestview:



With the political noble prize, who knows soyika outside yorobaland

I bet you that kids here in the east does not know who is soyika and rubbish noble he allegedly won, because the man hasn't affected their lives..

I bet with my real estate that Achebe's name rings bell in every family all around the world. Because they have all read his work. His book are standard curricular all around the world for African Literature. Am yet to see a common Ghanaian or Togolese that knows about Soyika. The only thing I found out is that soyika is jittery and insecure about the prime position of Achebe on the world stage.

Achebe is a world ambassador.

Why don't you return to school, improve your grammar, and stand on your own dignity instead of using Achebe as your ethnic crutch?

Crayola1:

My friend are you any better? You have a narrow and short sighted view of what constitutes as being "African".

Kindly explain. I've no clue what you're talking about.

bestview:


Are you disputing that Achebe is not the African most influential celebrity? My friend google is your friend. Achebe represent the very best out of Africa. A role model for the entire African continent doubled with founder and father of the modern African literature. Its a feat no African, not to talk of Nigerian can dream of.

I really wish ethnic spear chucker moro.ns like you will just leave this thread. I bet you're not even a literary minded fellow. (Tell us how many literature works you've read) Your only interest here is ethnic. You're pathetic actually.

aribisala0:
In 2007, he won the Man Booker International Prize, where judge Nadine Gordimer dubbed him the “father of modern African literature”. NOT Father of African Literature. This distinction is important so that when people see it they ask what is "Modern African Literature" and so we do not disrespect our ancestors and the great literary legacies they bequeathed us.

You are the true son of your father. Well done for this statement.

Afam4eva:
Did the Europeans pick Achebe, Soyinka and Adichie before they became popular? Soyinka even went ahead to win the Nobel prize. Enough with this victim mentality. People get recognized because of the quality of their body of work.

Errr... Yes the Europeans 'picked' Achebe and Soyinka before they became globally popular. Once Achebe completed Things Fall Apart the first thing he did was rush to London to have it published. Soyinka's first plays, The Swamp Dwellers and The Lion and the Jewel were all premiered and published in London. If Ahmed Baba was living in post colonial Nigeria, he would have probably done the same thing, and emerged a globally renowned writer. But his days were different. Apart from the fact that Europe was in its Dark Ages with little to offer anyone, Africa was more self sufficient and self confident and felt no need for international validation. That should not mean her writers were not as excellent, or even more so, than the Achebes and Soyinkas of today.

It's a bit like the old 'who was better, Green Eagles or Super Eagles' debate. Was Segun Odegbami better than Okocha? Was Finidi better than Adokiye? Was Jay Jay more gifted than Haruna Ilerika? Okocha and Finidi are much better known internationally because, like Soyinka and Achebe, they 'strayed' overseas. But there are many who would swear on their lives that neither of them could wipe Odegbami or Ilerika's boots.

Afam4eva:
So, why's Ahmed Baba's works still not popular till date? I know you'll say it's because he's not British of European. My reply to that is: why's Achebe's works known globally, likewise Soyinka's and Chimanda's works?

Why will his works be popular when so called educated AFRICANS like you know next to nothing about him? You expect the Europeans to pick him up and make him popular? They won't, since their job is to maintain the illusion that nothing serious occurred in Africa before their arrival. So it is left to Africans to lift up these personalities from their pre-colonial history. Celebrate them, study them, re-publish them and propagate them. THEN the rest of the world will sit up and take notice.

Afam4eva:
It's not about his works but how far it has traveled and influenced others. Micheal jackson is called King of Pop for a reason.

How far did Shakespeare's work travel in his day? How many Chinese, Indians, and Africans read Shakespeare in his day? Was it not after colonel invasions of territories in the 20th century that his work became popularised outside England? Chances are without the colonial invasions, we wouldn't know a thing about him. So popularisation of your work across the globe can be caused by many factors and is not a barometer of your excellence. It's like saying that because Christianity and Islam are the two most popular religions, then they must be the father of all religions, or the best or only true religions. Meanwhile those two faiths are only popular because of the willingness of their inventors to spread the message through widespread violence, invasions and bloodshed (crusades, jihad etc).

Afam4eva:
You told me to google him and i did so and told you what i found out about him. Why not tell me anything else about him apart from what i found instead hyperventilating. We're all here to learn.

You cannot learn about Ahmed Baba on a forum. Did you learn about Achebe on a forum? If you want to learn, go and research his works in-depth. It takes a lot more than a two minute Google stint. SMH

Afam4eva:
Baba Ahmed's writings did not even cross Sudan and Timbuktu. So, why should he even be considered "Father of African literature"? Did his writing have a behemoth influence on subsequent African writers and in the same level as Achebe?

Please write about what you know and stop spewing ignorance. You didn't know a thing about him a few minutes ago, yet now you know where his influence reached and didn't reach. Why don't you take the time to study him, and other African writers and their works before typing further trash? Your ignorance and disnterest in their works is a disgrace.

Afam4eva:
Why do i have to google him to know him. I know Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. I never said there were no writers before Achebe. I only asked for a writer before Achebe whose works are globally or even nationally of villagely(permit my french)acclaimed. How many writers use Ahmed Baba as a point of reference as much as Achebe?

You have to Google him to know him because the colonialist education you received ensured that you were completely cut off from your own history and the achievements of your people. So today, you need to actively search for that history or remain a colonised, lost sheep.

Afam4eva:
You've still not answered my question. Tell me which African writer before Achebe gained global or even National prominence. This is not about European colonialism.

Google Ahmed Baba, born in 1556. He wrote over 40 books before his death in 1627.

Afam4eva:
Maybe "Father of Modern African literature" would have been more appropriate but let's examine the term "Father"...Fatherwood refers to a figure that inspires others. Tell me one African writer before Achebe that inspires other African writers as much as Achebe. It's not just about being the earliest African writer but how far your works inspire others. African literature officially kicked off in the 19th century.

African literature "officially kicked off" when? Dude, please stop making a fool of yourself here. This is why Soyinka uses the word illiterates to describe your ilk. To you, the world started with European colonialism in the 19th century.. But you are wrong. Why don't you take the time to read and research the history of your continent before further embarrassing yourself? It's no one's job here to educate you.

I really feel like punching Kerry.

Afam4eva:
Whatever Achebe is called, it's for his generation and the one after him.

No. Whatever he is called must be reasonably accurate, and not prone to ridicule. Father of African Literature is an inappropriate term to use, and you cannot escape by claiming the term refers only to his generation and beyond. It doesn't. If you must, you should call him the father of Modern African literature. It is a very important distinction, and ignoring it suggests low intelligence and historical illiteracy.

Afam4eva:
Just to correct an impression. Being tagged the Father of Literature has little to do with whether or not you were in the first in that field. It culminates several variables.

But you need to have exposed yourself to that sea of African literature covering literally THOUSANDS of years before Achebe was born, before daring to pronounce him the "father" of African literature. I might accept if he was called the father of MODERN African literature, which is what more responsible and knowledgeable commentators have described him as. But the babyosisis of this world lack the intellect for such important subtleties.

bobthebuilder99: babyosisi...I think you missed the point.

WS was calling these people illiterate fools, and stating that it is giving oyibos license to look down on us (because now they think African literature is a baby).

In this particular instance, your tribalism is damaging to every person with black skin. So I am going to have to ask you to stop.

Were Egyptians not African? Did they not write?
What about the scrolls in Timbuktu? Were they not written by Africans?
What about all the ancient Ethiopian texts? Were they not written by Africans?

I could go on, and on, and on. Go read a book! Africans have been writing since before your "Father of African Literature" was born. Centuries before. And if you read what WS said carefully, you would see that he says that Achebe himself thought the title was ridiculous.

Thank you very much for educating these historical illiterates. Do you think someone like babyosisi knows anything about the Timbuktu manuscripts, or the ancient Egyptian texts? For her and her ofe onugbo and pounded yam ilk, African literature starts in the 1950s. So Achebe is the "father of African literature". Can't you see?

shymexx:

Do you know what a surface to air missile is and how unreliable they are especially when they're unguided?

You've got helicopter gunships and your obsolete Alpha Jets - why do you need surface to air missiles?

It just shows how clueless and silly the Nigerian army is.

Belgium, Canada, Egypt, France, the UK, Portugal, and Morocco, to name a few countries, still use the ''obsolete'' Alpha jets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault/Dornier_Alpha_Jet

chris365: (To Shymmex)

guy you are just fooling yourself here. better shut up. i pray your country faces this terror situation let me see how you'll open that your dirty mind to type rubbish about your army...

The guy's a Nigerian. Technically at least. He was born and raised in London and lives there. He even admitted once that he was raised by parents and relatives who constantly put down Nigeria, hence his present attitude to the country. Notice how he even calls it ''your country'', ''your army'' etc. He doesn't really consider himself a Nigerian.

mojounited: Ibom Airport New (International) Terminal and MRO facility - Under Construction

If the airport turns out anything like it looks in the render, it would be an outstanding place.

ezeagu:

These "discussions" are never productive and I'm actually suspecting people who open these kinds of threads. Since nairaland has started when have these threads ever ended with any meaningful discussion?

You seem to forget that millions of people lost their lives in a hideous manner in that conflict. It's not something you can just sweep under the carpet and demand that everyone forget. That's not gonna happen. If you can't stomach the debate, perhaps because the person you made your hero is under scrutiny, why not just leave the thread?

ezeagu:

What are trying to get out of this thread? Where do you think it's going to end up?

It's just a discussion. Loosen up.

malc619: Thoughtful folks would wonder the kind of leader Ojukwu would have become had Biafra materialised.

One who could sacrifice the lives of millions of children because of an unreasonable and selfish desire for power isn't the type of leader anyone wishes to have..

We know that the most senior Biafran military officer of the day, Brigadier-General Hilary Njoku of blessed memory, at one point early in the war had advised Ojukwu to call off the struggle on account of the sheer impossibility of overcoming the highly trained and equipped Nigerian forces, and in the face of the growing numbers of starving children. We know that Ojukwu promptly rejected the advice of this esteemed Igbo general, and placed him under house arrest as a 'saboteur' of the 'revolution'.

You see, this is why I feel bad when people attack Jonathan for things like his pardon of Alams and so on. Please leave this man alone to do his job for goodness sake. HE KNOWS WHY he pardoned Alams. The man simply wants peace in that region so as to effect the much needed infrastructural transformation there. If pardoning an ex con is a means to getting there, SO BE IT. Trust your president. He know what he's doing. All the other presidents that didn't pardon anybody, what did they achieve compared to Jonathan? Answer me that question!

Jonathan is remodelling 15 airports nationwide as we speak, and has awarded a contract to a Chinese company to build 6 brand new state-of-the-art terminals at 6 key airports.

Jonathan has resuscitated the railways that everyone had given up on.

Jonathan is fixing and building roads at a rate never seen before in the nation's history.

Jonathan is transforming the entire power sector to make power outages a thing of the past.

I mean, this guy is the BEST LEADER this nation has EVER had. The ONLY person I can think of who even comes close is the late General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, the first purposeful and dynamic leader this nation ever had.

occam:

Piecemeal investments like this will not work and transform nothing

What do you mean ''will not work''. It is ALREADY working!! Do you know how many people and tonnes of goods have moved north to south and vice versa since the commencement of operations? Insofar as there are clear plans and actions being put in place to migrate from the current single gauge track system to standard gauge (and there are), then what more do you want? You want there to be no working rail at all until all those new projects are completed in God knows what year? Doesn't make much sense to me. We should use what we have now and then compliment that by building for the future.

occam:
The latest Mercedes benz and SUVs ferry our leaders all over the place, yet they invest on a rail that moves at 31 mph.

It is silly and absurd making such comparisons. You cannot buy a modern railway system off the shelf the way you can buy a car. You need years of investment in the former. And please spare us this ''our leaders'' stuff. It's a very lazy way of looking at issues. ''Our leaders'' are not a monolithic group. They vary in quality from one administration to the next. So speak of the Jonathan admninistration specifically, or Yar'adua, or OBJ, or Shagari, IBB, Abacha, Buhari, Murtala, Gowon etc. Some leaders performed. Some didn't. Some had vision. Some didn't. Some were elected. Some got there through the barrel of the gun and so were unaccountable to anyone, which showed in their end-product. So they're not all ''the same''.