1 man,great man,great mind.....

"While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary.”
― Chinua Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah

WoW

A real lagendddd. RiP

Thank God he was a Nigerian... RIP PCA

Things fall apart is my best.

julioralph: "my son even if you want to fall, at least fall where your bones can be gathered" Ezeulu to his stubborn son Obika in 'Arrow of God' the best of his novels by my reckoning.
Because Oyinbo people like 'things fall apart' does not necessarily make it the best!

Two words : Epic and Legendary

"the greatest power over palmwine is the power to say no!" Achebe in Arrow of God

julioralph: "until Lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter" Chinua Achebe

OMG! this did not make sense to me until i had some second thought about the meaning! God bless Pa Achebe!

Chinua Achebe wrote and did great things. One of the greatest: Twice (2004 & 2011) turning down Nigeria's dubious National 'Honours'.

"There is no moral obligation to write in a particular way. But there is a moral obligation, I think, not to ally oneself with power against the powerless."
– Chinua Achebe

when the "arrow of God" is "no longer at ease", "things (will) fall apart"

He is a man of his words. I wish all nigerians can keep rejecting all awards until nigeria becomes a developed country.

'There was a country'.. Chinua Achebe

"We shall all live. We pray for life, children, a good harvest and happiness. You will have what is good for you and I will have what is good for me. Let the kite perch and let the egret perch too. If one says no to the other, let his wing break."
– Chinua Achebe

Goodluck. Never hear say things fall apart done die ?

"Mr. Brown had thought of nothing but numbers. He should have known that the kingdom of God did not depend on large crowds. Our Lord Himself stressed the importance of fewness. Narrow is the way and few the number. To fill the Lord's holy temple with an idolatrous crowd clamoring for signs was a folly of everlasting consequence. Our Lord used the whip only once in His life - to drive the crowd away from His church.”
― Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

"A proud heart can survive general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone."
– Chinua Achebe

The trouble with nigeria is squarely and fairly a failure of leadership.
- Chinua Achebe, trouble with nigeria

Great Icon! Great man!! Great Legend!!! Great writer. Epitome model of all Nigerians.

The best one he has ever quoted!!

WHEN THE ARROW OF GOD IS NO LONGER AT EASE, THINGS FALL APART..

"The triumph of the written word is often attained when the writer achieves union and trust with the reader, who then becomes ready to be drawn deep into unfamiliar territory, walking in borrowed literary shoes so to speak, toward a deeper understanding of self or society, or of foreign peoples, cultures, and situations."
– Chinua Achebe

From There Was A Country.

hurricaneChris: A man who rejected $1.5million dollars from Jackson Curtis aka "50Cent" when 50cent wanted to produce a film with the title...things fall apart.
This is what he replied 50cent's attorneys

" This book has been existing even before he (50Cent) was born"

50cent had to change d title of that film

hurricaneChris: "One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised"

This is why he always rejected awards frm Nigeria govt.

It would be a most tedious task to embark upon finding a man whose actions and words are in harmony. Not to talk of a Nigerian. This one was so principled that he ignored regional sentiments by refusing the award by the GEJ Administration. We have indeed lost a rare gem . May his soul rest in perfect peace.

It is with great sadness that I observe the golden generation of the Nigerian people approach its inevitable end. We have only Prof. Wole Soyinka and a few others left. The visionless and insatiably greedy generation of whom most are cowardly and others oppressive, lay a hold to power, while those who belong to the even more craven, poorly educated, and ignorant generation that is eager to copy anything that seems trendy without critical thought, look on and await the day they would have their share of the 'national cake'.

the internet generation is here now, we'll see what they're bringing.

going by the other achebe thread, not much, it appears.

end of civilization.

"There is that great proverb—that until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter... Once I realized that, I had to be a writer."
– Chinua Achebe

From The Paris Review

“Do you blame a vulture for perching over a carcass?

CHINUA ACHEBE, Arrow of God

"That boy called Ikemefuna, have no hand in this death" -Things Fall Apart
"Proverbs are like the palm oil with which words are eaten"-Things Fall Apart
"That boy calls you Father, have no hand in his death". -Things Fall Apart.



I dare say Things Fall Apart is the Greatest Book out of Africa so far...

Without doubt, an icon has passed on. A man of such great moral principles that he would bulge at nothing, not even when it's life threatening.

Achebe, the nigeria you so dearly sought after, one were justice, peace and equality reign, one were there is regard for human kind, a nigeria were leaders haven't sold out their souls for materials that short-lives, eluded you.

Only God knows what the future holds for the country. Some are so sadistic that they would butcher another man who's only struggling for daily survival, and call it service to God. 'God forbides evil and blasphemy.'

some are way debased, far beyond the beasts of the field. The eagerness and thrill in some to suck others blood and inflict untold pain leaves me both static and dismayed.
Talk about the unquenchable passion to take what supposedly was meant for the public--'sad face'.

You can choose to hear or ignore this: it is appointed unto man once to die after which comes judgment. One day all the evil of man will be stripped bare before the king.
May Achebe's soul rest in peice.

This man is one of my heroes!

"You cannot plant greatness as you plant yams or maize. Who ever planted an iroko tree — the greatest tree in the forest? You may collect all the iroko seeds in the world, open the soil and put them there. It will be in vain. The great tree chooses where to grow and we find it there, so it is with the greatness in men."
– Chinua Achebe

From No Longer At Ease

Keneking: “When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool.”
― Chinua Achebe


This shot is for believers. Gbam!!!

This has got nothing to do with believing/belief. Try to understand the quote first before discrediting it.
From the context, 'there is no seat' does not mean 'you are not welcome'. It means, 'you are welcome but just that I don't have (enough) seat'. The guest can choose to sit on the floor or stand but in this case, Suffering already made plans for its comfort. 'I have no seat' is not a strong/reasonable point enough to make Suffering turn back. So if you must refuse the presence of Suffering in your abode, then you must stand on a concrete 'No, I don't need you' position.
*Hope my attempt to clarify things won't be misunderstood as ITK or a direct attack of your person. Apologies if so.

youngies: "Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, called the converts the excrement of the clan, and the new faith was a mad dog that had come to eat it up."

"God will laugh at them on the judgment day. Why do the nations rage and the peoples imagine a vain thing? He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision."

"Okonkwo never did things by halves. When his wife Ekwefi protested that two goats where sufficient for the feast he told her that it was not her affair."

"As the years of exile passed one by one it seemed to him that his chi might now be making amends for the past disaster."

"And even in the matter of religion there was a growing feeling that there might be something in it after all, something vaguely akin to method in overwhelming madness."

"He condemned openly Mr. Brown's policy of compromise and accommodation. He saw things as black and white. And black was evil. He saw the world as a battlefield in which the children of light were locked in mortal conflict with the sons of darkness."

"It was the time of the full moon. But that night the voice of children was not heard. The village ilo where they always gathered for moon-play was empty."

"Okonkwo's compound was like a deserted homestead. It was as if cold water had been poured on it."

"Whenever you see a toad jumping in broad daylight, then know that something is after its life."

"It is against our custom, It is an abomination for a man to take his own life. It is an offense against the Earth, and a man who commits it will not be buried by his clansmen. His body is evil, and only strangers may touch it."

this is so stealing my hearth.